Global Seasonal Snow Classification System
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 Externally Distributed Data Set
NSIDC does not archive this data set. Please contact the investigator or data compiler to acquire these data.
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 Data Contributors
- STURM, MATTHEW
- LISTON, GLEN E.
Parameters
- SNOW COVER > ALPINE SNOW, EPHEMERAL SNOW, ICE, MARITIME SNOW, PRAIRIE SNOW, SNOW CLASSIFICATION, TAIGA SNOW, TUNDRA SNOW, WATER, ALPINE SNOW, EPHEMERAL SNOW, ICE, MARITIME SNOW, PRAIRIE SNOW, SNOW CLASSIFICATION, TAIGA SNOW, TUNDRA SNOW, WATER
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Acess External Data
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.
Data CitationListon, G.E., and M. Sturm. 1998. Global seasonal snow classification system. Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.
See Also
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