Satellite inspired hydrology in an uncertain future: a H SAF and HEPEX workshop

Reliable snow cover extent is of vital importance in order to have a comprehensive understanding for present and future climate, hydrological, and ecological dynamics. Development of methodologies to obtain reliable snow cover information by means of optical and microwave remote sensing (RS) has long been one of the most active research topics of the RS community.
Operational snow products namely H10 (Snow detection (snow mask) by VIS/IR radiometry), H11 (dry/wet by MW radiometry), H12 (Effective snow cover by VIS/IR radiometry AVHRR), H13 (Snow Water Equivalent by MW radiometry), H31 (Snow detection by VIS/IR radiometry), H32 (Effective snow cover by VIS/IR radiometry AVHRR) have been developed since 2008 within HSAF. The development of new snow products are in progress. Considering different characteristics of snow for mountainous and flat areas, various algorithms are used in producing the snow products for flat and mountainous areas, and then the products are merged to have a single snow product.