Multi-Sensor Assessment of Changes in Seasonal Snow Cover Persistence in
the Columbia River Basin Using Cloud Computing Platforms
Abstract
It is now widely understood that seasonal snow cover in the Western
United States is melting earlier than in past decades. This could have
significant consequences for human populations and ecosystems dependent
on regularity in timing and magnitude of downstream flows that originate
as snow. However, while earlier melt is well established, less is known
about intra-annual changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of
accumulation and ablation (melt) cycles in the core winter months and
spring months, i.e. the ‘persistence’ of seasonal snow cover. This is
significant because changes to the persistence of seasonal snow in the
winter and spring could have important implications for other snow cover
characteristics such as albedo, as well as ancillary hydrologic factors
such as soil moisture and runoff. To understand these changes in
persistence, this project focuses on study basins in different climatic
zones of the Columbia river basin, capturing the shift from maritime
snowpack in the west to alpine snowpack in the east. The research relies
on a combination of time series analysis of NRCS SNOTEL stations and
snow courses and use of an optical remote sensing product which is based
on the MODIS MOD10A1 dataset. To compensate for significant winter and
spring cloud cover, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, a temporal
and spatial gap filling approach utilizing higher spatial resolution
products (e.g. Landsat and Sentinel 2) is implemented primarily in
Google Earth Engine. The seasonal snow persistence from the MODIS-based
product is evaluated using additional Landsat, Sentinel 2 and Planet
Labs data, as well as data from the in situ monitoring stations.
Finally, changes in intra-annual seasonal snow cover persistence are
characterized for core winter, spring and early summer months along an
elevational gradient and across study sub-basins.