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Spaceborne remote sensing data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) have been used for several decades to estimate snow depth over large regions. The SSM/I snow depth accuracy is not well quantified in non-uniform terrain. In this study, SSM/I snow depth estimates for the Columbia River Basin and surroundings in the Western USA and Canada are compared with in-situ manual snow-course measurements and interpolated snow water equivalent from the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. Snow depth is estimated for 25-km pixels from SSM/I brightness temperatures with the widely used Chang algorithm, adjusted for canopy cover. Interactive Data Language and ESRI ArcGIS are used to generate maps and time-series graphs, and to analyze the agreement between SSM/I snow depth and the other data sources. Measures of agreement are cross-tabulated with quantitative landscape descriptors, including: mean pixel elevation, elevation standard deviation (a measure of terrain complexity), and evergreen canopy cover.
Advisor: | Brubaker, Kaye L. |
Commitee: | Kasischke, Eric S., Pinker, Rachel T. |
School: | University of Maryland, College Park |
Department: | Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences |
School Location: | United States -- Maryland |
Source: | MAI 50/02M, Masters Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | Hydrologic sciences, Water Resource Management, Remote sensing |
Keywords: | Columbia Basin, Complex terrain, Snow depth, Snow water equivalent |
Publication Number: | 1501222 |
ISBN: | 978-1-124-96710-3 |