Review Of Remote Sensing Capabilities In Snow Hydrology

The authors of this monograph initially provide an assessment of the role of snow and ice in the global water balance, and methods of snow measurements are detailed. Periodical satellite snow-cover mapping enabling the regional distribution of snow and water equivalent is evaluated, enhancing runoff forecasts.

The reprint book of the “Remote Sensing of Snow and Its Applications” Special Issue provides recent studies on all aspects of remote sensing of snow, from retrieving the data to the application. These studies mainly address the following: (a) New opportunities (Copernicus Sentinels) and emerging remote sensing methods, (b) use of snow data in modeling, and (c) characterization of snowpack.

Information dealing with hydrologic cycle, precipitation, snow hydrology, evapotranspiration, runoff, soil moisture, groundwater, water quality, and water resources management and monitoring

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 163. The North, with its vast and varied landscapes, sparse population, and cold climate has always challenged its explorers: physically, mentally, logistically, and technically. The scientific community in particular has known such challenges in the past and does so today, especially in light of the projected intensification of climate change at high latitudes. Indeed, there are clear signs that change is already ongoing in many environmental variables: Air temperature and annual precipitation (including snowfall) are increasing in many regions; spring snow cover extent is decreasing; lake and river ice freeze-up dates are occurring later and breakup dates earlier; glaciers are retreating rapidly; permafrost temperatures are increasing and, in many cases, the permafrost is thawing; and sea-ice extent is at record minimums and thinning.

The book provides comprehensive information on possible applications of remote sensing data for hydrological monitoring and modelling as well as for water management decisions. Mathematical theory is provided only as far as it is necessary for understanding the underlying principles. The book is especially timely because of new programs and sensors that are or will be realised. ESA, NASA, NASDA as well as the Indian and the Brazilian Space Agency have recently launched satellites or developed plans for new sensor systems that will be especially pertinent to hydrology and water management. New techniques are presented whose structure differ from conventional hydrological models due to the nature of remotely sensed data.

The current status of techniques, limitations, and applications of remote sensing to hydrologic problems of rainfall estimation, snow cover monitoring, water quality monitoring, and hydrologic modeling and runoff computation was reviewed. Tabulated data for 29 remote sensors indicated for each sensor the resolution range, spectral interval, spacecraft or aircraft that sensor has or could be flown on, and the major hydrologic parameters that could be measured or inferred. The thirteen hydrologic parameters listed were: surface temperature, cloud cover, atmospheric liquid water content, snow cover, water equivalent of snowpack, vegetation, land use, soil moisture, short wave radiation in radiation budget, long wave radiation in radiation budget, water bodies configuration, soil types, and basin area. Each sensor was capable of measuring from one to none of these parameters. The capability of remote sensing to gather regional scale synoptic information offers the potential of greatly enhancing watershed modeling. (Author).

Environmental remote sensing plays a critical role in observing key hydrological components such as precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration and total water storage on a global scale. As water security is one of the most critical issues in the world, satellite remote sensing techniques are of particular importance for emerging regions which have inadequate in-situ gauge observations. This book reviews multiple remote sensing observations, the application of remote sensing in hydrological modeling, data assimilation and hydrological capacity building in emerging regions.