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Global Snow Extent Climate Data Records and Trends Derived from Satellite Passive Microwave and Visible Data

Brodzik, M. J. (1), M. H. Savoie (1), R. L. Armstrong (1)

(1) CIRES/NSIDC

The extent and variability of seasonal snow cover are important parameters in climate and hydrologic systems due to effects on energy and moisture budgets. Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent, comprising about 98 percent of global seasonal snow cover, is the largest single spatial component of the cryosphere, with a mean maximum extent of 47 million square kilometers, nearly 50 percent of the land surface area. We present the latest updates to satellite-derived data sets distributed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). These data sets were defined before formal Climate Data Record (CDR) definitions were established. However, both data sets satisfy some of the requirements for CDRs. Both data sets benefit from the feedback of established user and peer-review communities, and are processed with careful attention to consistent processing methods in an effort to provide reliable time series for studying climate change in the global snow record.