Improving Water Resources Management in the Western U.S. through use of Remote Sensing Data and Seasonal Climate Forecasts
Management of water for human use is a major issue facing society in the 21st century. NASA models and data have the potential to improve water management, especially in the western U.S. because the region is water scarce, and because streamflow, the source of most irrigation water, is derived primarily from snowmelt runoff.
In this project, we will use NASA remote sensing data
and hydrologic and climate prediction models in a partnership with three
operational water management agencies – the Natural Resources Conservation Service,
which provides seasonal streamflow forecasts over most of the west, the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, which has decision authority within the Klamath River
basin, and the California Department of Water Resources, 
which has decision
authority for much of the Sacramento River basin.
Two types of NASA products will be used: first, EOS remote sensing data products, including MODIS snow cover extent, evapotranspiration, reservoir surface temperature, and AMSR-E snow water equivalent; second, NASA experimental seasonal climate forecasts produced by the GMAO model, which are already utilized in the University of Washington West Wide Hydrologic Forecast system.
An expected result of the project is the integration of NASA products and earth science research results into decision support tools for water management.
Funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Anne C. Steinemann, Co-PI, with Dennis P. Lettenmaier, PI, and Andrew W. Wood, Co-PI
Above: MODIS true-color image of the western US. Photo: NASA
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team.