Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover Monthly Statistics, 2000-2014

January 2000 to November 2014 monthly snow cover frequency statistics for the Northern Hemisphere at a 1x1 degree spatial resolution. The dataset was prepared by Dr. Peter Romanov at the University of Maryland's Cooperative Institute for Climate Studies for the NEESPI program. Monthly data were derived from daily snow cover charts produced by NOAA/NESDIS.

Use Cases

• Modeling long-term snow cover trends based on monthly frequency of occurrence data.
• Analyzing seasonal snow cover variability across the Northern Hemisphere based on the 1-degree resolution grid.
• Validating climate or hydrological models using satellite-derived snow cover statistics.
• Studying cryosphere-climate interactions based on the 15-year temporal coverage.

Strengths

• Covers a 15-year time period from January 2000 to November 2014.
• Provides data for the entire Northern Hemisphere at a consistent 1x1 degree spatial resolution.
• Derived from operational daily snow cover charts produced by the authoritative NOAA/NESDIS agency.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data ends in 2014; freshness should be verified for contemporary applications.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) via the GES DISC.

Collection Method

Monthly statistics derived from daily snow cover charts produced within NOAA/NESDIS's Interactive Multisensor Ice Mapping System (IMS).

Time Range

January 2000 to November 2014

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-12 23:13:34.089243; freshness should be verified

Geography

Northern Hemisphere