Entry_ID: ARCSS045
Entry_Title: Global Seasonal Snow Classification System
Group: Data_Set_Citation
   Dataset_Creator: Glenn E. Liston and Matthew Sturm
   Dataset_Title: Global Seasonal Snow Classification System
   Dataset_Release_Date: 1995-01-011998
   Dataset_Release_Place: Boulder, Colorado USA
   Dataset_Publisher: NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
   Online_Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/arcss045.html
End_Group
Group: Personnel
   Role: Investigator
   First_Name: Matthew
   Last_Name: Sturm
   Email: msturm@crrel.usace.army.mil
   Phone: 1 907 353-5183 
   Fax: 1 907  353-5142 
   Group: Contact_Address
      Address: USA-CRREL-Alaska
      Address: P.O. Box 35170
      City: Ft. Wainwright
      Province_or_State: AK
      Postal_Code: 99703-0170
   End_Group
End_Group
Group: Personnel
   Role: Investigator
   First_Name: Glen
   Middle_Name: E.
   Last_Name: Liston
   Email: liston@tachu.atmos.colostate.edu
   Phone: 1 970 491-7473 
   Group: Contact_Address
      Address: Department of Atmospheric Science
      Address: Colorado State University
      City: Fort Collins
      Province_or_State: CO
      Postal_Code: 80523
   End_Group
End_Group
Group: Personnel
   Role: Technical Contact
   First_Name: NSIDC
   Last_Name: User Services
   Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
   Phone: 1 303 492-6199 x
   Fax: 1 303  492-2468 x
   Group: Contact_Address
      Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center
      Address: CIRES, 449 UCB
      Address: University of Colorado
      City: Boulder
      Province_or_State: CO
      Postal_Code: 80309-0449
      Country: USA
   End_Group
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Alpine Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Ephemeral Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Ice
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Maritime Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Prairie Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Snow Classification
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Taiga Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Tundra Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Cryosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Water
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Alpine Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Ephemeral Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Ice
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Maritime Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Prairie Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Snow Classification
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Taiga Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Tundra Snow
End_Group
Group: Parameters
   Category: EARTH SCIENCE
   Topic: Terrestrial Hydrosphere
   Term: Snow/Ice
   Variable_Level_1: Snow Cover
   Detailed_Variable: Water
End_Group
Keyword: ADCC
Keyword: ARCSS045
Keyword: Arctic System Science Data Coordination Center
Keyword: National Science Foundation
Keyword: NSF
Keyword: NSIDC
Keyword: OPP9415386
Keyword: OPP-9415386
Keyword: Seasonal Snow Cover
Keyword: Snow Density
Keyword: Snow Depth
Keyword: Snow Wetness
Group: Temporal_Coverage
   Start_Date: 1993-07-19
   Stop_Date: 1993-08-16
End_Group
Data_Set_Progress: complete
Group: Spatial_Coverage
   Southernmost_Latitude: -90
   Northernmost_Latitude: 90
   Westernmost_Longitude: -180
   Easternmost_Longitude: 180
End_Group
Group: Location
   Location_Category: GEOGRAPHIC REGION
   Location_Type: GLOBAL
End_Group
Project: ARCSS/LAII/FLUX > Arctic System Science/Land-Atmosphere-Ice Interaction/fluxes
Data_Set_Language: English
Originating_Center: ARCSS/ADCC
Group: Data_Center
   Data_Center_Name: NSIDC > National Snow and Ice Data Center
   Data_Center_URL: http://nsidc.org
   Group: Personnel
      Role: Data Center Contact
      First_Name: NSIDC
      Last_Name: User Services
      Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
      Phone: 1 303 492-6199 
      Fax: 1 303  492-2468 
      Group: Contact_Address
         Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center
         Address: CIRES, 449 UCB
         Address: University of Colorado
         City: Boulder
         Province_or_State: CO
         Postal_Code: 80309-0449
         Country: USA
      End_Group
   End_Group
End_Group
Group: Data_Center
   Data_Center_Name: NSIDC_ARCSS > NSIDC Arctic System Science Data Coordination Center
   Data_Center_URL: http://nsidc.org/arcss/
   Group: Personnel
      Role: Data Center Contact
      First_Name: NSIDC ARCSS
      Last_Name: User Services
      Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
      Phone: 1 303 492-6199 
      Fax: 1 303  492-2468 
      Group: Contact_Address
         Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center
         Address: CIRES, 449 UCB
         Address: University of Colorado
         City: Boulder
         Province_or_State: CO
         Postal_Code: 80309-0449
         Country: USA
      End_Group
   End_Group
End_Group
Group: Distribution
   Distribution_Media: FTP
End_Group
Group: Reference

   Sturm, M., J. Holmgren and G. E. Liston. 1995. A seasonal snow cover 
   classification system for local to global applications. Journal of Climate, 
   8(5):1261-1283.

End_Group
Group: Summary

   The data file defines a global seasonal snow classification system. Based on 
   the physical properties of the snow (depth, density, thermal conductivity, 
   number of layers, degree of wetting, etc.), the world's seasonal snow covers 
   were divided into six classes, plus classes for water and ice fields. Each 
   class was defined by its physical properties, then empirically related to 
   climate using three variables (precipitation, wind, and air temperature). A 
   vegetation proxy was used for wind data: tall vegetation equals low wind, 
   short vegetation equals high wind.

   The snow classification data are formatted into an array of integers, each 
   value representing a 0.5-degree latitude by 0.5-degree longitude cell. The 
   data set was developed and tested for the Northern Hemisphere. Results for the 
   Southern Hemisphere are untested and have not been evaluated.  The Southern 
   Hemisphere suffers from a reduced density of meteorological data which may 
   well have influenced the quality of the snow classification in that area. Also 
   note that much of Antarctica is inappropriately defined as water (the 
   vegetation data set did not extend that far south).  A 0.5- x 0.5-degree 
   land-sea mask could be used to set the Antarctica region to the ice 
   classification if this region is of interest.

End_Group
Group: Related_URL
   Group: URL_Content_Type
      Type: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
   End_Group
   URL: http://nsidc.org/data/atlas/
   Description: Atlas of the Cryosphere
End_Group
Group: Related_URL
   Group: URL_Content_Type
      Type: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION
   End_Group
   URL: http://nsidc.org/data/gis/
   Description: GIS Data and Resources at NSIDC
End_Group
IDN_Node: USA/NOAA
Metadata_Name: CEOS IDN DIF
Metadata_Version: 9.7
DIF_Creation_Date: 1995-01-01
Last_DIF_Revision_Date: 2012-09-18
DIF_Revision_History: added description to Related URLs