Climatology of snow cover and snow water equivalent

• Chapter VII: Snow water equivalent in the Baltic States based on satellite measurements


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• Satellite based SWE
• Validation of satellite based SWE
• Inter-annual variability of SWE
• Seasonal variations of SWE

Inter-annual variability of SWE

SWE values vary from year to year depending on the depth of snow cover, fluctuations of temperature and precipitation. Figure 6.4 shows the multi-year maximum SWE variation based on in-situ and satellite measurements at Kuusiku (Estonia). There is a general agreement between in-situ and satellite data, but in some years GlobSnow-2 made overestimation (2001–2003, 2010–2012) or underestimation errors (2005, 2007). SWE values from 2001 to 2013 at the Kuusiku station varied from 0 to 150 mm. In 2007 and 2008 the winters were very warm in the Baltic region and permanent snow cover did not form at all. During these years there were no SWE measurements at ground stations (due to the absence of snow or very thin snow cover). Zero SWE values also were determined by satellite measurements (Fig. 4). 2011, on the contrary, was very snowy, air temperature during the winter stayed below zero and this led to the accumulation of a thick snow cover. The maximum SWE value at the Kuusiku meteorological station reached 140 mm in February 2011.

Figure 4: Time series of annual maximum SWE values at Kuusiku (Estonia) based on in-situ and satellite measurements.