The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3051-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3051-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 5
Research article
 | 
26 May 2026
Research article |  | 26 May 2026

Improved workflow for customized ICESat-2 ATL06 elevations captures seasonal mountain snow depths at sub-kilometer scale

Karina Zikan, Ellyn M. Enderlin, Hans-Peter Marshall, and Shad O'Neel

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Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Peer review completion

AR – Author's response | RR – Referee report | ED – Editor decision | EF – Editorial file upload
ED: Publish subject to revisions (further review by editor and referees) (30 Jan 2026) by Benjamin Smith
AR by Karina Zikan on behalf of the Authors (12 Mar 2026)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Publish as is (27 Mar 2026) by Benjamin Smith
AR by Karina Zikan on behalf of the Authors (08 Apr 2026)
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Short summary
We present an improved method for measuring mountain snow depth using NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite that accounts for steep terrain. By comparison to weather station and helicopter measurements, we show that ICESat-2 captures snow depth both over a season and across a mountain ridge. ICESat-2 works best when slopes are less than 20°. Enough mountain terrain falls within this slope range that ICESat-2 could dramatically expand snow depth observation and provide critical data for water management.
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