CoReH2O, a dual frequency radar mission for snow and ice observations

The COld REgions Hydrology High-resolution Observatory (CoReH₂O) satellite mission was selected for detailed scientific and technical studies within the Earth Explorer Programme of ESA. The sensor is a dual frequency SAR, operating at 17.2 GHz and 9.6 GHz, VV and VH polarizations The mission will deliver spatially distributed snow and ice observations to improve the representation of the croysphere in hydrological and climate models. Primary parameters are the extent and water equivalent (SWE) of the snow pack and snow accumulation on glaciers. Scientific preparations of the mission include the development and testing of algorithms for retrieval of snow parameters, studies on synergy of CoReH₂O-type snow products with passive microwave measurements, the assimilation of satellite snow data in process models, and field experiments. Performance of retrievals for snow extent and SWE was tested with simulated and experimental data, including Ku- and X-band SAR images of the airborne SnowSAR system.