Evaluate subsurface effects on AMSR-E's snow depth retrieval

Remote sensing of snow depth is of primary importance for accurate prediction of snowmelt runoff. In this study, we carried out the numerical simulations to evaluate the subsurface effects, including surface roughness and dielectric properties, on the brightness temperature differences of snow covered terrain at AMSR-E frequencies. We found that the ground dielectric constant and the surface roughness parameters such as RMS height and correlation length have a significant effect on the brightness temperature differences at AMSR-E frequencies. We will demonstrate the effects of the subsurface conditions on the brightness temperature differences and on the snow depth retrieval algorithm. We will also demonstrate the importance of each emission component at different frequency and polarizations under different snow and surface conditions.