Cold Land Processes Jared K. Entin May 28 th, 2003

NASA’s Mission is About Life NASA’s Mission: To understand and protect our home planet To explore the universe and search for life To inspire the next generation of explorers … as only NASA can

How are Variations in Local Weather, Precipitation and Water Resources related to Global Climate Variation? River discharge monitored globallyRiver discharge monitored globally; Snow water equivalent observations EOS/in-situ observations of land surface state variables Improved precipitation forecasts that support: Water supply Decision Support System with day lead time & seasonal water supply forecasting ability Vertical profiles of cloud structure and properties (Cloudsat/Calypso) Ongoing model improvements Enhancements in computing resources Improved latent heating profiles and convective parameterizations within weather and climate models Observations of tropical rainfall/energy release(TRMM) Assessments of natural variability in atmospheric, surface and subsurface moisture stores Unfunded Partnership NASA = field campaign Knowledge Base Cloud parameterization and precipitation/water- vapor assimilation enabling more reliable short- term precipitation forecasts and accurate roll of clouds in climate predictions Quantify and elucidate mechanisms of the mean state and variability of the water cycle, including quantification of precipitation, evaporation, runoff and water storages precipitationevaporationrunoffwater storages Global estimates of ocean evaporation and land evaporation Global monitoring of water and energy (GIFTS) Global precipitation measurements (GPM) GOAL: Models capable of predicting the water cycle, including floods and droughts, down to 10s of kms Systematic measurements of precipitation, SST, land cover & snow Reservoirs and tropical rainfall well quantified Difficulty balancing the water budget on any scale Inability to observe and predict precipitation globally IPCC Report T= Technology development required Detection of gravity perturbations due to water distribution (GRACE) T T Data assimilation of precipitation and water vapor Global Soil Moisture

Various technology development needs detailed in ESTO database to support multi-frequency SAR, higher-resolution radiometers, larger data volumes, etc. Various technology development needs detailed in ESTO database to support multi-frequency SAR, higher-resolution radiometers, larger data volumes, etc. Knowledge Base Enterprise Goals: Understand distribution of snowpack water storage and melt state (wetness) Models capable of predicting the water cycle, including floods and droughts, down to 10’s of km Routine probabilistic forecasts of snow water storage and snowfall accurate enough to support economic decisions Improve winter storm hazard forecasting at local scales to support mitigation Cold Land Processes Roadmap CLPX I Global variations in areal extent of snow cover well quantified Poor understanding of how local-scale processes “scale up” Poor understanding of snow feedbacks to atmosphere Models don’t account for sub-grid scale snow distributions Winter precipitation poorly observed, esp. in high latitudes Paucity of observations of snow water content or melt state TODAY: AMSR-E Improved general understanding of cold land processes Improved representation of fundamental cold land processes in regional-global models SSM/I Evaluation of regional-global snow models, AMSR-E snow products Progress in microwave radiative transfer models for snow CLPX II New algorithms for active/passive SWE and wetness retrieval CLPX IV Validation Examine key questions unresolved by CLPX I – e.g. dynamics, untested snowpack regimes, polar regions, sea ice, etc. Examine key questions unresolved by CLPX I – e.g. dynamics, untested snowpack regimes, polar regions, sea ice, etc. Test and refine improved models and data assimilation Test and refine new active/passive algorithms with augmented Ku-band AIRSAR Test and refine new active/passive algorithms with augmented Ku-band AIRSAR CLPP Prelim Tech. Devel. CLPP Technology Development Data Analyses Improved strategies for assimilation of snow information in models CMIS (NPOESS) Continuation of 30-year baseline of global monitoring of snow cover and depth (dry-snow only, coarse resolution passive microwave) Narrow-swath sampling of global snow water equivalent and snow wetness Narrow-swath sampling of global snow water equivalent and snow wetness Narrow-swath sampling of global snow water equivalent and snow wetness Narrow-swath sampling of global snow water equivalent and snow wetness Full global measurement of snow water equivalent and snow wetness Full global measurement of snow water equivalent and snow wetness Full global measurement of snow water equivalent and snow wetness Full global measurement of snow water equivalent and snow wetness Quantification of high latitude precipitation, fresh water stored in seasonal snowpacks, controls on variability of storage, snowpack feedback effects on weather and climate Quantification of high latitude precipitation, fresh water stored in seasonal snowpacks, controls on variability of storage, snowpack feedback effects on weather and climate “Routine” modeled estimates of global SWE and snow wetness, largely unconstrained by observations “Routine” modeled estimates of global SWE and snow wetness, largely unconstrained by observations CLP Measurement Technology Development Improved measurement accuracy and precision Higher spatial and temporal resolution to resolve precipitation from individual storms Higher spatial and temporal resolution to resolve precipitation from individual storms NexGen AIRSAR (L, C, Ku) Imaging Ku AIRSAR Augmentation Data collection as needed to support advanced CLPP preparations – algorithm refinement, ground system testing, science data processing tests, etc. Data collection as needed to support advanced CLPP preparations – algorithm refinement, ground system testing, science data processing tests, etc. CLPP Proposal CLPP Education and Outreach CLPP Applications Development Unfunded Funded = Field Campaign Unfunded NRA CLPP MISSION CLPM MISSION Cold Land Processes Pathfinder (CLPP) Mission Cold Land Processes Measurement (CLPM) Mission Increased coordination and collaboration with polar regions and sea ice communities Development of International Partnerships CLPX III Cold Land Processes Working Group GAPP

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