Hydrologic response to dust radiative forcing of snow in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Dust deposition on snow influences the spring melt regime of the Upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) snowpack. In the UCRB, the addition of dust to snow enhances the absorption of solar radiation, which increases spring melt rate and spurs a more-rapid decline in total snow extent. This research investigates the capacity of multi-spectral remote sensing to determine an empirical hydrologic response to radiative forcing from dust on snow in the UCRB for a ten-year period (2000 - 2010). Radiative forcing measurements are derived from the MODDRFS (MODIS Dust Radiative Forcing of Snow) model, which uses MODIS surface reflectance data to determine the amount of additional energy absorbed by the snowpack attributable to dust. The MODDRFS gridded data are aggregated to both HUC 8 and HUC 12 basin polygons. Stream flow data are collected from USGS Hydro-Climatic Data Network sites within the UCRB. This analysis of the spatial and temporal dynamics of hydrologic response to dust radiative forcing of snow is a critical component to understanding the hydrologic regime of the Colorado River.