Radiative effects of desert dust deposits in alpine snow

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Radiative effects of desert dust deposits in
alpine snow

• Thomas H. Painter
• National Snow and Ice Data Center
• University of Colorado at Boulder, USA

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Clean Snowcover
NASA MODIS Airborne Simulator Red Mountain Pass,
CO April 13, 2004
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Dust in Snow
NASA Twin Otter Red Mountain Pass, CO May 21, 2004
Photo Ian McCubbin, JPL
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Project

• NSF Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Dynamics
• NSF Hydrologic Sciences
• Radiative effects of desert dust deposits in
  alpine snow
• Co-Investigators
• Chris Landry, Center for Snow and Avalanche
  Studies
• Andrew Barrett, National Snow and Ice Data Center
• Jason Neff, CU-Boulder
• Collaborators
• Natalie Mahowald, NCAR
• Rich Reynolds, USGS

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Red Mountain Pass
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Deposition
1999
2003
2004
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Deposition
Dugout Ranch site, USGS, source R. Reynolds
Senator Beck Basin, San Juan Mtns photo CSAS
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Ablation
Mid April, 2003
Late May, 2003
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Trajectory Analyses
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May 15, 2004
J. Neff analysis Soon .
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Spectral albedo
? 0.72
? 0.43
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Snowmelt Modeling
Snow Water Equivalence
Snowmelt Flux
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Dust in Snow
AVIRIS Low altitude May 21, 2004 Red Mountain
Pass San Juan Mountains Colorado