Nimbus-7 SMMR Derived Monthly Global Snow Cover and Snow Depth  View Catalog Page Entry ID
NSIDC-0024
Summary
The data set consists of monthly global snow cover and snow depth derived from Nimbus-7 SMMR data for 1978 through 1987. The SMMR data are interpolated for spatial and temporal gaps, and averaged for display in polar stereographic projection. Maps are based on six-day average brightness temperature data from the middle week of each month. Data are placed into 1/2 degree latitude by 1/2 degree longitude grid cells uniformly subdividing a polar stereographic map according to the geographic coordinates of the center of the radiometers' fields of view. Overlapping data from separate orbits in the same six-day period are averaged to give a single brightness temperature assumed to be at the cell's center. Oceans and bays are masked so that only microwave data for land areas are displayed.
Comparisons of SMMR snow cover maps with previous maps produced by NOAA/NESDIS and US Air Force Global Weather Center indicate that the total snow covered area derived from SMMR is usually about ten percent less than that measured by the earlier products, because passive microwave sensors often can't detect shallow dry snow less than about 5 cm deep. Snow depths are comparable, showing SMMR results to be especially good for uniform snow covered areas such as the Canadian high plains and Russian steppes. Heavily forested and mountainous areas tend to mask the microwave snow signatures, and SMMR snow depth derivations are less reliable in those areas.
Formerly distributed by NASA/GSFC/NSSDC and NASA Pilot Land Data System (PLDS), these data are now available via ftp from NSIDC.
Geographic Coverage
Spatial Coordinates:
N: 0°
S: -85°
E: 180°
W: -180°
N: 85°
S: 0°
E: 180°
W: -180°
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Data Set Citation
Dataset Creator: Chang, Alfred
Dataset Title: Nimbus-7 SMMR Derived Monthly Global Snow Cover and Snow Depth
Dataset Release Date: 2003-06-11
Dataset Release Place: Boulder, Colorado USA
Dataset Publisher: NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Online Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/nsidc-0024.html
Temporal Coverage
Start Date: 1978-11-01
Stop Date: 1987-08-31
Location Keywords
- CONTINENT ANTARCTICA
- CONTINENT ASIA
- CONTINENT EUROPE
- CONTINENT NORTH AMERICA
- CONTINENT SOUTH AMERICA
- GEOGRAPHIC REGION GLOBAL
- GEOGRAPHIC REGION POLAR
Science Keywords
- Cryosphere Snow/Ice Snow Cover
- Cryosphere Snow/Ice Snow Depth
- Terrestrial Hydrosphere Snow/Ice Snow Cover
- Terrestrial Hydrosphere Snow/Ice Snow Depth
Ancillary Keywords
- Cryosphere
- EOSDIS
- Snow
- Snow Cover
- Snow Depth
Platform
Instrument
- RADIOMETERS
- SMMR Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer
Project
- EOSDIS Earth Observing System Data Information System
- ESIP Earth Science Information Partners Program
Data Set Progress
complete
Data Center
NASA DAAC at the National Snow and Ice Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/daac/index.html
Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC User Services
Phone: 1 303 492-6199
Fax: 1 303 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org
Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC User Services
Phone: 1 303 492-6199
Fax: 1 303 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Distribution
Distribution Media: FTP
Distribution Format: IMG
Distribution Media: FTP
Distribution Format: Binary
Personnel
Alfred T.C. Chang
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Phone: 1 301 614-5766
Fax: 1 301 614-5808
Email: achang@rainfall.gsfc.nasa.gov
Contact Address:
- Laboratory for Hydrospheric Processes
- Code 974.0
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: MD
Postal Code: 20771
NSIDC User Services
Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT
Phone: 1 303 492-6199 x
Fax: 1 303 492-2468 x
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Reference
Chang, A.T.C., J. L. Foster, and D.K. Hall. 1987. Nimbus-7 SMMR derived global snow cover parameters. Annals of Glaciology. 9:39-44.
Foster, J.L., D.K. Hall, and A.T.C. Chang. 1987. Remote sensing of snow. Eos, Transactions of the AGU. 68(32):681-684.
Hall, D.K. 1988. Assessment of polar climate change using satellite technology. Reviews of Geophysics, 26(1):26-39.
Metadata Name and Version
Metadata Name: CEOS IDN DIF
Metadata Version: 9.7
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 2003-06-11
Last DIF Revision Date: 2012-08-21
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