Rendering the Bluish Appearance of Snow: When Light Transmission Matters

Varsa, Petri M.; Baranoski, Gladimir V. G.

doi:10.1109/mcg.2023.3307517

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…This behaviour is consistent with light transmission measurements performed for thin and thick snow covers [2,34]. It also aligns with the fact that the light traversing a snow layer tends to elicit a stronger blue-green hue as its thickness is increased, and a weaker blue-green hue otherwise [34,70]. These phenomena can be explained by the relatively higher levels of light absorption occurring at longer wavelengths within a snowpack [71][72][73].…”

Section: Thickness Changessupporting

confidence: 87%

Environmentally Induced Snow Transmittance Variations in the Photosynthetic Spectral Domain: Photobiological Implications for Subnivean Vegetation under Climate Warming Conditions

Baranoski,

Varsa

2024

Remote Sensing

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Variations in the productivity of subnivean vegetation can substantially affect the ecology of regions more susceptible to increasing warming levels and lead to significant feedback effects on the global climate. Due to its importance, this topic is at the center of a broad scope of interdisciplinary studies supported by field and remote sensing observations. However, the current knowledge about environmental factors affecting the penetration of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) through snow is still constrained by the paucity of transmittance data. In this work, we aim to further the understanding about these interconnected processes. We conduct a systematic investigation about the effects of independent and combined changes in key nivological characteristics, namely thickness, saturation, density and grain size, on snow transmittance in the photosynthetic spectral domain. Our investigation is carried out through controlled in silico (computational) experiments supported by measured radiometric data. Its outcomes unveil fundamental quantitative and qualitative trends related to the role played by these nivological characteristics on the spectral quality of transmitted PAR, which is quantified in terms of red to blue (R/B), red to far-red (R/FR) and blue to far-red (B/FR) ratios. These trends include increases in the R/B ratio as well as decreases in the R/FR and B/FR ratios following thickness reductions or grain size increases, with opposite variations in these ratios being observed for saturation or density increases. Accordingly, the pairing of our findings with in situ and remotely collected information contributes to cement the scientific foundation required for the effective assessment of cause-effect loops linking accentuated vegetation greening to accelerated rates of snow cover recession.

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Section: Thickness Changessupporting

confidence: 87%

Environmentally Induced Snow Transmittance Variations in the Photosynthetic Spectral Domain: Photobiological Implications for Subnivean Vegetation under Climate Warming Conditions

Baranoski,

Varsa

2024

Remote Sensing

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“…In the case of snow, the images we produced seem adapted, although some features could be added to make them more realistic. One could consider the bluish aspect of snow, as recent work has been conducted on rendering this aspect [2]. Studies have been conducted on modelling sparkle on materials [36,37].…”

Section: Daymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snow is usually known as a uniform white and cold surface observable during winter or in specific environments, but its surface can present a bluish colour aspect due to internal scattering [1,2]. It is also known as a material with high albedo [3,4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Imaging Methods for In Situ Measurements of the Visual Appearance of Snow

Nguyen,

Thomas,

Farup

2024

Geosciences

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We explored imaging methods to perform in situ field measurements of physical correlates of the visual appearance of snow. Measurements were performed at three locations in Norway between February and March 2023. We used a method to estimate the absorption and scattering coefficients of snow using only one measurement of reflectance captured by the Dia-Stron© TLS850 translucency meter. We also measured the sparkle indicators (contrast and density of sparkle spots) from digital images of snow. The contrast of sparkle spots can be defined as the median value of all the pixels identified as sparkle spots by an algorithm, and the density of sparkle spots is the number of sparkle spots in a selected area of the image. In the case of the sparkle of the snow surface, we found that there is a potential to use the sparkle indicators for classifying the grain types, but it requires a larger data set coupled with expert labelling to define the type of snow. For the absorption and scattering properties, the measurements confirm the fact that snow is a weakly absorptive and highly scattering material when modelling light interactions in the snow. No correlation between the optical properties and sparkle could be found in our data.

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Rendering the Bluish Appearance of Snow: When Light Transmission Matters

Cited by 2 publications

References 19 publications

Environmentally Induced Snow Transmittance Variations in the Photosynthetic Spectral Domain: Photobiological Implications for Subnivean Vegetation under Climate Warming Conditions

Environmentally Induced Snow Transmittance Variations in the Photosynthetic Spectral Domain: Photobiological Implications for Subnivean Vegetation under Climate Warming Conditions

Exploring Imaging Methods for In Situ Measurements of the Visual Appearance of Snow

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