A Northern Hemisphere Snow Extent Climate Data Record

Satellite-derived maps of Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent (SCE) began being produced by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists in late 1966. Map data have been used in international assessments of climate variability and change, and in investigations regarding the role of snow cover in the climate system. Despite their proven climate utility, meteorological forecasting has been the driving force behind producing these maps. As such, changes (documented and undocumented) in mapping methodologies have occurred over time, without a focus on their climatological continuity. In particular, 1999 brought a change from weekly to daily maps and a greatly increased resolution to the map's digitized grid. Members of our Global Snow Lab have kept a watchful eye on changes in this satellite environmental data record (EDR). From this EDR, we have developed a satellite SCE climate data record (CDR). This presentation will introduce this CDR and discuss efforts that have begun to merge it with other visible and microwave satellite and station-observed estimates of extent and depth over Northern Hemisphere lands, as well as with CDRs being developed for snow melt atop Arctic sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet as part of NASA's Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments (MEaSURES) program.