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Science Rendezvous > Posters A Comprehensive Assessment of SNODAS for Hydrologic Forecasting Andrew Slater (1), Martyn Clark (2) (1) NSIDC/CIRES, Uni. Colorado, (2) NIWA, New Zealand The NOAA/NOHRSC National Snow Analysis, otherwise known as the SNow Data ASsimilation (SNODAS) product, combines a high resolution modeling system with a wide variety of surface, airborne and satellite observations. The assimilation scheme is a mix of automated and manual analysis. However, evaluation of this product is problematic because there is little snow data available that was not used to produce the SNODAS product. Streamflow is one of the few measures that can give a true indication of how well snow accumulation and ablation is replicated in SNODAS. We use two basins in the Sierra Nevada mountains near the border of California and Nevada: the North Fork of the American River and the East Fork of the Carson. These two basins are the testbed for the NWS distributed model intercomparison project and are quite different in how snow impacts their hydrographs. We assess the water balance of the SNODAS product, compare it's snow estimates to some local observations of snow and look the streamflow results when the products are assimilated into a distributed hydrologic model. |
