Passive Microwave-derived Annual Snowoff Date Maps, 1988-2023

SO date is defined as the last day of persistent snow and was derived from the MEaSUREs Calibrated Enhanced-Resolution Passive Microwave (PMW) EASE-Grid Brightness Temperature (Tb) Earth System Data Record (ESDR) product. The spatial domain was intended to match MODIS Alaska Snow Metrics and extend its temporal fidelity beyond the MODIS era.

SO date estimates were compared to snow depth measurements collected at SNOTEL stations across Alaska and to three SO datasets derived from MODIS, Landsat, and the Interactive Multisensor Snow and Ice Mapping System (IMS). The data from 1988-2016 included a coastal mask removing coastal pixels due to potential water contamination from coarse brightness temperature observations (Dersken et al., 2012).