Snow cover detection and snow depth algorithms for the Global Change Observation Mission (GCOM) AMSR2 instrument using AMSR-E/AMSR2 measurements

Abstract:

Snow is one of the most dynamic hydrological variables on the Earth surface playing a key role in the global energy and water budget. The ability to detect global snow cover and measure snow depth in near all weather conditions has been demonstrated with satellite microwave measurements. The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), launched on May 18, 2012 onboard SHIZUKU, is included in A-train group of satellites and will replace the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) instrument. The similarity of channels between AMSR-E and AMSR2 makes AMSR2 instrument a successor of AMSR-E instrument. This study will evaluate the suite of AMSR2 algorithms that are being developed for the operational retrieval of snow cover detection and snow depth using AMSR-E and AMSR2 data. AMSR-E data spans 10 years from June 2002 to September 2011; AMSR2 data spans 2 years from August 2012 to May 2014. The snow cover detection algorithm is based on the operational NOAA’s heritage microwave algorithm with snow climatology tests and wet snow filtering as new enhancements. The SD algorithm is adopted from the current version of the operational NASA AMSR-E SWE algorithm. The 24- and 4-km IMS snow cover and in-situ SYNOP and COOP snow depth are used as references for the evaluation. More details about the reference data and evaluation results will be discussed.