Utilizing Multiple Datasets for Snow-Cover Mapping

Snow-cover maps generated from surface data are based on direct measurements. However, they are prone to interpolation errors where climate stations are sparsely distributed. Snow cover is clearly discernible using satellite-obtained optical data because of the high albedo of snow, yet the surface is often obscured by cloud cover. Satellite-obtained passive microwave data, compared with optical data, is relatively unaffected by clouds; however, the snow-cover signature is significantly affected by melting snow and the microwaves may be transparent to thin snow (