Hemispheric snow cover from satellites

Abstract

Full hemispheric monitoring of snow cover has been possible since the advent of meteorological satellites in the 1960s. Since that time visible satellite imagery has been used to chart the extent of northern hemisphere snow on a weekly basis. An analysis of monthly snow areas from a consistent U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) set, dating back to 1972, finds that hemispheric snow cover has been well below means for the 1972–91 interval since the middle of 1987. Since the late 1970s multichannel data from satellite-borne passive microwave sensors have been used to estimate hemispheric snowpack extent and depth or water equivalent. Microwave extents generally run considerably lower than NOAA visible values due to microwave difficulties in detecting patchy or wet snow, snow lying on unfrozen ground, and snow in forested regions. The relative simplicity of observing hemispheric snow cover from satellites, the potential of integrating these and other sources of data using geographical information system techniques, the critical role that snow cover has in the global heat budget, and the expected role of snow feedbacks in anthropogenic climate change support the continued diligent monitoring of snow cover.