Abstract
Snow depth is one of the most important parameters for water resource management in those areas where snowfall is significant. Two different methods are applied here for snow monitoring using passive microwave data retrieved from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I). Since microwave sensors are least attenuated by the cloud cover, they have been widely used to retrieve snow cover data in a timely way. Passive microwave studies have shown that dry snow cover as well as mixed snow packs that contain free liquid water, affect naturally up-welling microwave radiation through forward scattering. In the first approach, brightness temperature (Tb) values at 18.7, 36.5 and 90 GHz vertical and horizontal frequencies for various snow packs are measured. In the second approach, the passive microwave response from snow packs of different physical conditions at 19, 37 and 85 GHz vertical and horizontal frequencies are modelled. Thus, various snow pack characteristics were estimated, the results indicating the feasibility and problems of retrieving snow pack characteristics from space borne microwave radiometry data.