Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Several groups are working on coupling physical snow models with microwave emis-
sion models to improve estimates of SWE, and these error assessments are important to
help users decide on model complexity, which carries a potentially high computational
cost. This paper argues that this is a promising avenue for improving global estimates of
SWE, but that not accounting for the effects of detailed stratigraphy can introduce unac-
counted-for variance which degrades the performance of an assimilation scheme. The
approach adopted here quantifies this variance for the HUT radiative transfer model and
presents it in such a way that it could be used to determine the snow layering structure in an
LSM for use in an assimilation system.
Acknowledgments MR is funded by National Environment Research Council studentship F3275903, and
ID is a member of the National Centre for Earth Observation.
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