How accurately can a process-based snow model simulate melt when it’s given remotely sensed information about how reflective the snow surface actually is?
In the Upper Colorado River headwaters, where dust deposition and seasonal darkening alter melt timing, we found that incorporating satellite-derived albedo into the iSnobal energy balance model meaningfully shifts simulated melt dynamics and melt timing compared to empirically modeled albedo — with implications for operational water supply forecasting.
I further examine the role of albedo in energy partitioning snowmelt contributions across the Colorado River Basin and the Great Salt Lake Basin as PI on a recently funded NASA Terrestrial Hydrology (now Hydrosphere) project.
Publications & data
- Hu et al., Multi-basin Comparison | Water Resources Research Under Review
- Lang et al. 2026, Darkened Snow | Water Resources Research Published
- Olson et al., Downscaling HRRR Part 1 | JAMES Under review
- Robledano et al., Downscaling HRRR Part 2 | JAMES Under review
- Community iSnobal Code Code