Journal
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
Volume 21, Issue 12, Pages 1597-1607Publisher
JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD
DOI: 10.1002/hyp.6722
Keywords
snow cover; snow water equivalent; advanced microwave sounding unit (AMSU); interactive multisensor snow and ice mapping unit (IMS)
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The retrieval of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) from remote sensing satellites continues to be a very challenging problem. In this paper, we evaluate the accuracy of a new SWE product derived from the blending of a passive microwave SWE product based on the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) with a multi-sensor snow cover extent product based on the Interactive Multi-sensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS). The microwave measurements have the ability to penetrate the snow pack, and thus, the retrieval of SWE is best accomplished using the AMSU. On the other hand, the IMS maps snow cover more reliably due to the use of multiple satellite and ground observations. The evolution of global snow cover from the blended, the AMSU and the IMS products was examined during the 2006 snow season. Despite the overall good inter-product agreement, it was shown that the retrievals of snow cover extent in the blended product are improved when using IMS, with implications for improved microwave retrievals of SWE. In a separate investigation, the skill of the microwave SWE product was also examined for its ability to correctly estimate SWE globally and regionally. Qualitative evaluation of global SWE retrievals suggested dependence on land surface temperature: the lower the temperature, the higher the SWE retrieved. This temperature bias was attributed in part to temperature effects on those snow properties that impact microwave response. Therefore, algorithm modifications are needed with more dynamical adjustments to account for changing snow cover. Quantitative evaluation over Slovakia in central Europe, for a limited period in 2006, showed reasonably good performance for SWE less than 100 mm. Sensitivity to deeper snow decreased significantly. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available