International Snow Science Workshop Proceedings - Montana State University Library

Item: Comparing Different MODIS Snow Products With Distributed Simulation of the Snowpack in the French Alps

• • Title: Comparing Different MODIS Snow Products With Distributed Simulation of the Snowpack in the French Alps

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

    Authors:

    • Luc Charrois  [ Météo-France -CNRS, CNRM-GAME UMR 3589, CEN, Grenoble, France ]
    • Marie Dumont  [ Météo-France -CNRS, CNRM-GAME UMR 3589, CEN, Grenoble, France ]
    • Pascal Sirguey  [ School of Surveying, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand ]
    • Samuel Morin  [ Météo-France -CNRS, CNRM-GAME UMR 3589, CEN, Grenoble, France ]
    • Matthieu Lafaysse  [ Météo-France -CNRS, CNRM-GAME UMR 3589, CEN, Grenoble, France ]
    • Fatima Karbou  [ Météo-France -CNRS, CNRM-GAME UMR 3589, CEN, Grenoble, France ]

    Date: 2013-10-07

    Abstract: Satellite images of the Earth surface are increasingly used to assist in the spatiotemporal assessment of ground conditions, including the presence of snow on the ground and its physical properties. Towards this end, MODIS multispectral imagers onboard both TERRA and AQUA platforms provides frequent images since 2000, that are relevant for snow monitoring as these sensors allow measurements of ground reflectance to be obtained in visible and near-infrared wavelengths. These data are closely linked to the physical properties of the snowpack, and thus allow properties of the snowpack to be retrieved, such as snow cover fraction, albedo, and grain size (optically equivalent grain radius). Over the French Alps, one image for each satellite is available per day at 500 m resolution for five reflective bands, as well as 250 m resolution in the red and near-infrared. The National Snow and Ice Data Center freely distributes the MOD10 snow products at 500 m resolution that include sub-pixel snow cover fraction and snow albedo. No correction is applied in these products to account for the complex topography of mountainous areas. Recently, we developed new post-processing algorithms for MODIS data generated at 250 m resolution specifically aimed at retrieval of snow information using a linear unmixing technique and addressing the effect of complex topography on the measured reflectance. This study reports on a comparison of the two products, namely MOD10 and MODImLab, over one domain in the French Alps centered on Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. The higher resolution products from MODImLab are also compared to distributed simulations of the snow cover performed at 250 m resolution using the detailed snowpack model SURFEX/ISBACrocus forced by the SAFRAN meteorological reanalysis. These comparisons demonstrate the performance of MODIS data and more generally remotely-sensed data to improve snowpack simulations and monitoring in mountainous regions through data assimilation.

    Object ID: ISSW13_paper_O2-12.pdf

    Language of Article: English

    Presenter(s): Unknown

    Keywords: remote sensing, seasonal snow cover, modelling

    Page Number(s): 937-941

    Subjects: snow cover modis modelling

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