Snow Melt Onset Over Arctic Sea Ice from SMMR and SSM/I Brightness Temperatures

Data Contributors DROBOT, SHELDON ANDERSON, MARK Parameters SNOW MELT Instruments SMMR : SCANNING MULTICHANNEL MICROWAVE RADIOMETER SSM/I : SPECIAL SENSOR MICROWAVE/IMAGER

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Yearly snow melt onset dates over Arctic sea ice are derived from Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) brightness temperatures. The introduction of liquid water to snow results in a sharp increase in the emissivity and hence brightness temperature of the snowpack. Snow melt onset is defined as the point in time when microwave brightness temperatures increase sharply due to the presence of liquid water in the snowpack.

Data cover the years 1979 through 1998, and are in a polar stereographic grid at 25 km resolution. Tab-delimited ASCII files and GIF images are accessible via ftp. Several value-added products are also available.

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Data Citation

Drobot, S. and M. Anderson. 2001. Snow melt onset over arctic sea ice from SMMR and SSM/I brightness temperatures. Boulder, CO, USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.

See Also

• Sea Ice Products at NSIDC
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