Data coverage
This data set provides 3 m gridded, bare-earth elevations (excluding trees) that are used as the baseline for the Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) snow-on products. The data were collected during snow-free conditions as part of the NASA/JPL ASO aircraft survey campaigns. ASO3MSD This data set contains 3 m gridded snow depths derived from airborne light detection and ranging, or lidar, measurements of surface elevations. The data were collected as part of the NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) aircraft survey campaigns. ASO50MSD This data set contains 50 m gridded snow depths derived from airborne light detection and ranging, or lidar, measurements of surface elevations. The data were collected as part of the NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) aircraft survey campaigns. ASO50MSWE This data set contains 50 m gridded snow water equivalent (SWE) values collected as part of the NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) aircraft survey campaigns. The data were derived from the ASO L4 Lidar Snow Depth 50m UTM Grid data product and from modeled snow density. WVLCCSCFSCA This data set includes: (1) fine-scale snow and land cover maps from two mountainous study sites in the Western U.S., produced using machine-learning models trained to extract land cover data from WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 stereo panchromatic and multispectral images; (2) binary snow maps derived from the land cover maps; and (3) 30 m and 465 m fractional snow-covered area (fSCA) maps, produced via downsampling of the binary snow maps. The land cover classification maps feature between three and six classes common to mountainous regions and integral for accurate stereo snow depth mapping: illuminated snow, shaded snow, vegetation, exposed surfaces, surface water, and clouds. Also included are Landsat and MODSCAG fSCA map products. The source imagery for these data are the Maxar WorldView-2 and Maxar WorldView-3 Level-1B 8-band multispectral images, orthorectified and converted to top-of-atmosphere reflectance. These Level-1B images are available under the NGA NextView/EnhancedView license. SNEXHRSISDDEMCO This data set contains a time series of snow depth maps and related intermediary snow-on and snow-off DEMs for Grand Mesa and the Banded Peak Ranch areas of Colorado derived from very-high-resolution (VHR) satellite stereo images and lidar point cloud data. Two of the snow depth maps coincide temporally with the 2017 NASA SnowEx Grand Mesa field campaign, providing a comparison between the satellite derived snow depth and in-situ snow depth measurements. The VHR stereo images were acquired each year between 2016 and 2022 during the approximate timing of peak snow depth by the Maxar WorldView-2, WorldView-3, and CNES/Airbus Pléiades-HR 1A and 1B satellites, while lidar data was sourced from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. SNEXMCSLidarRaw The data set described here provides raw lidar data collected as part of a multi-year effort to monitor monthly snow distribution over a 35 km² region of the Mores Creek Headwaters in the Boise Mountains of central Idaho between 2021 and 2025. Data acquisition in 2021 overlapped temporally with the NASA SnowEx 2021 field campaign. Digital terrain models (DTM), digital surface models (DSM) snow depth models, and canopy height models (CHM) derived from these point cloud data are available as SnowEx Mores Creek Summit (MCS) Airborne LiDAR Survey, Version 1. SNEXMCSLidar The data set provides digital terrain models (DTM), digital surface models (DSM) snow depth models, and canopy height models (CHM), derived from point cloud data (available as SnowEx Mores Creek Summit (MCS) Airborne LiDAR Survey Raw, Version 1) acquired by airborne lidar scanning. Data were collected as part of a multi-year effort to monitor monthly snow distribution over a 35 km² region of the Mores Creek Headwaters in the Boise Mountains of central Idaho between 2021 and 2025. Data acquisition in 2021 overlapped temporally with the NASA SnowEx 2021 field campaign. In October 2025, corrupted data files were updated for the following acquisition dates: 8 December 2022 and 9 February 2023. SNEX17SDPerm This data set contains snowpack relative permittivities and densities derived from Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys and airborne lidar observations of snow depths. The results of the original GPR surveys are published in the SnowEx17 Ground Penetrating Radar, Version 2 data set, while the lidar snow depths were sourced from ASO L4 Lidar Snow Depth 3m UTM Grid, Version 1. Data are available between 08 Feb 2017 to 25 Feb 2017 from Grand Mesa, a snow-covered, forested area about 40 miles east of Grand Junction. Parameters include two-way travel (TWT) time, lidar-measured snow depth, calculated snow water equivalent (SWE), calculated snow density, and calculated relative permittivity. SNEX17KT15TB This data set contains brightness temperature readings. Brightness temperatures were measured using a KT-15 pyrometer flown on a P-3 aircraft over 2017 SnowEx campaign study areas in Colorado, USA: Grand Mesa, a snow-covered, forested study site about 40 miles east of Grand Junction; and Senator Beck Basin, approximately 80 miles to the SSE of Grand Mesa. Data represents the nadir brightness temperature below the aircraft. SNEX17SDTLI The dataset comprises snow depth measurements extracted from snow poles in time-lapse images near Grand Mesa, CO during the SnowEx 2016-2017 field campaign. Snow poles were 3.048 m (10 ft) vertical poles painted orange. Collection occurred at 18 sites. At each site, five snow depth measurements were extracted every two hours, beginning at 8:00 AM daily. The time-lapse images are archived separately at NSIDC (SNEX17TLI). SNEX20SWESARRTB This data set contains airborne microwave brightness temperature observations from the Goddard Space Flight Center SWESARR (Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer) instrument during the winter (10-12 February 2020) NASA SnowEx 2020 campaign at Grand Mesa, CO. Observations were made at three frequencies (10.65, 18.7, and 36.5 GHz; referred to as X, K, and Ka bands, respectively), at horizontal polarization with a nominal 45-degree look angle. SNEX20CASIETIR This data set contains long-wave infrared radiometer data, thermal infrared (TIR) imagery, and visible-band (RGB) imagery from the February 2020 NASA SnowEx field campaign flights over the Grand Mesa, CO. These data are from the center, nadir-viewing radiometer; center, nadir-viewing, TIR camera; or nadir-viewing, visible-band camera. Data were collected from the NASA SWESARR flights onboard the Navy CIRPAS Twin Otter. The measurements were to document the snow, forest, and land surface temperatures over targeted points of the mesa coincident with ground survey stations and can be used to study snow remote-sensing of signatures, small-scale temperature variability (sub-satellite resolution), diurnal snow temperature variability, effects of forest cover, and thermal snow budgets. SNEX20BRBSUSMP This data set contains raw penetration force profiles from the SnowEx 2020 Time Series campaign in the Boise River Basin in Idaho. Measurements were taken using the SnowMicroPen (SMP), a digital snow penetrometer, from three snow pits. The data files contain force measurements of the snowpack from the top of the snow surface to the ground. Measurements took place approximately weekly between 18 December 2019 and 24 January 2020. SNEX20TLSPCBSURAW This data set contains raw, unprocessed terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) point cloud data collected as part of the 2020 SnowEx campaign in Grand Mesa, Colorado. Data were collected under both snow-off (September 2019) and snow-on (February 2020) conditions, at both open and forested locations. Multiple scans were conducted at each site and registered together using common targets. Each point contains X, Y, and Z coordinates (Easting, Northing, and Elevation), as well as intensity (i). A processed version of this data set ca
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