International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: Improving Snow Properties Retrievals Thermodynamic Snow Models and Satellite Remote Sensing

• • Title: Improving Snow Properties Retrievals Thermodynamic Snow Models and Satellite Remote Sensing

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop Grenoble – Chamonix Mont-Blanc - October 07-11, 2013

    Authors:

    • Langlois, A.  [ Centre d’Applications et de Recherches en Télédétection, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada ]
    • Royer, A.  [ Centre d’Applications et de Recherches en Télédétection, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada ]

    Date: 2013-10-07

    Abstract: Snow cover plays a key role in the climate system by influencing the transfer of energy, gas and mass between the soil and the atmosphere. In particular, the amount of snow water equivalent (SWE) accumulated in a snowpack and the characteristics of the snowmelt (e.g. frequency, timing, and intensity) are of particular importance for hydrologic and climate processes. This is particularly true under the present warming climate with increasing occurrence of winter rain episodes and early snowmelt that could affect the avalanche risk. Passive microwave has been extensively used in order to estimate snow water equivalent in northern regions. Although passive microwave are independent from daylight and atmospheric conditions, the coarse spatial resolution brings important uncertainties in the snow water equivalent (SWE) retrieval from space due to the important surface heterogeneity within one pixel. The lack of snow and meteorological stations is another source of significant uncertainties. In this presentation, we investigate the coupling of a thermodynamic multilayered snow model (SNOWPACK) with a passive microwave emission model (MEMLS) with the goal to improve the knowledge of the snowpack state evolution (layering, density, snow grain size, depth). The snow grain size predictions from SNOWPACK are evaluated and corrected using innovative short-infrared reflectance techniques with implications to snow mass retrievals algorithms (i.e. SWE through an assimilation scheme using passive microwave emission models) and avalanche risk assessment.

    Object ID: ISSW13_paper_P2-13.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): Unknown

    Keywords: snow, passive microwave, model, snowpack, memls, swe, avalanche

    Page Number(s): 994-996

    Subjects: snow avalanche remote sensing snow model

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