Validation and Algorithms Comparative Study for Microwave Remote Sensing of Snow Depth over China

In this study, five different snow algorithms (Chang algorithm, GSFC 96 algorithm, AMSR-E SWE algorithm, Improved Tibetan Plateau algorithm and Savoie algorithm) were selected to validate the accuracy of snow algorithms over China. These algorithms were compared for the accuracy of snow depth algorithms with AMSR-E brightness temperature data and ground measurements on February 10-12, 2010. Results showed that the GSFC 96 algorithm was more suitable in Xinjiang with the RMSE range from 6.85cm to 7.48 cm; in Inner Mongolia and Northeast China. Improved Tibetan Plateau algorithm is superior to the other four algorithms with the RMSE of 5.46cm~6.11cm and 6.21cm~7.83cm respectively; due to the lack of ground measurements, we couldn’t get valid statistical results over the Tibetan Plateau. However, the mean relative error (MRE) of the selected algorithms was ranging from 37.95% to 189.13% in four study areas, which showed that the accuracy of the five snow depth algorithms is limited over China.