Remote Sensing of Snow Cover

This chapter is dedicated to remote sensing of snow as one of the most important cryospheric components to be considered in Northern Hydrology. After a short introduction, general approaches in optical, thermal infrared, active and passive microwave, and airborne gamma remote sensing, including the most important systems, are presented and discussed. Then, specific applications of remote sensing of snow cover are shown, grouped by the respective snow properties, i.e., snow-covered area, liquid water content, snow water equivalent, snow reflectance, snow grain size, snow depth, and snow temperature. Finally, conclusions are drawn with respect to unresolved issues and future research needs.