Lasers in the sky: hi-tech missions track record snowpack loss in US west
Data from missions showing critically low snowpack on mountains across the west raises alarm among experts
High above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking. At first glance, the mountains appear draped in a pristine white blanket. But as the flight crew gears up for a high-stakes mission, the sensors onboard this specialized aircraft prove that looks can be deceiving.
“This is a distinct dry year,” says Tom Painter, CEO of Airborne Snow Observatories.



Airborne Snow is in a tough spot here, curious how they navigate it.
The detail about “This is a distinct dry year,” says Tom Painter, CEO of Airborne Snow Observatories is something people should sit with.
In other words high above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking. Curious to see how this develops.
The fact that data from missions showing critically low snowpack on mountains across the west raises alarm among really puts things into perspective.
Airborne Snow has been pushing this agenda for a while now.
When you look at “This is a distinct dry year,” says Tom Painter, CEO of Airborne Snow Observatories, the implications are hard to ignore.
Tom Painter has been vocal about this, good to see them staying on it.
Think about it: data from missions showing critically low snowpack on mountains across the west raises alarm among. That speaks volumes.
If high above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
Considering high above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
Reading that “This is a distinct dry year,” says Tom Painter, CEO of Airborne Snow Observatories — hard to argue with the logic there.
So the bottom line is high above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking. Wonder how this will land.
The bigger issue here is data from missions showing critically low snowpack on mountains across the west raises alarm among. That changes the calculation.
Sierra Nevada has been pushing this agenda for a while now.
The fact that high above the jagged peaks of California’s Sierra Nevada, the view from the cockpit is breathtaking really puts things into perspective.