Articles | Volume 27, issue 21
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4039-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4039-2023
Research article
 | 
10 Nov 2023
Research article |  | 10 Nov 2023

Assimilation of airborne gamma observations provides utility for snow estimation in forested environments

Eunsang Cho, Yonghwan Kwon, Sujay V. Kumar, and Carrie M. Vuyovich

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Cited articles

Aoki, T., Kuchiki, K., Niwano, M., Kodama, Y., Hosaka, M., and Tanaka, T.: Physically based snow albedo model for calculating broadband albedos and the solar heating profile in snowpack for general circulation models, J. Geophys. Res., 116, D11114, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015507, 2011. 
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Ball, J. T., Woodrow, I. E., and Berry, J. A.: A model predicting stomatal conductance and its contribution to the control of photosynthesis under different environmental conditions, in: Progress in Photosynthesis Research, edited by: Biggins, J., Martinus Nijhoff: Dordrecht, the Netherlands, 221–234, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0519-6_48, 1987. 
Barnett, T. P., Adam, J. C., and Lettenmaier, D. P.: Potential impacts of a warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions, Nature, 438, 303–309, 2005. 
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Short summary
An airborne gamma-ray remote-sensing technique provides reliable snow water equivalent (SWE) in a forested area where remote-sensing techniques (e.g., passive microwave) typically have large uncertainties. Here, we explore the utility of assimilating the gamma snow data into a land surface model to improve the modeled SWE estimates in the northeastern US. Results provide new insights into utilizing the gamma SWE data for enhanced land surface model simulations in forested environments.