Toward an Operational Method for Refined Snow Characterization Using Dual-Polarization C-Band SAR Data

This paper presents a method to characterize snow cover at a massif scale using dual-polarization C-band SAR data. It is demonstrated that it is crucial to exactly model the distribution of liquid water inside the snowpack in order to perform accurate snow characterization at C-band. Consequently, the key point of this new method consists in using a multi-layer meteorological snow model. Based on a validated multi-layer EM backscattering model, SAR data and snow profiles estimated by the weather model can be combined. An adequate spatial reorganization of these snow profiles leads to a refined snow characterization. Accurate snow monitoring like Liquid Water Content is presented, opening the way for a new operational method.