Global Snow Water Equivalent Observations from Space

Global snow water equivalent (SWE) data are required for understanding the role of snow in the Earth’s water, energy and carbon cycles, and are critical for informing water resource and snow-related hazards. While exciting progress has been made in recent decades, there are currently no global SWE data at the required frequency, resolution and accuracy to address scientific and operational requirements. These data are needed to inform science and application areas and, taken as a whole, are critical to global water and food security. New higher-resolution microwave instruments can provide this information, especially when combined with modeling.  We now have the capability to put these instruments in space to monitor SWE and volume at the required resolution for improved and useful water prediction globally.  This presentation will describe the requirements of a spaceborne SWE mission, review progress in snow remote sensing technology and algorithms, and describe a potential path forward to meet identified snow data needs.