European Snow Cover Characteristics between 2000 and 2011 Derived from Improved MODIS Daily Snow Cover Products

Mean snow cover duration was derived for the entire continent of Europe based on the MODIS daily snow cover products MOD10A1 and MYD10A1 for the period from 2000 to 2011. Dates of snow cover start and snow cover melt were also estimated. Polar darkness north of ~62°N and extensive cloud coverage affected the daily snow cover, preventing a direct derivation of the desired parameters. Combining sensor data from both MODIS platforms and applying a temporal cloud filter, cloud coverage and polar darkness were removed from the input data and accuracy remained above 90% for 87% of the area. The typical snow cover characteristics of the whole continent are illustrated and constitute a unique dataset with respect to spatial and temporal resolution. Abnormal events, glacier inventories or studies on possible impacts of climate change on snow cover characteristics are only some examples for applications where the presented results may be utilized.