EOS Validation Program

Institution: University of Colorado Boulder
Phone: (303) 492-6508
E-mail: nolin@spectra.colorado.edu

Julienne Stroeve, Research Associate, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder stroeve@kodiak.colorado.edu

June 1999
June 2001
Final Report, March 2003

This proposed research intends to focus on validation of snow albedo. Sensitivity studies will also be undertaken to investigate how atmospheric properties, topographic complexity and spatial resolution affect albedo retrievals. Surface albedo is one of the standard data products to be generated from data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument. The Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR), requires characterization of the angular reflectance characteristics over snow. Through a combination of model simulations and field validation experiments (both pre-launch and post-launch) this research will validate an existing scheme for converting measurements of snow bidirectional reflectance to snow albedo for both MODIS and MISR. A narrowband-to-broadband conversion will be developed and tested for both instruments allowing intercomparison of broadband albedo retrievals between MODIS and MISR. In a sensitivity analysis, we will evaluate how atmospheric characterizations and digital elevation model errors affect the accuracy of the albedo estimates.Collaboration with both MISR and MODIS instrument teams will be extensive and will support their science data validation needs. The pre-launch validation campaign at Mammoth Mountain/Mono Lake is scheduled for February 22 - March 6, 1998 and will involve airborne measurements of snow using AirMISR, MAS, and other instruments on the NASA ER-2 as well as extensive ground-based measurements of snow and atmosphere properties. A post-launch validation campaign, WINCE-II is tentatively scheduled for winter, 1999. We are working in close collaboration with Dr. Jiancheng Shi, of the University of California, Santa Barbara who will be performing validation of the snow covered area retrievals for the MODIS instrument.