The Mountain Hydrology Group will be developing a new snowpack data set to inform water supply management in the western United States, thanks to grant funding from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Maps show various aspects of snow-water equivalent for California's Sierra Nevada. The maps are part of the April 1, 2024 report from the Mountain Hydrology Group.
Researchers in the Mountain Hydrology Group currently produce near-real-time estimates of snow water equivalent, or the amount of water contained in fallen snow, for mountainous areas in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Reports and data are released to water managers and forecasters and are also available to the public.
With the new grant of $1 million over the next three years, the group will be able to expand its estimates to all 17 western states, notably adding mountainous areas in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington and large mountain ranges such as the Cascades and northern Rocky Mountains.
The grant will support Noah Molotch (lead PI), Leanne Lestak, Emma Tyrrell, and Karl Rittger in analyzing snow data and producing biweekly snow water supply reports to support decision making by federal, state, and local water management entities responsible for managing water supplies in the western United States.
The Bureau of Reclamation awarded funds to 15 different projects as part of its Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program to improve water supply forecasting.
Photo at top of the page: Noah Molotch shows information about the snow-water equivalent for California during a television interview at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Photo copyright by and courtesy of Pier Gagné, Radio-Canada.
