Evaluation of ISNOBAL performance with incorporated in situ and remotely sensed snow albedo in Senator Beck Basin, San Juan Mountains, CO

Mountain snow plays an important role in providing water resources to over one-sixth of the world's population. Effectively managing these resources requires a quantitative understanding of the factors which influence the timing and magnitude of runoff. Snow melt in many regions is driven primarily by absorption of incoming solar radiation, which itself is dependent on snow albedo. A previous lack of spatiotemporal albedo data has resulted in limited ability to physically represent snow albedo decay in numerical models. Recent availability of remotely sensed snow albedo and snow depth data from NASA's Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) over Senator Beck Basin Study Area (SBBSA) has created an opportunity to improve snow melt model performance and improve our ability to represent the control of net solar radiation on snow melt. Here we intend to run the physically based and spatially distributed snow melt model ISNOBAL using data collected from two micrometeorological towers located in SBBSA for the 2008-2017 water years. Model results will be validated using a combination of in-situ field measurements and remotely sensed ASO data. Albedo measurements from the two towers and ASO will then be incorporated into ISNOBAL with the intention of improving model results. The desired outcome of this study will be a demonstration of how proper incorporation of albedo can significantly improve snow melt model performance, which in turn provides opportunity to improve management of water resources from snow.