Moving toward a dedicated snow mission: the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment, Pathfinder, and Mission

Edward J. Kim
NASA/GSFC & the NASA Cold Land Processes Working Group

Over the last several years, NASA's Earth Science Enterprise has pursued the concept of a dedicated snow remote sensing satellite mission. Scientists and engineers from many institutions and several countries have contributed to the effort, primarily through the umbrella of the Cold Land Processes Working Group.

The first concept that may be launched is the Cold Land Processes Pathfinder (CLPP), with a microwave sensor suite that would make combined passive/active observations at resolutions superior to any such previous or planned mission. The hope is that these Pathfinder observations will lead to breakthroughs in the understanding of snow-related processes and retrieval algorithms. A brief overview of CLPP, expected to be formally proposed within the next few months, will be given.

In 2002-2003, a major field experiment, the Cold Land Processes Field Experiment-1 (CLPX-1), was conducted to advance the understanding of the terrestrial cryosphere. CLPX-1 has generated a tremendous database of multi-scale multi-sensor observations that are proving invaluable in preparations for CLPP, as well as for advancing snow remote sensing in general. A summary of the experiment will be presented.

A technology development exercise was also completed last year for an eventual full global coverage Cold Land Processes Mission (CLPM), a truly dedicated snow remote sensing satellite. Drawing-board sketches of what this satellite might look like will be shown, and a summary of technology development work will be presented.

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