NASA’s SnowEx Mission on the Grand Mesa
Snow scientists working with NASA and Boise State University were here on the Grand Mesa to test new snow radar technology as apart of NASA's SnowEx mission. Snow scientists from NASA and Boise State University have been testing new radar technology on the Grand Mesa, Colorado, to monitor snow cover. The technology is part of NASA's SnowEx campaign, which aims to accurately measure all of the planet's snow water equivalent. The team used an aircraft equipped with radar sensors developed by the University of Massachusetts. Snow scientists found the ideal location for testing the technology due to the location of dry snow conditions and flat terrain. Snow melt-generated water supply provides around 70% of the Western United States' water supply.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Ja'Ronn Alex in Science
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - Snow scientists from NASA and Boise State University were up on the Grand Mesa testing new radar technology to monitor snow cover, which is a part of NASA’s SnowEx campaign. According to NASA, “...no single satellite-borne sensor has been demonstrated to accurately measure all of the planet’s snow water equivalent.”
The team of snow scientists gathered on the Grand Mesa from their base of operations, the Grand Mesa Lodge, to work with an aircraft that took off from Grand Junction Regional Airport. The aircraft was using an instrument with a bunch of radar sensors developed by the University of Massachusetts. The team on the ground would launch from the Grand Mesa Lodge to a testing site around forty minutes away. Hans Peter ‘HP’ Marshall would tell us why Grand Mesa was an ideal location to test snow-measuring radar technology. “...having a place like Grand Mesa that’s at 11,000 feet gives us a much better chance of having dry snow conditions and it’s a flat area. It’s the largest mesa in the world, and that allows us to test these instruments in a relatively simple topography.”
Snow melt-generated water supply provides around 70% of the Western United States’ water supply. Mapping the amount of snow on a mountain range can give us an accurate idea of how much snow melt will go into our rivers and streams, necessary for water management, flood forecasting, hydro-power forecasting, avalanche-related problems, etc.
Topics: Space, NASA