It has been hypothesized by some that shortwave IR radiation can be used to determine the
condition of a snowpack. Freshly-fallen snow is composed mostly of small particles. As snow
begins to melt, heat flow from large grains causes smaller particles to melt and merge into larger
clusters (Colbeck, 1982). As a result, the average grain size increases as snow is melting.
Additionally, it has been shown (Warren and Wiscombe, 1980) that the albedo of ice in the Near-
IR is heavily dependent on snow grain size.
Hint: The wavelength that is best here is the one that shows the greatest difference in reflectance
between small and large grains!
WAVELENGTH ( m ).
It has been hypothesized by some that shortwave IR radiation can be us.pdf
1. It has been hypothesized by some that shortwave IR radiation can be used to determine the
condition of a snowpack. Freshly-fallen snow is composed mostly of small particles. As snow
begins to melt, heat flow from large grains causes smaller particles to melt and merge into larger
clusters (Colbeck, 1982). As a result, the average grain size increases as snow is melting.
Additionally, it has been shown (Warren and Wiscombe, 1980) that the albedo of ice in the Near-
IR is heavily dependent on snow grain size.
Hint: The wavelength that is best here is the one that shows the greatest difference in reflectance
between small and large grains!
WAVELENGTH ( m )
