MODIS Daily Snow Data for Western US, 2001-2019

Western United States snow data from two MODIS remote sensing products, STC-MODSCAG/STC-MODDRFS and SPIReS. The dataset has daily temporal resolution and 0.125-degree spatial resolution. It was created by Dalei Hao of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for evaluating snow processes in a land model.

Use Cases

• Validate snow-covered area simulations in land surface models based on the STC-MODSCAG product.
• Analyze radiative forcing in snow due to dust based on the STC-MODDRFS product.
• Study snow property evolution over time based on the daily, multi-year SPIReS data.
• Assess spatial patterns of snow grain size and albedo over the Western US based on the 0.125-degree resolution data.

Strengths

• Provides two distinct, complementary remote sensing snow products (STC-MODSCAG/STC-MODDRFS and SPIReS).
• Covers a long temporal period of 19 years, from 2001 to 2019.
• Offers high temporal (daily) and spatial (0.125-degree) resolution for detailed analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, author Dalei Hao.

Collection Method

Derived from MODIS satellite remote sensing products.

Time Range

2001 to 2019

Geography

Western United States