Information about extent, beginning, duration and melt of snow cover are important for climate research, hydrological applications, flood prediction and weather forecast. Climate change is influencing the characteristics and duration of snow cover, affecting landscape, hydrology, flora, fauna, and humans in equal measure. Therefore, precise information about the different snow parameters and their development over time are particularly important for various research fields.
The “Global SnowPack” is a novel dataset containing information about snow cover parameters on a global scale. Begin, duration and melt of snow cover are included and allow detailed insights in the characteristics of this most relevant part of Earth’s cryosphere. The parameters are being derived from daily, operational MODIS snow cover products for every year. The negative effects of polar darkness and cloud coverage are compensated by applying several processing steps. Thereby, a unique global dataset can be provided that is characterised by its high accuracy, a spatial resolution of 500 meter and continuous future enhancements.