Resource detail

Instrument-laden aircraft are surveying the Colorado high country as scientists search for better ways to measure how much water is locked up in the world’s mountain snows water that sustains a substantial share of the global population. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) led experiment called SnowEx is using five aircraft to test 10 sensors that might one day be used to monitor snow from satellites. The goal: Find the ideal combination to overcome multiple obstacles, including how to analyze snow hidden beneath forest canopies. The key to predicting how much water will pour out of mountain snows each spring is a measurement called snow water equivalent. The global average is 30% of snow depth, Kim said — 10 inches of snow melts down to 3 inches of water.