%0 Journal Article
%T Snow Cover Maps from MODIS Images at 250 m Resolution, Part 2: Validation
%A Claudia Notarnicola
%A Martial Duguay
%A Nico Moelg
%A Thomas Schellenberger
%A Anke Tetzlaff
%A Roberto Monsorno
%A Armin Costa
%A Christian Steurer
%A Marc Zebisch
%J Remote Sensing
%D 2013
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/rs5041568
%X The performance of a new algorithm for binary snow cover monitoring based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images at 250 m resolution is validated using snow cover maps (SCA) based on Landsat 7 ETM+ images and in situ snow depth measurements from ground stations in selected test sites in Central Europe. The advantages of the proposed algorithm are the improved ground resolution of 250 m and the near real-time availability with respect to the 500 m standard National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) MODIS snow products (MOD10 and MYD10). It allows a more accurate snow cover monitoring at a local scale, especially in mountainous areas characterized by large landscape heterogeneity. The near real-time delivery makes the product valuable as input for hydrological models, e.g., for flood forecast. A comparison to sixteen snow cover maps derived from Landsat ETM/ETM+ showed an overall accuracy of 88.1%, which increases to 93.6% in areas outside of forests. A comparison of the SCA derived from the proposed algorithm with standard MODIS products, MYD10 and MOD10, indicates an agreement of around 85.4% with major discrepancies in forested areas. The validation of MODIS snow cover maps with 148 in situ snow depth measurements shows an accuracy ranging from 94% to around 82%, where the lowest accuracies is found in very rugged terrain restricted to in situ stations along north facing slopes, which lie in shadow in winter during the early morning acquisition.
%K MODIS
%K snow
%K snow covered area
%K Landsat
%K in situ snow depth
%U http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/5/4/1568