Aragon, C.M., Hill, D.F., Wolken, G.J., Wikstrom Jones, K.M., and Crumley, Ryan, 2025, Assimilation of community science data to improve mountain snow distribution estimates: Water Resources Research, v. 61, no. 11, e2025WR040019.
Snow water equivalent (SWE), which quantifies the amount of water stored in a snowpack, is a critical variable for hydrological applications. Assimilating in situ snow data can improve estimates of SWE distribution. The Community Snow Observations (CSO) data set, developed through a collaboration between scientists, recreationists, and professionals, provides snow depth observations globally. This study (a) characterizes the CSO data set and compares it to existing snow data sources, (b) evaluates whether the assimilation of CSO data can improve SWE distribution estimates beyond SNOTEL assimilation alone in low, medium, and high precipitation years in Utah (USA), and (c) investigates which CSO data are most useful for improving SWE estimates. CSO snow depth observations are unique in that they provide in situ measurements in parts of the landscape typically missing from snow monitoring networks. This work finds that assimilating CSO data in addition to SNOTEL can reduce root mean square error (RMSE) by up to 23% compared to open-loop simulations. CSO assimilation also influences modeled snow distribution and water volumes across the entire domain, regardless of calibration sophistication or the spatiotemporal distribution of CSO observations. Targeted assimilation experiments revealed that observation elevation and distance from the area of interest were the most important factors for improving model performance. These results suggest that future CSO efforts may be most effective when observations are submitted at elevations similar to the target area and in close proximity. This study demonstrates the value of the CSO data set as an impactful and practical data source for SWE data assimilation.
Outside LinkThis publication is not available through the DGGS website. Find out how to obtain this publication.
