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Help Scientists Track Blowing Snow
Blowing snow can suddenly decrease visibility, making it a significant travel hazard. Photos courtesy Ed Szoke.
Blowing snow events can be sudden and often take people by surprise, decreasing visibility and creating a significant travel hazard. Blowing snow, defined as snow lifted by wind many meters above ground, can happen on clear, windy days over a fresh, loose snowpack. Scientists like Bill Line at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) and a team at Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) are working to give forecasters more satellite-based tools to track blowing snow.
The GLOBE community can help verify the blowing snow satellite data tools by providing cloud observations that document the presence of blowing snow on otherwise clear days.
Starting in December, GLOBE Observers can help support the forecasting work by submitting feature photos of blowing snow along the horizon through the GLOBE Observer (GO) app. Data will be collected during this pilot project between December and February.
All data collected during the blowing snow pilot will be pulled into a data dashboard to help scientists access it quickly. The photos will be used to confirm the presence of blowing snow in satellite data. By improving the tools scientists use to detect blowing snow at your location, you are helping them create better products to help people driving vehicles and participating in outdoor activities worldwide.
Learn more in this GLOBE Observer news story.
This project was developed in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), the Geographic Information Network of Alaska (GINA) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the GLOBE Implementation Office Science, Training, Education, and Public Engagement (STEPE) team at City University of New York.