Comparison of Radiative Transfer Models for Simulating Snow Surface Thermal Infrared Emissivity

Abstract

In this study, three analytical radiative transfer (RT) models and a numerical RT model are used to simulate the thermal-infrared (8-13 μm) emissivity spectra of snow surfaces. The single-scattering albedo and asymmetry factor calculated by Mie theory, in conjunction with that modified by two existing packing correction methods, are used as inputs to these RT models. The simulated snow emissivity spectra are compared with <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">in situ</i> measurements. The best models for simulating snow emissivity spectra are identified at the conclusion of this paper.