Monday, 21 July 2014 to Wednesday, 23 July 2014
College Park, Maryland, USA
http://calvalportal.ceos.org/projects/snowpex
The workshop is organised by the ESA SnowPEX Project in cooperation with NOAA / NASA, and supported by the WMO / Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) and the WRCP / CliC.
Seasonal snow is a main element of the global water cycle and climate system. Due to the strong influence on the radiation and energy balance, changes in snow extent tend to amplify climate fluctuations. Terrestrial snow covers up to 50 million km2 of the Northern Hemisphere in winter, and is characterized by high spatial and temporal variability. Therefore satellite observations provide the only means for timely and complete observations of the global snow cover. The recently published 2013 IPCC Working Group 1 report identified seasonal snow as significantly decreasing during recent decades. The importance of producing better global scale snow cover data sets has been addressed in the WCRP-CliC Workshop on “WCRP Grand Challenges of the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate”, held in Tromsø, 16-18 Oct. 2013. Also in the WMO Global Cryosphere Watch Workshop in January 2013 the need of intercomparing snow products from various sensors and methods was identified. This is the first of two international workshops with the aim to bring together scientists and institutions working in seasonal snow pack monitoring in order to assess the quality of current satellite-based snow products derived from EO data and work out guidelines for improvement. Scientists are encouraged to submit abstracts for presentations and posters for the workshops.
This is the first of two international workshops with the aim to bring together scientists and institutions working in seasonal snow pack monitoring in order to assess the quality of current satellite-based snow products derived from EO data and work out guidelines for improvement. Scientists are encouraged to submit abstracts for presentations and posters for the workshops.
Abstract submission and registration deadline is 15 May 2014
OBJECTIVES OF THIS WORKSHOP
– To review algorithms and satellite products for snow extent and snow water equivalent (continental to global coverage)
– To elaborate guidelines for generation of reference / validation data (i.e. from high resolution satellite images, in-situ data; etc.)
– To elaborate concepts, protocols and guidelines for intercomparison and validation of snow products
– To review and discuss uncertainty characterisation of satellite snow products
EXPECTED OUTCOME OF THE WORKSHOP
– Description of algorithms and snow products
– Concept, protocols and procedures for validating and intercomparing products
– Definition of key regions and key periods for validation and quality assessment
– Procedures for generating reference data for product intercomparisons
– Coordinated plan of validation activities and intercomparison
THEMES
– Continental to global snow extent products: algorithms, products, etc.
– Continental to global snow water equivalent products: algorithms, products, etc.
– Generation of reference data sets, key regions and key periods
– Methods and protocols for validation and quality assessment of global snow products
– Uncertainty characterisation of snow extent and SWE products