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NASA’s C-20A Aircraft Enhances Snow Data Collection in Water Resource Study

In March, NASA’s C-20A aircraft undertook a series of seven research flights aimed at monitoring one of Earth’s vital resources: water. Equipped with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), the aircraft gathered crucial data on seasonal snow coverage and the freshwater reserves it holds as part of an initiative to understand snow melt processes and their timing.

As stated by Starr Ginn, the project manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, “Seasonal snow plays a pivotal role in providing drinking water, powering various industries, and supporting multi-billion dollar agricultural and recreational sectors.” The insights gained from this research are essential for comprehending how snowpack is distributed and how it contributes to water runoff.

The Dense UAVSAR Snow Time (DUST) mission specifically focused on mapping snow accumulation across key regions such as California’s Sierra Nevada and Idaho’s Rocky Mountains. This data allows scientists to estimate the volume of water that these snowbanks can provide.

Shadi Oveisgharan, the principal investigator for DUST and a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the challenges previously faced in accurately measuring snow water equivalent (SWE), which quantifies the volume and timing of water transformed from snow. “The UAVSAR has proven to be an effective tool for retrieving SWE data,” he remarked.

Research indicates that over recent decades, snow characteristics, weather patterns, and seasonal dynamics in the American West have undergone significant transformations. These shifts have impacted how snowpack is monitored and predictions of snow runoff. The DUST mission seeks to shed light on these modifications to enhance the precision of snow-to-water conversion estimates and their associated timelines.

Oveisgharan noted, “Our objective is to identify the optimal periods for snow data collection. This will aid in better estimating available fresh snow and optimizing reservoir management.”

The DUST mission has elevated the accuracy of snow data collection, largely attributed to the aircraft’s carefully planned flight paths. The C-20A’s Platform Precision Autopilot (PPA) allows the team to fly along designated routes with exactitudes in altitude, speed, and angle, facilitating precise measurements of terrain variations.

Joe Piotrowski Jr., an operations engineer involved in the airborne science program at NASA Armstrong, likened the precision of the PPA to the neat rows left behind by a lawn mower, explaining that it allows for measurements of terrain changes down to a centimeter.

Source
www.nasa.gov