Authors: Andrew Knowlton, Matt Olson
Mentors: Matt Olson
Insitution: Utah Valley University
Snow melt is one of the most important parts of Utah’s water budget and has an impact on the Great Salt Lake (GSL) ecosystem, which hit a historic low point in 2022. One aspect contributing to water availability is an increase in dust on our snowpack which enhances snow melt and causes less water in the GSL basin. Using satellite imagery, we will calculate the increase in energy (radiative forcing) over the snowpack due to dust on snow. In previous research, I used a coarse satellite product from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to locate areas of dust hotspots on snow in the mountains surrounding the GSL. This project will use imagery with higher spatial detail (Landsat 8) using the same algorithm to measure radiative forcing over snow due to dust deposition. I will compare this data to the same algorithm using MODIS data to have a better analysis of dust in the snowpack. After performing this analysis I can better understand how spatial detail and acquisition frequency affect our accuracy at detecting radiative forcing due to dust on snow and how it changes our water budget.