Articles | Volume 10, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1229-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1229-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Jun 2016
Research article |
| 15 Jun 2016
Case study of spatial and temporal variability of snow cover, grain size, albedo and radiative forcing in the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain snowpack derived from imaging spectroscopy
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Karl Rittger
National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
S. McKenzie Skiles
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Noah P. Molotch
Department of Geography, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Thomas H. Painter
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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49 citations as recorded by crossref.
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- Modeling snow optical properties from single wavelength airborne lidar in steep forested terrain B. Wilder et al. 10.3389/feart.2025.1487776
- ENSO and Light-Absorbing Impurities and Their Impact on Snow Albedo in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia T. Bolaño-Ortiz et al. 10.3390/geosciences10110437
48 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The remote sensing of radiative forcing by light-absorbing particles (LAPs) in seasonal snow over northeastern China W. Pu et al. 10.5194/acp-19-9949-2019
- Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Snowpack Simulations in Complex Alpine Terrain Using Satellite and In Situ Observations J. Revuelto et al. 10.3390/rs10081171
- In situ effective snow grain size mapping using a compact hyperspectral imager C. Donahue et al. 10.1017/jog.2020.68
- Assimilation of surface reflectance in snow simulations: Impact on bulk snow variables J. Revuelto et al. 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2021.126966
- Sensitivity of modeled snow grain size retrievals to solar geometry, snow particle asphericity, and snowpack impurities Z. Fair et al. 10.5194/tc-16-3801-2022
- Snow and glacial feature identification using Hyperion dataset and machine learning algorithms M. Haq et al. 10.1007/s12517-021-07434-3
- Remote Sensing-Based Simulation of Snow Grain Size and Spatial–Temporal Variation Characteristics of Northeast China from 2001 to 2019 F. Zhang et al. 10.3390/rs15204970
- Assessing albedo dynamics and its environmental controls of grasslands over the Tibetan Plateau L. Zheng et al. 10.1016/j.agrformet.2021.108479
- Evaluating the Effects of UAS Flight Speed on Lidar Snow Depth Estimation in a Heterogeneous Landscape F. Sullivan et al. 10.3390/rs15215091
- Retrieval of Dust Properties From Spectral Snow Reflectance Measurements A. Kokhanovsky et al. 10.3389/fenvs.2021.644551
- In situ continuous visible and near-infrared spectroscopy of an alpine snowpack M. Dumont et al. 10.5194/tc-11-1091-2017
- Motion of dust particles in dry snow under temperature gradient metamorphism P. Hagenmuller et al. 10.5194/tc-13-2345-2019
- Blue-Sky Albedo Reduction and Associated Influencing Factors of Stable Land Cover Types in the Middle-High Latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere during 1982–2015 S. Yuan et al. 10.3390/rs14040895
- Spatio-temporal patterns and trends in MODIS-retrieved radiative forcing by snow impurities over the Western US from 2001 to 2022 A. Jensen et al. 10.1088/2752-5295/ad285a
- Do we still need reflectance? From radiance to snow properties in mountainous terrain: a case study with the EMIT imaging spectrometer N. Bohn et al. 10.5194/tc-19-1279-2025
- An Operational Methodology for Validating Satellite-Based Snow Albedo Measurements Using a UAV A. Mullen et al. 10.3389/frsen.2021.767593
- Drivers of Dust-Enhanced Snowpack Melt-Out and Streamflow Timing S. Fassnacht et al. 10.3390/hydrology9030047
- Changes in Extremes of Temperature, Precipitation, and Runoff in California’s Central Valley During 1949–2010 M. He et al. 10.3390/hydrology5010001
- Regional climatic changes and their impact on the level of avalanche hazard in East Kazakhstan O. Petrova et al. 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41807
- The Spatio-Temporal Variability in the Radiative Forcing of Light-Absorbing Particles in Snow of 2003–2018 over the Northern Hemisphere from MODIS J. Cui et al. 10.3390/rs15030636
- Evaluating satellite retrieved fractional snow-covered area at a high-Arctic site using terrestrial photography K. Aalstad et al. 10.1016/j.rse.2019.111618
- Optimal estimation of snow and ice surface parameters from imaging spectroscopy measurements N. Bohn et al. 10.1016/j.rse.2021.112613
- Improved snow property retrievals by solving for topography in the inversion of at-sensor radiance measurements B. Wilder et al. 10.5194/tc-18-5015-2024
- Snow and Water Imaging Spectrometer: mission and instrument concepts for earth-orbiting CubeSats H. Bender et al. 10.1117/1.JRS.12.044001
- The effects of snow on albedo in the mountains of Iran using MODIS data O. Motlagh et al. 10.1007/s00704-023-04680-1
- Radiative forcing by light-absorbing particles in snow S. Skiles et al. 10.1038/s41558-018-0296-5
- Sentinel-1 snow depth retrieval at sub-kilometer resolution over the European Alps H. Lievens et al. 10.5194/tc-16-159-2022
- Snow Albedo Feedbacks Enhance Snow Impurity‐Induced Radiative Forcing in the Sierra Nevada H. Huang et al. 10.1029/2022GL098102
- Remote sensing of a high-Arctic, local dust event over Lake Hazen (Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada) K. Ranjbar et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2020.118102
- Daily evolution in dust and black carbon content, snow grain size, and snow albedo during snowmelt, Rocky Mountains, Colorado S. SKILES & T. PAINTER 10.1017/jog.2016.125
- Can Saharan dust deposition impact snowpack stability in the French Alps? O. Dick et al. 10.5194/tc-17-1755-2023
- Snow Cover and Climate Change and Their Coupling Effects on Runoff in the Keriya River Basin during 2001–2020 W. Yan et al. 10.3390/rs15133435
- In-Situ LED-Based Observation of Snow Surface and Depth Transects C. Barnes et al. 10.3390/s20082292
- A review of black carbon in snow and ice and its impact on the cryosphere S. Kang et al. 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103346
- Bridging the gap between airborne and spaceborne imaging spectroscopy for mountain glacier surface property retrievals C. Donahue et al. 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113849
- Variation in Rising Limb of Colorado River Snowmelt Runoff Hydrograph Controlled by Dust Radiative Forcing in Snow T. Painter et al. 10.1002/2017GL075826
- Satellite-based radiative forcing by light-absorbing particles in snow across the Northern Hemisphere J. Cui et al. 10.5194/acp-21-269-2021
- UAV hyperspectral imaging for multiscale assessment of Landsat 9 snow grain size and albedo S. Skiles et al. 10.3389/frsen.2022.1038287
- Assessment of methods for mapping snow albedo from MODIS R. Palomaki et al. 10.1016/j.rse.2025.114742
- Black carbon and mineral dust in snow and ice pose risks on the Asian water tower H. Zhang et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2025.121127
- High-resolution snow depth retrieval by passive microwave based on linear unmixing and machine learning stacking technique Y. Bai et al. 10.1016/j.jag.2025.104467
- Machine Learning-Based Estimation of High-Resolution Snow Depth in Alaska Using Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data S. Tanniru & R. Ramsankaran 10.1109/JSTARS.2023.3287410
- Temporal and spatial variability in snow cover over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, from 2001 to 2015 W. Chen et al. 10.7717/peerj.8861
- Radiative forcing of black carbon in seasonal snow of wintertime based on remote sensing over Xinjiang, China W. Chen et al. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2021.118204
- Dependence of Avalanche Risk on Slope Insolation Level and Albedo N. Denissova et al. 10.3390/atmos16050556
- Black carbon dominated dust in recent radiative forcing on Rocky Mountain snowpacks K. Gleason et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/ac681b
- Snow Cover in the Three Stable Snow Cover Areas of China and Spatio-Temporal Patterns of the Future Y. Zou et al. 10.3390/rs14133098
- Modeling snow optical properties from single wavelength airborne lidar in steep forested terrain B. Wilder et al. 10.3389/feart.2025.1487776
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Short summary
Quantifying the snow albedo effect is an important step to predict water availability as well as changes in climate and sea level. We use imaging spectroscopy to determine optical properties of mountain snow. We find an inverse relationship between snow albedo and grain size as well as between elevation and grain size. Under strong melt conditions, however, we show that the optical-equivalent snow grain size increases slower than expected at lower elevations and we explain possible reasons.
Quantifying the snow albedo effect is an important step to predict water availability as well as...
