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Assessment of the snow conditions in the major watersheds of Afghanistan using multispectral and passive microwave remote sensing
Author(s) -
Daly Steven F.,
Vuyovich Carrie M.,
Deeb Elias J.,
Newman Stephen D.,
Baldwin Timothy B.,
Gag John J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.9367
Subject(s) - snow , environmental science , snowpack , watershed , remote sensing , context (archaeology) , multispectral image , current (fluid) , precipitation , elevation (ballistics) , hydrology (agriculture) , meteorology , geography , geology , oceanography , archaeology , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science , geometry , mathematics
Since the winter season of 2004–2005, annual snow assessments have been conducted for the major watersheds of Afghanistan using multispectral (AVHRR and MODIS) and passive microwave (SSM/I and AMSR‐E) remote sensing technologies. Because of limited ground‐based observations of precipitation and snow pack conditions, remote sensing provides a unique opportunity to assess these conditions at different scales offering an appraisal of current conditions from a historical context. This paper describes the methodology that has been developed over the past seven winter seasons, wherein bi‐weekly snow products and assessments are produced including the following: current snow‐covered area (SCA) at regional and watershed scales; estimation of SCA by elevation band; current snowpack volume [snow water equivalent (SWE)] for each watershed with a historical perspective (1987–present); snow condition outlook by watershed; general summary of snow conditions based on remote sensing products and limited ground‐based observations; and if warranted, a snow melt flooding advisory. Further analysis of these snow products and assessments are presented. Moreover, comparisons between both available passive microwave estimates of SWE (SSM/I and AMSR‐E) for all watersheds differ in magnitude yet exhibit similar historical trends. The SSM/I versus AMSR‐E historical differences in SWE for each of the major Afghanistan watersheds are quantified and show a strong relationship ( R 2 = 96%) to the mean elevation of the watershed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.