| description abstract | Snow water equivalent and snow extent are key parameters for the earth's energy and water budget. In this study, the current operational snow-depth analysis (2D spatial Cressman interpolation) at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which relies on real-time observations of snow depth, the short-range forecast, and snow-depth climatic data, is presented. The operational product is compared with satellite-derived snow cover. It is found that the total area of grid boxes affected by snow is approximately 10% larger in the analysis than in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS) snow-extent product. The differences are persistent in time and space and cover the entire Northern Hemisphere. They comprise areas with intermittent and/or patchy snow cover, for example, the Tibetan Plateau, the edges of snow fields, and areas with a low density of observations, which are difficult to capture in the current operational analysis. A modified snow analysis is presented, in which the operational NESDIS snow product is incorporated. The current analysis and the revised analysis are compared with high-resolution snow-cover datasets derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and independent ground-based snow-depth observations from the Meteorological Service of Canada. Using the NOAA/NESDIS snow-extent dataset in the operational analysis leads to a more realistic description of the actual snow extent. | |
