Snow/cloud discrimination with multispectral satellite measurements

Abstract

An algorithm is developed and evaluated for discriminating between clouds, snow-covered land and snow-free land in satellite image data. The multispectral technique uses daytime images of NOAA AVHRR channels 1 (0.63 μm), 3(3.7 μm), and 4 (11.0 μm). Reflectance is derived for channel 3 by using the channel 4 emission temperature to estimate and remove the channel 3 thermal emission. Separation of clouds from snow and land is based primarily on the derived channel 3 reflectance. Analysis of cloud cover from the satellite algorithm matched surface observations at 55% of the stations and was one category different at 33% of the stations. -from Authors