Item: WILDFIRE INFLUENCE ON SNOW ENERGY BALANCE FROM 22 YEARS OF MODIS LAND SURFACE ALBEDO
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Title: WILDFIRE INFLUENCE ON SNOW ENERGY BALANCE FROM 22 YEARS OF MODIS LAND SURFACE ALBEDO
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings 2023, Bend, Oregon
Authors:
- Jillian M. Gayler [ University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT ]
- S. McKenzie Skiles [ University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT ]
Date: 2023-10-08
Abstract: A changing climate increasingly impacts snow in the western US, from altered precipitation patterns to heightened wildfire potential in the seasonal snow zone. Fire in the seasonal snow zone removes forest canopy, exposing the underlying snow cover and modifying snow accumulation and melt periods, subsequently altering the surface energy balance. Scientific understanding of impacts from wildfire on the snowpack and surface energy balance is limited, restricting the ability to synthesize how altered surface energy fluxes impact snowpack dynamics. This study analyses 22 years of remotely sensed land surface albedo (LSA) in the seasonal snow zone to deepen scientific understanding of wildfire impacts on snow. In a high elevation, high severity fire followed by an above average snowpack, average winter LSA was 23.7% higher than the unburned area LSA (p-value: 0.002) in the first four years following fire, potentially contributing to a localized temperature cooling effect. As wildfires increase in frequency, elevation, and intensity in the mountain west, considering their impact on the surface energy balance within the broader context of snow hydrology and avalanche hazard becomes increasingly crucial.
Object ID: ISSW2023_P2.05.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Jillian M. Gayler
Keywords: snow hydrology, wildfire, remote sensing
Page Number(s): 680 - 686
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