DETECTION OF THAWING SNOW AND ICE PACKS THROUGH THE COMBINED USE OF VISIBLE AND NEAR-INFRARED MEASUREMENTS FROM EARTH SATELLITES

Abstract

A case is made for the detection of melting snow or ice using multispectral remote sensing from earth satellites. Snow and thick ice are highly reflective in both the visible and the near-infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. During thaw conditions, however, near-infrared radiation is absorbed strongly, while reflection of visible radiation is only slightly affected. Simultaneous visible and near-infrared imagery from the Nimbus 3 satellite illustrates how these reflectance differenecs can be used to obtain information of hydrologic usefulness. Two examples of such use are presented.