{"id":40816,"date":"2022-05-04T13:57:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/to-refine-water-forecasts-western-cities-map-snow-by-plane\/"},"modified":"2022-05-04T19:57:58","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:57:58","slug":"to-refine-water-forecasts-western-cities-map-snow-by-plane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/to-refine-water-forecasts-western-cities-map-snow-by-plane\/","title":{"rendered":"To refine water forecasts, Western cities map snow by plane"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A road winds through the snow-covered Rocky Mountains at Hoosier Pass as seen from the air April 18 near Blue River. Some drought-prone communities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by air to refine their water forecasts. It\u2019s one way water managers are adjusting as climate change disrupts weather patterns and makes current forecasting methods less reliable. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

GUNNISON \u2013 At a tiny airport surrounded by mountains, a three-person crew takes off for the inaugural flight above the headwaters of the Colorado River to measure the region\u2019s snow by air.<\/p>\n

Under the plane is a device that uses lasers, cameras and sensors to map snow and help drought-prone communities improve forecasts of how much water will later fill reservoirs.<\/p>\n

The method, developed nearly a decade ago at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, \u201cis the gold standard of snow measurement,\u201d said Emily Carbone of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, one of Colorado\u2019s largest water providers and the primary funder for the flight.<\/p>\n

For decades, Western U.S. states have been measuring snow through hundreds of remote sensing sites known as SNOTEL stations, which are operated by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. But as climate change causes rising temperatures, snow at those sites \u2013 at around 9,000 feet above sea level \u2013 is melting earlier than normal and pushing water managers to look for other ways to fine-tune forecasting methods.<\/p>\n

Among the options is a method of aerial snow mapping, which gives precise snow measurements across an entire basin.<\/p>\n

\"Pilot
Pilot Derek Malone reviews a map before the inaugural flight above the headwaters of the Colorado River using a 3D laser mapping device to measure properties of snow from the air April 18 in Gunnison. As climate change disrupts weather patterns, current water forecasting methods are becoming less reliable, but new ways of measuring snow \u2013 including an airplane-based 3D laser mapping system \u2013 are emerging across the arid West. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The flight by Airborne Snow Observatories in mid-April measured the area around the headwaters of the Colorado River. But the hope is to expand the work along the stressed river, which 40 million people rely on, said Jeffrey Deems, co-founder of the company.<\/p>\n

Paul Miller, a hydrologist at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, said \u201cremoving uncertainty in one of the data points\u201d can be critical in a water-stressed region.<\/p>\n

But Miller noted the limitations of even aerial snow mapping, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more per flight and only provide measurements for the day flown. The technology also doesn\u2019t account for variables such as air temperature and late-season storms that can affect water supplies.<\/p>\n

Others are working on ways to improve snow measurements, too.<\/p>\n

On the same day the plane scans the river\u2019s headwaters, the U.S. Geological Survey is on the ground researching an option that could be more affordable, even if it\u2019s not as precise. The agency installed its own remote sensing stations above and below the typical elevation of SNOTEL sites and its laser-equipped drones measured the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

\"Dan
Dan Berisford, an engineer with Airborne Snow Observatories, cleans a laser mapping device used to measure snow that is mounted under an airplane April 18 in Gunnison. Some drought-prone communities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by air to refine their water forecasts. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those results could take a couple of months to process since they\u2019re still in the testing phase, said Suzanne Paschke, who is managing the project for U.S. Geological Survey. The agency also paid for a segment of the headwaters snow mapping flight so it could cross-check its measurements.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, SNOTEL sites are also undergoing upgrades that could result in more accurate modeling, said Karl Wetlaufer, who helps run the program. In coming years, the federal agency plans to expand the number of sites that include sensors for solar radiation, wind and soil moisture. But the stations still can\u2019t be moved to higher elevations, where wind can whip snow around exposed mountaintops and make it hard to measure, Wetlaufer said.<\/p>\n

The newer methods help fill in those data gaps at high elevations.<\/p>\n

In June 2019, four SNOTEL stations showed snow had largely melted out in the Blue River basin, which feeds into the Dillon Reservoir that provides water to the Denver area. But mapping by Airborne Snow Observatories showed significant snow remained at higher elevations \u2013 giving water managers enough time to make room in the reservoir for the incoming runoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat information allowed us to prepare for a second peak of runoff and accurately lower our reservoirs to capture that water and avoid any flooding impacts downstream,\u201d said Taylor Winchell, climate adaptation strategist at Denver Water.<\/p>\n

\"Dan
Dan Berisford, an engineer with Airborne Snow Observatories, puts on an oxygen mask as he prepares to oversee the inaugural flight above the headwaters of the Colorado River using a 3D laser mapping device to measure properties of snow from the air April 18 in Gunnison. As climate change disrupts weather patterns, current water forecasting methods are becoming less reliable, but new ways of measuring snow \u2013 including the airplane-based 3D laser mapping system \u2013 are emerging across the arid West. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The event and other success stories from California water managers who had been using the technology for several years prompted the formation of a coalition of Colorado water agencies, nonprofits and local governments to pursue more snow mapping flights.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think it\u2019s worth it to get more valuable and detailed information, but we can\u2019t afford to fly as often as we\u2019d like,\u201d Carbone said.<\/p>\n

The group developed a plan to seek outside funding for flights and in March won a grant to help cover some of the costs from the Colorado Water Conservation Board.<\/p>\n

After her agency\u2019s first snow mapping flight last month over the headwaters of the Colorado River, Carbone was eager to get her hands on the results.<\/p>\n

The data indicated that as of mid-April, there was 369,000 acre-feet of water stored in snow above the reservoirs at the head of the Colorado River. Because it was the first time that region\u2019s snow was mapped by air, there are no historical trends for comparison. Carbone is still working to calculate how much of it could make it into the reservoir.<\/p>\n

Northern Water has commissioned another flight in May over the same area, which will reveal how much snow has melted since the April flight and how efficient it is at running off into reservoirs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot to learn but it\u2019s cool to get this data and really get a better picture of what\u2019s going on in our basin snowpack,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Jeffrey
Jeffrey Deems watches as a plane takes off to measure properties of snow from the air for his company, Airborne Snow Observatories, on April 18 in Gunnison. The flight by Airborne Snow Observatories measured the area around the headwaters of the Colorado River. But the hope is to expand the work along the stressed river, which 40 million people rely on, Deems said. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Water
Water flows past a few remaining snow patches along the Blue River on April 18 in Breckenridge. Some drought-prone communities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by air to refine their water forecasts. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A plane prepares to take off for the inaugural flight above the headwaters of the Colorado River equipped with lasers, sensors and camera to measure snow from the air April 18 in Gunnison. The measurements could give local officials more confidence in water forecasts. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A laser mapping instrument used to measure snow is mounted on the belly of an airplane April 18 in Gunnison. Some drought-prone communities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by air to refine their water forecasts. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Blue River, an important source of water for Denver and others along the Colorado River, is surrounded by snow April 18. (Brittany Peterson\/Associated Press)<\/span>Brittany Peterson<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A road winds through the snow-covered Rocky Mountains at Hoosier Pass as seen from the air April 18 near Blue River. Some drought-prone communities in the U.S. West are mapping snow by air to refine their water forecasts. It\u2019s one way water managers are adjusting as climate change disrupts weather patterns and makes current forecasting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[120,402,1164,295],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-40816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-colorado","tag-drought","tag-snow","tag-water"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40816"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40816\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40816"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=40816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}