ugrwcd
ASO Flights
Airborne Science Observatory Flights (ASO Flights)
Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) flights are an advanced water supply monitoring tool that uses aircraft-mounted technology to measure snowpack conditions across entire mountain watersheds. Developed through a partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, ASO provides some of the most accurate and comprehensive snow data available for water management in the western United States.
What ASO Flights Measure
ASO flights collect high-resolution data on three key snowpack characteristics:
- Snow Depth – how deep the snow is across the landscape
- Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) – the amount of water stored in the snowpack
- Snow Albedo – how much sunlight the snow reflects, which influences melt rates
Using a combination of LiDAR (laser-based elevation mapping) and imaging spectrometers, aircraft scan entire basins to create detailed, spatially continuous maps of snow conditions—far beyond what traditional ground-based measurements can provide.
How ASO Flights Work
ASO flights are typically conducted multiple times throughout the snow season, including:
- A snow-off flight to map bare ground conditions
- One or more snow-on flights to measure peak accumulation and melting patterns
By comparing these datasets, scientists can accurately calculate snow depth and, when combined with snow density models, determine the total volume of water stored in the snowpack.
In the Upper Gunnison Basin
In snowmelt-driven basins like the Upper Gunnison, the majority of annual water supply originates as mountain snowpack. ASO flights provide:
- Improved runoff forecasting for spring and summer water supply
- Better reservoir operations planning and flood risk management
- Enhanced drought preparedness and response
- More informed water allocation decisions across agricultural, municipal, and environmental uses
Because ASO captures data across entire watersheds, it reduces uncertainty compared to traditional point-based snow measurements and supports more reliable, data-driven decision-making.
ASO technology has been used in multiple Colorado basins, including the Uncompahgre, East River, and Taylor River watersheds. These efforts are part of broader statewide initiatives to expand airborne snow measurement and improve streamflow forecasting.
For the Upper Gunnison River Basin, ASO flights provide a critical opportunity to better understand basin-wide snowpack conditions, strengthen seasonal water supply forecasts, and support long-term drought resilience planning.