SNOW

Is a crucial variable in hydrology, influencing various critical aspects, including but not limited to serving as a natural fresh water reservoir, providing steady flow for rivers and streams, being an indicator for climate change, being critical for generating hydroelectric power and affecting soil moisture levels. Thus, knowing the status of snow is of very high importance. Inherent limitations of ground measurements, i.e. spatial and temporal resolution, pose challenges on monitoring of snow and underline the need and use for satellite-based snow cover/status information.

AVAILABLE PRODUCTS

Snow Detection

Is the binary snow extent information as in if a pixel is snow or no-snow (bare-ground). While some of the operational products, i.e. H10, H31, H34, uses geostationary SEVIRI on MSG, other operational products i.e. H32 uses AVHRR on MetOp/NOAA to obtain snow extent information. Multi temporal analysis is performed to reduce cloudiness.

Snow Water Equivalent (SWE)

Provides the amount of water the snow contains in a pixel, derived using microwave radiometry which is sensitive to snow depth and thickness.

Wet/Dry Snow

Provides the wet/dry status of snow mantle in a pixel. It can also be used for detecting thawing/freezing when utilized as time series.

Effective Snow Cover

Is the fraction of snow coverage for a pixel, produced at the pixel resolution level based on multi channel analysis of AVHRR. Multi-temporal analysis is performed to reduce cloudiness.

LIST OF OPERATIONAL SNOW PRODUCTS

                   

Product		Product name	Status	Parameter	available in (hours)
SE-E-SEVIRI	H10	Snow detection (snow mask) by VIS/IR radiometry	operational	snow detection	3
WS-E	H11	Snow status (dry/wet) by MW radiometry	pre-operational	snow status (dry/wet)	3
E SC-E	H12	Effective snow cover by VIS/IR radiometry	operational	effective snow cover	3
SWE-E	H13	Snow water equivalent by MW radiometry	operational	snow water equivalent	6
SE-D-SEVIRI-F	H31	Snow detection for flat land (snow mask) by VIS/NIR of SEVIRI	operational	snow detection	3
SE-G-AVHRR	H32	Snow detection for flat land (snow mask) by VIS/NIR of AVHRR	operational	snow detection	3
SE-D-SEVIRI	H34	Snow detection (snow mask) by VIS/IR radiometry	operational	snow detection	3
ESC-H	H35	Effective snow cover by VIS/IR radiometry	operational	snow detection and effective snow cover	3
SE-D-FCI	H43	Snow detection (snow mask) by VIS/NIR of MTG FCI	operational	snow detection	4
SN-SWE-HH	H65	New Global (hemispherical) SWE 25 km resolution	operational	snow water equivalent	4