Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) is the amount of water contained in snowpack. It is analogous to melting the snow and measuring the depth of the resulting pool of water. SWE measurements are useful for assessing both the potential surface runoff from snow melt and the water availability for regions in lower elevations.

Billions of people worldwide rely on seasonal water runoff from snowpack and glaciers for irrigation and drinking water. Changes in global snow cover can have major impacts on food production. Seasonal water runoff from snowpack and glaciers, when combined with rainfall, can also affect the timing and magnitude of river flows and significantly impact the risk of flooding events. Snow cover and SWE are critical variables for flood prediction and mitigation efforts in these regions. 

Our datasets combine imagery from NASA’s Earth-observing satellites and surveys collected on the ground to help researchers study this important metric. NASA also curates socioeconomic data to provide a full picture of the impacts of snow melt and runoff on people and communities.