Abstract

SOLORZA, Romina; COGLIATI, Marisa; SALCEDO, Ana Paula  and  NOTARNICOLA, Claudia. Estimación del área cubierta de nieve con datos SAR en banda L en un sector cordillerano de la Patagonia Argentina. Rev. Asoc. Geol. Argent. [online]. 2016, vol.73, n.3, pp.421-429. ISSN 0004-4822.

The assessment of seasonal variations of the snow cover in vast areas of the Argentinean Andes provides basic information for hydrological modelling and political decision-making. Additionally, they support programs for proper planning and use of water resources, especially with regard to irrigation, supply, flood attenuation and hydropower. Visible and infrared remote sensors are operational tools for monitoring snow covered areas only in clear sky conditions. On the contrary, active microwave sensors such as radar are capable to obtain data regardless of adverse atmospheric conditions. In this study, we use ALOS-PALSAR (L-band) scenes to retrieve wet snow-covered area in an Andean location in northern Patagonia, Argentina. The goal was to validate the accuracy of the L-band in retrieving snow cover, against the results obtained with an optical sensor (LANDSAT 5 TM and 7 ETM+) in a simultaneous passage with radar data. Furthermore, we discuss the validation of wet snow cover area, by means of surface temperature of snow.

Keywords : Snow monitoring; Radar imaging; Andean watersheds; Surface temperature.

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