Airborne Lidar Snow Depth Measurements On 50-Meter Grid

50-meter resolution gridded snow depths are derived from airborne lidar surface elevation surveys. The NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) aircraft collected this data during specific survey campaigns. The dataset was last updated by the NSIDC_CPRD organization in July 2019.

Use Cases

• Model snow water equivalent (SWE) by combining snow_depth values with density estimates.
• Validate coarser-resolution satellite snow_depth products using this high-resolution 50m grid.
• Analyze spatial variability of snow_depth across mountainous terrain for avalanche risk assessment.
• Calibrate hydrological models by using snow_depth grids as input for meltwater runoff simulations.

Strengths

• Data derived from precise airborne lidar measurements of surface elevation.
• Provides high spatial resolution on a consistent 50-meter UTM grid.

Limitations

• Specific row count, geographic coverage, and temporal range of surveys are unknown.
• Data recency is limited with a last update recorded in 2019.

Provenance

Source

NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) aircraft survey campaigns.

Collection Method

Airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) measurements of surface elevations.

Freshness

Last updated 2019-07-16; update frequency unknown.