Retrieval of Snow Depth in China by Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Data and Its Accuracy Assessment

Abstract

Considering the overestimation of snow depth in West China using the global algorithm, the geographic region is divided into two parts by 105°E. The modified and global algorithms are used to retrieve the snow depth in West and East part, respectively. However, the retrieval of snow cover and depth will be overestimated due to the influence of precipitation, cold desert, and frozen ground. Therefore, for setting up the operational scheme, a land surface type classification tree based on the SSM/I data has been used to remove these factors. In final, the MODIS snow products in 2000/2001 winters have been collected for the assessment of accuracy from passive microwave remote sensing data. In the ninety days, the means of overall accuracy and Kappa coefficient are 86% and 66%, respectively.