Abstract
ArcGIS and Remote-Sensing for Water Resource Decision Making
Track: Water Resources
Author(s): Tim Stough
Climatological controls on snow distribution and associated cycling of water and energy dictates water availability for sustaining ecosystems and for meeting the demands of the Western US. Over the past 50 years, climate change and associated increases in air temperature have accelerated snowmelt rates throughout the region. Projecting these trends into the coming century, climate and economic models predict decreases in water availability and an associated devaluation of California's agricultural lands by ~15% - an economic loss amounting to billions of dollars annually. Improving knowledge of physical processes related to snow distribution is critical for reducing uncertainty in these predictions and in turn enabling mitigation of impacts through informed environmental policy and efficient resource management.
We will demonstrate a GIS product generation system which integrates snowpack observations from ground, airborne, and remotely sensed data. These products provide improved estimates of snow water equivalent for improved knowledge of runoff potential.
Tim Stough
Jet Propulsion Lab
4800 Oak Grove Dr.
Pasadena , California 91109
United States
Phone: 626-644-6574
E-mail: stough@jpl.nasa.gov