Comparison of Northern Hemisphere snow cover data sets.

Abstract

Four Northern Hemisphere snow cover data sets are compared on a weekly basis for the 25-month period, July 1981 through July 1983. The data sets are the NOAA/NESDIS Weekly Snow and Ice Chart, the Composite Minimum Brightness (CMB) Chart, the US Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin (data only for North America), and Air Force data. The CMB frequently overestimated snow cover, especially the S extent of the main snow boundary and areas far from the snow boundary which were not present on the NOAA/NESDIS chart. On numerous occasions, the outline of mountain ranges was either distorted or totally missed by the CMB. The CMB also underestiamted snow cover, especially in densely forested areas. The Air Force data set, an undocumented operational product, differed quite a bit from the NOAA/NESDIS chart. -from Authors