Satellite observations of snow in the near‐infrared wavelengths can be used to roughly estimate snow grain size. When the grain size is large, it is possible to use measurements in the visible wavelengths to estimate snow water equivalence below some threshold value of around 100 mm. While sufficient data to fully evaluate these possibilities are not available, model calculations, selected satellite observations, and limited ground truth are in qualitative agreement. Complications arise because the effect of contamination by atmospheric aerosols is similar to that of finite depth, and because the near‐infrared channel on the NOAA TIROS‐N series satellites is not in the wavelength region where snow reflectance is most sensitive to grain size.

No abstract

The environmental satellites NOAA‐2 and ERTS‐1 observed flooding in United States' rivers such as the Mississippi during 1973. Combination of NOAA‐2 observation frequency and the ERTS‐1 resolution provides an adequate satellite system for monitoring floods. Several polar‐orbiting satellites of the ERTS type could view flooded areas at a reasonably high resolution every three to five days. A high‐resolution Earth‐synchronous satellite would further enhance flood mapping by providing observations whenever clouds are absent.

No abstract

No abstract