Snow Density and Ground Permittivity Retrieval Problem with L-Band Satellite Radiometer Observations – Case Study from Sodankylä, Finland

Seasonal snow cover is an important environmental component, as its characteristics affect energy and gas exchange between ground and the atmosphere. The mass of seasonal snow cover, or Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), describes the available freshwater stored in snow. When present, snow cover affects the microwave signature of the scene and should therefore be considered in any microwave based remote sensing model and retrieval algorithm. Microwave remote sensing of snow and its properties has a long history, and in particular SWE has traditionally been retrieved by using passive microwave observations at 19 and 37 GHz [1] , [2] .