The Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity Of Snow Parameters In A Passive Microwave Remote Sensing Pixel And Its Effect On The Inversion Of The Operational Snow Parameters

Due to the low spatial resolution of passive microwave sensors, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of snow parameters may be the primary factor influencing the inversion accuracy. However, at present, continuous observations of snow parameters are rare due to the limited automation of snow monitoring equipment. In this study, a passive microwave pixel is selected as the experimental region, and detailed observations of the snow parameters are made throughout the dry snow season. On this basis, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the snow parameters is completely summarized, and two classical operational algorithms (the Chang, NASA96) are validated. The results indicate that the heterogeneity of the snow parameters varies during different periods in the winter, for different land cover types (forest and farmland) and for different snow layers. The spatiotemporal heterogeneity and regional characteristics of snow affect the accuracy of these algorithms significantly. In addition, the effect of the snow parameters on the coefficients in the algorithms is discussed to provide a reliable reference for further improvements to the operational algorithms.