Snow product code format
SN-<type>-<area><input data/resolution><applicability>
<type>
SE = Snow Extent, WE= Wet Snow, ESC= Effective Snow Cover, SWE= Snow Water Equivalent
<area>
E = Europe, H=hemispherical, G= Global, D=SEVIRI disk
<applicability>
F = flat land and forested areas only
SE-E-SEVIRI (H10)
Snow detection (snow mask) by VIS/IR radiometry
operational
Binary map of snow/no-snow situation by GEO VIS/IR images. The product is processed in different ways and have different quality depending on the surface type. The algorithm is based on thresholding of several SEVIRI channels, the most important in short-wave. Multi-temporal analysis is performed over all images available in 24h to search for cloud-free pixels.
WS-E (H11)
Snow status (dry/wet) by MW radiometry
operational
Status of the snow mantle, whether it is wet or dry and, in time series, thawing or freezing. The algorithm is based on thresholding. Product SE-E-SEVIRI is used to remove ambiguity between wet snow and bare soil for preventive snow recognition. Limited validation due to lacking homogeneity in space and time of the snow cover. Main validation area is Nordic Regions (Finland).
FSC-E (H12)
Effective snow cover by VIS/IR radiometry
operational
The combined effect of fractional snow cover and other reflective contributors is used to estimate the fractional cover at resolution element level. The algorithm is based on multi-channel analysis of AVHRR, the most important being those in shortwave, thus the product is generated in daylight. Multi-temporal analysis is performed to search for cloud-free pixels.
SWE-E (H13)
Snow water equivalent by MW radiometry
operational
Maps of snow water equivalent derived from MW measurements sensitive to snow thickness and density. The algorithm is based on assimilating MW brightness temperatures of several channels at frequencies with different penetration in snow, into a first-guess field built by the (sparse) network of stations measuring snow depth.