The impact of patchy snow coverage on snow water equivalent estimates derived from passive microwave brightness temperatures over a prairie environment

摘要

Considerable seasonal and inter-annual variation in the physical properties and extent of snow cover pose problems for obtaining reliable estimates of quantities and characteristics of snow cover both from conventional and satellite measurements. In spite of these challenges, the Climate Research Branch of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) has developed a suite of algorithms to derive SWE estimates from remotely sensed passive microwave imagery. These algorithms work particularly well over open prairie environments under the assumption of large areas of consistent snow cover. While studies have documented underestimation in passive microwave estimates of snow extent in marginal areas when compared to optical satellite data, the accuracy in SWE retrievals under variable and patchy snow conditions is not well understood.