Edward (Ned) Bair

Ned Bair is a Climate Scientist at Leidos Inc. and keeps a research appointment at the Earth Research Institute, University of California – Santa Barbara. He works on a wide range of climate solutions and advisory services, applying parallel computational solutions to problems in: remote sensing, weather monitoring, spectroscopy, and the energy balance. His work spans a range of scales, from the photon to the continent. His work has been featured in The New York Times and on National Public Radio. He has worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers, in the outdoor industry, and as a consultant.

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Current employmentEducation
Climate Scientist, Leidos, Inc.
Founder, Ned Bair Consulting		B.A, 2003, Bowdoin College, Economics, magna cum laude
Ph.D., 2011, UCSB Bren School, Env. Sci. & Management, GPA 3.96

Peer-reviewed publications

  1. Bohn, N., Bair, E.H., Brodrick, P., Carmon, N., Green, R., Painter, T., D. Thompson (in review), The pitfalls of ignoring topography in snow retrievals: a case study with EMIT, The Cryosphere
  2. Mahanthege, S., Kleiber, W., Rittger, K., Rajagopalan, B., Brodzik, M.-J., and E.H. Bair (in review) A Spatially-Distributed Machine Learning Approach for Fractional Snow Covered Area Estimation, Water Resources Research.
  3. Bair, E. H., J. Dozier, K. Rittger, T. Stillinger, W. Kleiber, and R. E. Davis (2023), How do tradeoffs in satellite spatial and temporal resolution impact snow water equivalent reconstruction?, The Cryosphere, 17, 2629–2643, doi: 10.5194/tc-17-2629-2023.
  4. Yang, K., Rittger, K., Musselman, K., Bair, E. H., Dozier, J., Margreth, S., Painter, T., & Molotch, N. P. (2023). Intercomparison of snow water equivalent products in the Sierra Nevada California using Airborne Snow Observatory data and ground observations. Frontiers in Earth Science, 11. doi: 10.3389/feart.2023.1106621.
  5. Hao, D., G. Bisht, K. Rittger, T. Stillinger, E.H. Bair, Y. Gu, and L. R. Leung (2023), Evaluation of E3SM land model snow simulations over the Western United States, The Cryosphere, 17(2), 673-697, doi: 10.5194/tc-17-673-2023.
  6. Stillinger, T., K. Rittger, M. S. Raleigh, A. Michell, R. E. Davis, and E.H. Bair (2023), Landsat, MODIS, and VIIRS snow cover mapping algorithm performance as validated by airborne lidar datasets, The Cryosphere, 17(2), 567-590, doi: 10.5194/tc-17-567-2023.
  7. Hao, D., Bisht, G., Rittger, K., Bair, E.H., He, C., Huang, H., Dang, C., Stillinger, T., Gu, Y., Wang, H., Qian, Y., and Leung, L. R. (2023): Highlight paper: Improving snow albedo modeling in the E3SM land model (version 2.0) and assessing its impacts on snow and surface fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau, Geosci. Model Dev., 16 (1), 75-94, doi: 10.5194/gmd-16-75-2023.
  8. Dozier, J., E.H. Bair, L. Baskaran, P. G. Brodrick, N. Carmon, R. F. Kokaly, C. E. Miller, K. R. Miner, T. H. Painter, and D. R. Thompson (2022), Error and Uncertainty Degrade Topographic Corrections of Remotely Sensed Data, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 127(11), e2022JG007147, doi: 10.1029/2022JG007147.
  9. Huang, H., Qian, Y., He, C., Bair, E.H., and Rittger K. (2022), Albedo feedbacks enhance snow impurity-induced radiative forcing in the Sierra Nevada, Geophysical Research Letters, e2022GL098102, doi: 10.1029/2022GL098102.
  10. Bair, E.H., Dozier, J., Stern, C., LeWinter, A., Rittger, K., Savagian, A., Stillinger, T., and Davis, R. (2022), Divergence of apparent and intrinsic snow albedo over a season at a sub-alpine site with implications for remote sensing, The Cryosphere, 16, 1765-1778, doi: 10.5194/tc-16-1765-2022.
  11. Ahmad, J., Forman, B., Bair, E.H., and Kumar, S. (2021), Passive Microwave Brightness Temperature Assimilation to Improve Snow Mass Estimation across Complex Terrain in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, doi: 10.1109/JSTARS.2021.3102965 [pdf]
  12. Rittger, K., Krock, M., Bair, E.H., Stephenson, T., Rajagopolan, B., Bormann, K., and Painter, T. (2021), Multi-sensor fusion using random forests for daily fractional snow cover at 30 m, Remote Sensing of the Environment, 264, 112608, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2021.112608 [pdf]
  13. Rittger, K., Bormann, K., Bair E.H., Dozier, J., and Painter, T., Evaluation of VIIRS and MODIS snow covered fraction in High Mountain Asia using Landsat 8 (2021), Front. Remote Sens, doi: 10.3389/frsen.2021.647154 [pdf]
  14. Bair, E.H., Stillinger, T., Rittger, K., & Skiles, M. (2021). COVID-19 lockdowns show reduced pollution on snow and ice in the Indus River Basin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118, e2101174118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2101174118[pdf]
  15. Bair, E.H., Stillinger, T., and Dozier, J. (2021) Snow Property Inversion from Remote Sensing (SPIReS), IEEE Transactions on Remote Sensing and Geoscience, doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2020.3040328 [pdf]
  16. Bair, E.H., Rittger, K., Ahmad, J. A., and Chabot, D. (2020): Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan, The Cryosphere, 14, 331-347, doi: 10.5194/tc-14-331-2020. [pdf]
  17. Bair, E.H., Rittger, K., Skiles, S.M., and Dozier, J. (2019), An examination of snow albedo estimates from MODIS and their impact on snow water equivalent reconstruction, Water Resources Research, 55, doi: 10.1029/2019WR024810. [pdf]
  18. Conner, M. M., T. R. Stephenson, D. W. German, K. L. Monteith, A. P. Few, and E. H. Bair (2018), Survival analysis: Informing recovery of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, The Journal of Wildlife Management, 82, 1442-1458, doi: 10.1002/jwmg.21490. [pdf]
  19. Bair, E. H., A. Abreu Calfa, K. Rittger, and J. Dozier (2018), Using machine learning for real-time estimates of snow water equivalent in the watersheds of Afghanistan, The Cryosphere, 12(5), 1579-1594, doi: 10.5194/tc-12-1579-2018. [pdf] [pdf supplement]
  20. Bair, E. H., R. E. Davis, and J. Dozier (2018), Hourly mass and snow energy balance measurements from Mammoth Mountain, CA USA, 2011–2017, Earth System Science Data, 10, 549-563, doi: 10.5194/essd-10-549-2018. [pdf]
  21. Kim, Y., T. J. Reck, M. Alonso-delPino, T. H. Painter, H. P. Marshall, E. H. Bair, J. Dozier, G. Chattopadhyay, K. N. Liou, M. C. F. Chang, and A. Tang (2018), A Ku-Band CMOS FMCW Radar Transceiver for Snowpack Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, PP, 1-15, doi: 10.1109/TMTT.2018.2799866. [pdf]
  22. Hatchett, B. J., S. Burak, J. J. Rutz, N. S. Oakley, E. H. Bair, and M. L. Kaplan (2017), Avalanche Fatalities during Atmospheric River Events in the Western United States, J. Hydrometeorology, 18(5), 1359-1374, doi: 10.1175/jhm-d-16-0219.1 [pdf]
  23. Bair, E. H., K. Rittger, R. E. Davis, T. H. Painter, and Dozier, J. (2016), Validating reconstruction of snow water equivalent in California’s Sierra Nevada using measurements from the NASA Airborne Snow Observatory, Water Resources Research, 52, doi: 10.1002/2016WR018704. [pdf]
  24. van Herwijnen, A., Gaume, J., Bair, E.H., Reuter, B., Birkeland, K.W., and Schweizer, J. (2016), Energy-based method for deriving fracture energy and elastic properties of snowpack layers. Journal of Glaciology, available on CJO doi:10.1017/jog.2016.90. [pdf]
  25. Rittger, K., Bair, E.H., Kahl, A., and Dozier, J. (2016). Spatial estimates of snow water equivalent from reconstruction. Advances in Water Resources 94, 345-363. doi: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.05.015. [pdf]
  26. Dozier, J., Bair, E.H., and Davis, R.E. (2016) Advanced review: Estimating the spatial distribution of snow water equivalent in the world’s mountains. WIRES Water. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1140. [pdf]
  27. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R., van Herwijnen, A. and Birkeland, K.W. (2015) Using 2 m Extended Column Tests to assess slope stability. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 120, p. 191-196 doi: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2015.06.021. [pdf]
  28. Bair, E.H., Dozier, J., Colee, M. and Claffey, K. (2015) CUES – A Study Site for Measuring Snowpack Energy Balance in the Sierra Nevada. Frontiers in Geoscience 3, doi: 10.3389/feart.2015.00058. [pdf]
  29. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R., van Herwijnen, A., & Birkeland, K.W (2014) The influence of edge effects on crack propagation in snow stability tests. The Cryosphere, 8, 1407-1418 doi: 10.5194/tc-8-1407-2014. [pdf]
  30. Bair, E.H. (2013) Forecasting artificially-triggered avalanches in storm snow at a large ski area. Cold Regions Science and Technology 85 p. 261-269 doi: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2012.10.003. [pdf]
  31. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R., Birkeland, K. and Dozier, J., (2012) A field study on failure of storm snow slab avalanches. Cold Regions Science and Technology 79-80 p. 20-28 doi: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2012.02.007. [pdf]
  32. Bair, E.H., K. W. Birkeland, and J. Dozier (2010) In situ and photographic measurements of avalanche crown transects, Cold Regions Science and Technology, 64, p.174-181 doi: 10.1016/j.coldregions.2010.08.004. [pdf]
  33. Bair, E.H., J. Dozier, and K. W. Birkeland (2008) Avalanche crown-depth distributions, Geophysical Research Letters, 35, L23502, doi:10.1029/2008GL035788. [pdf]
  34. Bair, E.H. and Fitzgerald, J.M. (2005) Hedonic estimation and policy significance of the impact of HOPE VI on neighborhood property values. Review of Policy Research, 22(6): 771-786, doi: 10.1111/j.1541-1338.2005.00175.x. [pdf]

Other publications and datasets

  1. Gatebe, C.K., Nolin, A., Sproles, E., Bair, E.H., Crawford, C.J., Flanner, M.,Gleason, K.E., Lyasputin, A., Ni-Meister, W., Skiles, M., Rittger, K.,He, C., Pirazzini, R., Mosadegh., E. (2024), Snow albedo: state of current knowledge, gaps, and recommendations, NASA report, 61 pp.
  2. Resch, F-J. (2024), Bair, E.H., Peitzsch, E., Miller, Z., Fees, A., van Herwijnen, A., and Reiweger, I., Meteorological drivers for glide-snow avalanche release – comparison of two different sites in Switzerland and Montana, US, Intrapraevent 2024.
  3. Resch, F-J. (2023), Bair, E.H., Peitzsch, E., Miller, Z., Fees, A., van Herwijnen, A., and Reiweger, I., Comparison of the glide activity at two distinct regions using Swiss and U.S. datasets,Proceedings of the 2023 International Snow Science Workshop, [link]
  4. Resch, F.-J. (2023)., Comparison of the glide activity at two distinct regions using Swiss and U.S. data sets. (M.Sc.), Supervisors: Reiweger, I., Bair, E.H., Universität Für Bodenkultur Wien. [pdf]
  5. Bair, E.H. (2023). SPIReS-MODIS-ParBal snow water equivalent reconstruction: Western USA, water years 2001-2021, doi: 10.25349/D9TK7H
  6. Bair, E.H. (2023), Snow cover and snow water equivalent for “How do tradeoffs in satellite spatial and temporal resolution impact snow water equivalent reconstruction?”, doi: 10.25349/D9PW47.
  7. Pestana, S., Chickadel, C. C., Lundquist, J. D., Bair, E. H., & Dozier, J. (2023). Retrieving high temporal resolution snow and forest surface temperatures through spectral separation of GOES-16 ABI observations. Presented at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Pasadena, CA USA. [pdf]
  8. Bohn, N., Bair, E. H., Brodrick, P. G., Carmon, N., Green, R. O., Painter, T., & Thompson, D. R. (2023). Estimating dust on snow – application of a coupled atmosphere-surface model to spaceborne EMIT imaging spectrometer data. Presented at the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Pasadena, CA USA. [pdf]
  9. Bair, E. H., J. Dozier, K. Rittger, T. Stillinger, W. Kleiber, and R. E. Davis (2022), Does higher spatial resolution improve snow estimates?, The Cryosphere Discuss., 2022, 1-20, doi: 10.5194/tc-2022-230.
  10. Hao, D., Bisht, G., Rittger, K., Stillinger, T., Bair, E.H., Gu, Y., & Leung, L. R. (2022). Evaluation of snow processes over the Western United States in E3SM land model. EGUsphere, 2022, 1-38. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-2022-1097
  11. Stillinger, T., Rittger, K., Raleigh, M. S., Michell, A., Davis, R. E., & Bair, E. H. (2022). Landsat, MODIS, and VIIRS snow cover mapping algorithm performance as validated by airborne lidar datasets. The Cryosphere Discuss., 2022, 1-37, doi: 10.5194/tc-2022-159
  12. Bair, E.H., & Stillinger, T. (2022). SPIReS: High Mountain Asia (HIMAT) snow cover and snow surface properties, water years 2001-2021. doi: 10.21424/R4MP61
  13. Bair, E.H., & Stillinger, T. (2022). SPIReS: Western USA snow cover and snow surface properties, water years 2001-2021. doi: 10.21424/R4H05T
  14. Hao, D., Bisht, G., He, C., Bair, E.H., Huang, H., Dang, C., Rittger, K., Gu, Y., Wang, H., Qian, Y., and Leung, L. R. (2022): Improving snow albedo modeling in E3SM land model (version 2.0) and assessing its impacts on snow and surface fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau, Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., 2022, 1-31, doi: 10.5194/gmd-2022-67.
  15. Bair, E. H., J. Dozier, C. Stern, A. LeWinter, K. Rittger, A. Savagian, T. Stillinger, and R. Davis (2021), Divergence of apparent and intrinsic snow albedo over a season at a sub-alpine site with implications for remote sensing, The Cryosphere Discuss., 2021, 1-23, doi: 10.5194/tc-2021-361 [pdf]
  16. Bair, E.H., Stillinger, T., & Dozier, J. (2021). SPIReS: Sierra Nevada, USA and snow surface properties, water years 2001-2019. doi: 10.21424/R4D62T
  17. Bair, E.H., Stillinger, T., & Rittger, K. (2021). SPIReS: Indus fractional snow cover and snow surface properties, water years 2001-2020. doi: 10.21424/R48G90
  18. Rittger, K., & Bair, E. H. (2021). MODSCAG/DRFS: Indus fractional snow cover and snow surface properties, calendar years 2001-2020. doi: 10.21424/R4105G
  19. Rittger, K., & Bair, E. H. (2021). MODSCAG/DRFS Western US fractional snow cover and snow surface properties, calendar years 2001-2019. doi: 10.21424/R44P6P
  20. Enzminger T.L., Dugger, A.L.,Rittger, K., Bair, E.H.,McCreight, J.L., Raleigh, M.S., and Brodzik, M.J., (2021), Improving Operational Streamflow Forecasts in the NOAA National Water Model Using Observational Constraints on Snowpack Albedo and Snow-Covered Area from STC-MODSCAG, Proceedings of the 2021 Western Snow Conference, Virtual. [pdf]
  21. Stillinger, T., & Bair, E. H. (2020),Viewable Snow Covered Area Validation Masks over Rugged and Forested Terrain (Version 1.0) [Data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4031446
  22. Bair, E.H. (2020), The CRREL/UCSB Energy Site, https://doi.org/10.21424/R4159Q
  23. Perla, R., Sharaf, D., Wright, P., Birkeland, K., Bair, E.H., Howlett, D., Jamieson, B. (2019), Settlement roundtable discussion, The Avalanche Review, 37 (4), p.18-19 [pdf]
  24. Bair, E.H., Rittger, K., and Dozier, J. (2018). Using machine learning and snow water equivalent reconstruction to predict today’s SWE and avalanche conditions in Afghanistan, Proceedings of the 2018 International Snow Science Workshop, Innsbruck, Austria. [pdf]
  25. Bair, E.H., R. E. Davis, and J. Dozier (2017), Hourly mass and snow energy balance measurements from Mammoth Mountain, CA USA, 2011–2017, Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., 2017, 1-15, doi: 10.5194/essd-2017-114. [pdf]
  26. Bair, E.H., A. Abreu Calfa, K. Rittger, and J. Dozier (2017), Using machine learning for real-time estimates of snow water equivalent in the watersheds of Afghanistan, The Cryosphere Discuss., 2017, 1-21, doi: 10.5194/tc-2017-196. [pdf]
  27. Bair, E.H., Rittger, K., Vuyovich, C., McGurk, B. and Dozier, J. (2016), Using snow water equivalent reconstruction for operational use: two case studies, Proceedings of the 2016 Western Snow Conference, Seattle, Washington, 73-76 [pdf]
  28. Bair, E.H. (2016), Isolation in beam tests, p. 46-47, The Avalanche Review 35 (3) [pdf]
  29. Burak, S. and Bair, E.H. (2016). Monitoring avalanches on CA 120 in Yosemite National Park, Proceedings of the 2016 International Snow Science Workshop, Breckenridge, CO USA. [pdf]
  30. Bair, E.H., Gaume, J. and van Herwijnen, A. (2016). The role of collapse in avalanche release: review and implications for practitioners and future research, Proceedings of the 2016 International Snow Science Workshop, Breckenridge, CO USA. [pdf]
  31. van Herwijnen, A., Bair, E.H., Birkeland, K.W., Reuter, B., Simenhois, R., Jamieson, B. and Schweizer, J. (2016) . Measuring the mechanical properties of snow relevant for dry-snow slab avalanche release using particle tracking velocimetry, Proceedings of the 2016 International Snow Science Workshop, Breckenridge, CO USA. [pdf]
  32. Bair, E.H. (2016) The role of collapse in avalanche release: Review and implications for practitioners and future research, The Avalanche Review. The American Avalanche Association, Victor, ID, pp. 32-34. [pdf]
  33. Bair, E.H., Rittger, K., Dozier, J. and Davis, R.E. (2015) Comparison and error analysis of reconstructed SWE to Airborne Snow Observatory measurements in the Upper Tuolumne Basin, CA. Proceedings of the 2015 Western Snow Conference, Grass Valley, CA USA. [pdf]
  34. Birkeland, K.W., Bair, E.H., and Chabot, D. (2014) The effect of changing slope angle on compression test results. The Avalanche Review, 33, 2, p. 10-12. [pdf]
  35. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R., van Herwijnen, A., and Birkeland, K. (2014) What do longer tests tell us about fracture and stability. Proceedings of the 2014 International Snow Science Workshop, Banff, Canada, p. 169-173. [pdf]
  36. Birkeland, K.W., Bair, E.H., and Chabot, D. (2014) The effect of changing slope angle on compression test results. Proceedings of the 2014 International Snow Science Workshop, Banff, Canada, p. 746-751. [pdf]
  37. Birkeland, K.W., van Herwijnen, A., Knoff, E., Staples, M., Bair, E.H. and Simenhois, R. (2014) The role of slabs and weak layers in fracture arrest, Proceedings of the 2014 International Snow Science Workshop, Banff, Canada, p.156-163. [pdf]
  38. Bair, E.H., Dozier, J., Rittger, K., Vuyovich, C.M. and Davis, R.E. (2014). SWE estimates in the Hindu Kush and in the Sierra using passive microwave and reconstruction, Proceedings of the 2014 International Snow Science Workshop, Banff, AB Canada, p. 793-794. [pdf]
  39. Bair, E.H., Dozier, J., Vuyovich, C.M., Rittger, K. and Davis, R.E. (2014) Snow water equivalent estimates in the Hindu Kush and the Sierra Nevada using passive microwave and reconstruction. Proceedings, Western Snow Conference, Durango, CO USA 82: 117-127. [pdf]
  40. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R., Van Herwijnen, A., and Birkeland, K. (2014). The influence of edge effects on crack propagation in snow stability tests. The Cryosphere Discussions, 8, 229-257, doi: 10.5194/tcd-8-229-2014.
  41. Bair, E.H., Davis, R.E., Rittger, K., & Dozier, J. (2013), Operational SWE forecasts using a hybrid approach. Proceedings of the 2013 International Snow Science Workshop,p. 1293-1297. [pdf]
  42. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R.,van Herwijnen, A., & Birkeland, K. (2013), Edge effects in propagation tests. Proceedings of the 2013 International Snow Science Workshop p. 355-356. [pdf]
  43. Bair, E.H. (2012) Storm Snow Avalanches: The Most Common Avalanches with Many Weak Layers (and comment from Ron Perla), The Avalanche Review 31(2) p. 24-26. [pdf]
  44. Garrett, T.J., Bair, E.H., Fallgatter, C.J.,Shkurko, K., Davis, R.E., and Howlett, D. (2012), The Multi-angle snowflake camera. Proceedings of the 2012 International Snow Science Workshop, Anchorage, AK USA p. 930-933. [pdf]
  45. Bair, E.H., Simenhois, R., van Herwijnen, A., Birkeland K., and Dozier, J. (2012), Storm snow avalanches: characteristics and forecasting, Proceedings of the 2012 International Snow Science Workshop, Anchorage, AK USA p.111-114. [pdf]
  46. Bair, E.H., Davis, R.E., Finnegan, D.C., LeWinter, A.L, Guttmann, E., and Dozier, J (2012), Can we estimate precipitation rate during snowfall using a scanning terrestrial LiDAR? Proceedings of the 2012 International Snow Science Workshop, Anchorage, AK USA p. 923-929. [pdf]
  47. Bair, E.H. (2011), Fracture mechanical and statistical properties of nonpersistent snow avalanches, Ph.D. Thesis, Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 183 pp. [pdf]
  48. Bair, E.H. (2010), Using near infrared photography to link spatial patterns in stratigraphy with stability, Proceedings of the 2010 International Snow Science Workshop, Squaw Valley, VA USA, p. 394. [pdf]
  49. Bair, E.H., J. Dozier, R. Davis, T. Kaempfer, M. Colee, R. Mielke, and J. Blackford (2009), Observations of two seasons of sintering in a mountain snowpack, Proceedings of the 2009 International Snow Science Workshop, Davos, Switzerland, p. 115-119. [pdf]
  50. Bair, E.H., K. W. Birkeland, and J. Dozier (2009), In situ and photogrammetric measurements of avalanche crown transects, Proceedings of the 2009 International Snow Science Workshop, Davos, Switzerland, p. 395-399. [pdf]
  51. Bair, E.H., Dozier, J. and Birkeland, K.W. (2008), Avalanche crown depth distributions, Proceedings of the 2008 International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, p. 291 [pdf]
  52. Bair, E.H. (2006) Walter Rosenthal Obituary, Powder, 35 (1), September. [pdf]

Projects managed

YearsAGENCYTITLEAMOUNTROLE
2023-2024USACE ERDCClimate and natural hazards, snow-covered and mountain environment sensing research$4,500,000Principal Investigator
2022-2025NASAQuantifying uncertainty in snow albedo from satellites using AVIRIS $ 185,501Co-Investigator
2021-2022NASASnow Albedo test bed scoping studies $     10,000Principal Investigator
2020-2021NASASERVIR: Hindu Kush snow water equivalent training $     36,000Principal Investigator
2021-2024USACE ERDCPrediction of today’s snow on the ground using machine learning: harnessing atmospheric and terrestrial predictors $   743,945Principal Investigator
2020-2023NASAThe lifecycle of snow in the Sierra Nevada USA: from snowfall to snowmelt and effects on endangered bighorn sheep $1,018,000Principal Investigator
2019-2022NASASnow water equivalent and partitioned snow and glacier melt for 1985 to present, a 35+ year record for climate modelers $   379,274Co-Investigator
2018-2021UC RegentsUC Lab Fees – Headwaters to groundwater: Resources in a changing climate $3,740,000Co-Investigator
2018-2021NASAFusion of MODIS, VIIRS, and Landsat snow cover data to create high spatial and temporal resolution estimates of snow water equivalent in a well-instrumented and austere basin $   578,791Principal Investigator
2018-2020NOAAImproving subseasonal water supply prediction across the Western United States through assimilation of remotely sensed snow cover snow albedo, and snow water equivalent in the NOAA National Water Model $     59,519Co-Investigator
2017-2020NASAOptimizing the Indus Basin Irrigation System and reservoir operations using remotely sensed snow surface properties in the ParBal model $   130,649Co-Investigator
2017-2019NASASpatial Dynamics of Grain Size, Radiative Forcing by Impurities, and Spectral Albedo from AVIRIS-NG Data in the Indian Himalaya $   135,160Co-Investigator
2016-2020USACE ERDCMethods to robustly assess the snow water resource in remote mountains $   893,358Co-Investigator
2015-2016USACE ERDCMethods to estimate and validate the spatial distribution of snow water equivalent $   150,215Co-Investigator
2010-2014NSFRapid Quantitative Snow Stratigraphy for Avalanche Forecasting Using Near-Infrared Photography $     33,972Co-Investigator

Honors

  • New spectral unmixing approach SPIReS featured on the cover of IEEE Transactions on Remote Sensing and Geoscience (Sep 2021)
  • Best oral paper (2015), Western Snow Conference
  • Outstanding reviewer (2015), top 10% for number of reviews, Cold Regions Science and Technology

Employment history

TITLE & DESCRIPTIONDATEEMPLOYER
Climate Scientist
Program management and strategy across climate change portfolio for federal agencies (NASA, NOAA, USACE)
Strategy and planning to grow and lead emerging business area
Staff management: hiring; recruitment; performance evaluation
Technical and subject matter expertise in support of climate solutions and advisory		2023-presentLeidos, Inc.
Associate Researcher I-III, Assistant Researcher II-IV
Principal or Co-Investigator on over 14 awards, totaling over $14M, focusing on remote sensing of snow & ice. Supervised teams and employees on projects ranging from: data assimilation and sensor fusion, to the development of a new spectral unmixing technique, to high resolution terrestrial laser scanning		2012-2023Earth Research Institute, UCSB  
Founder
Registered federal contractor providing research, geospatial, and computing servicesFull stack web development (Linux, PHP/Javascript, MySQL, WordPress) on Amazon Web ServicesManage all aspects of a network of weather sites, from instrument maintenance, through computing infrastructure, to database & web administration		2019-presentNed Bair Consulting,
Postdoctoral Researcher, Graduate Student Researcher
Improved operational military passive microwave estimates of snow water equivalent in Afghanistan.Sensing of in air hydrometeors and other applications of a terrestrial laser scanner  		2010-2015US Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
Graduate Research Assistant, Teaching Assistant
Taught courses in environmental modeling and on snow hydrologyRemote sensing, snow sintering mechanisms, & snow avalanche forecasting  		2007-2011Bren School of Environmental Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
Professional Ski Patroller
Licensed Emergency Medical Technician and explosives (cap & fuse) user		2003-2012Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Alpine and Rock Climbing Guide
Led alpine and rock climbing trips on Mount Hood, OR, Mount Shasta, CA, and at Smith Rock, OR		2003-2004Timberline Mountain Guides and Shasta Mountain Guides

Service, teaching, & consulting

  • Associate Editor for The Cryosphere. Reviewing activity for over 100 articles, awards, panels & tenure committees
  • NASA: Surface Biology and Geology Terrain Correction (2021-present); High Mountain Asia Team (2020-present); MODIS-VIIRS Science Team (2018-present); SERVIR Subject Matter Expert (2020); Snow Albedo Working Group (2019-present); International Snow Working Group Remote Sensing (2016-present); SnowEx Site Lead (2019-2020).
  • California Department of Water Resources, Data Acquisition Committee board member (2019-present)
  • Instructor for The Alpine Snowpack graduate course (2007-2018)
  • American Avalanche Association: Research Chair (2017-present), Certified Instructor (2015)
  • Consulting for: ATA Aerospace; Science Technology Corporation; US Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research and Development Center; Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, CA; Yosemite National Park; Town of Mammoth Lakes, CA; Palisades Tahoe, CA.

Media

  1. Ignite @ AGU 2021, Explosion in backcountry use across the US (starts at 18:00), ESIP, 2021-12-15.
  2. Roberts, L. COVID-19 lockdowns led to the cleanest snow across Asia in 20 years, State of the Planet, Glacier Hub, 2021-06-10.
  3. Pauly, Anna W., Where does the white go when snow melts? Snow White Project, 2021-03-9.
  4. Fountain, H.  Virus lockdowns cut pollution, slowing snowmelt in South Asia, The New York Times, 2021-04-27.
  5. Sommer, L. The environmental upside to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Morning Edition, NPR, 2020-12-17.
  6. Bates, S. Impacts of COVID-19 as seen from space, AGU Press Conference, 2020-12-07.
  7. Ward, A., Snow hydrology (snow/avalanches) with Dr. Ned Bair, Ologies, 2019-01-14.
  8. Cohen, H. Snow job, UCSB Current Newsletter, 2017-02-01.
  9. Serna, J. Measuring the snowpack goes high-tech with airborne lasers and radar, Los Angeles Times, 2017-06-01
  10. Albert, J., Episode 2: Angle of repose, West of Center, 2013-11-13