MODIS snow-cover products

The Terra satellite, which was launched in late 1999, incorporated a total of five instruments, including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Data from the MODIS system have bee used to develop a range of geophysical products, e.g., global snow-cover products. These snow and ice products are available via the National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. Experts agree that MODIS snow-cover products offer improvements over the currently available operational products. MODIS products are global in nature and have been developed at 500-m resolution, with the capacity to separate the majority of snow from clouds. The automated nature of MODIS snow-cover mapping algorithms allowed for the production of consistent datasets over long periods of time.