Publication Date:
2011-08-18
Description:
Consideration is given to the possibility of increasing the frequency of satellite snow cover observations in the visible range by using the light reflected off the moon as an illumination source for nighttime observations. Images obtained at night by DMSP satellites orbiting in the noon-midnight plane are presented which were obtained at various phases of the moon. It is concluded that DMSP visible imagery can be used to detect snow cover during those periods when the moon is over the local horizon and is between the first quarter phase and the last quarter phase, which amounts to around five additional days a month allowing for cloud cover. The high frequency of observation of a given area provided by a light-sensitivity imager would be an important feature of a dedicated water-resources satellite.
Keywords:
EARTH RESOURCES AND REMOTE SENSING
Type:
International Journal of Remote Sensing (ISSN 0143-1161); 4; 785-791
Format:
text
