Application of Remote Sensing in Snow and Ice Monitoring
A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Remote Sensing in Geology, Geomorphology and Hydrology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 August 2025 | Viewed by 150
Special Issue Editors
Interests: lake ice; cryosphere remote sensing; agricultural remote sensing
Interests: remote sensing inversion of snow and ice; snow and ice pollution and climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cryosphere remote sensing; remote sensing estimation of mountain energy balance
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Snow and ice are the most active environmental factors in the cryosphere, and widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to their high reflectance, low thermal conductivity, and the snowmelt water effect, snow and ice play vital roles in the global energy balance, hydrological and ecological models, and climate change. They influence the global water cycle, surface energy balance, and ecosystem carbon cycle. Accelerating climate change alters their distribution and characteristics, affecting energy and nutrient exchange and driving physical, chemical and ecological processes. On this note, remote sensing provides a powerful tool for regional and large-scale monitoring, enabling the exploration of interactions between snow, ice cover and climate change.
Satellite remote sensing with large-scale synchronous observation has become an important tool for monitoring snow and ice changes. Since the 1960s, many optical satellites have been used for snow and ice research because they have had low reflectivity in the shortwave infrared band (1.6μm), making it easy to distinguish them from clouds and other land covers. Both polarorbiting satellites and geostationary satellites have released a variety of high-quality snow cover products for free for global users, such as AVHRR, MODIS and Meteosat/MSG. Microwave remote sensing is also an important data source for monitoring snow and ice changes. It not only has the characteristics of passing through clouds and fog, but also can effectively invert various snow and ice parameters such as snow density and depth. In recent years, various spaceborne altimeters, especially laser lidar (LiDAR), have also been widely used in the study of snow and ice.
This Special Issue aims to present recent progress in remote sensing applications for snow and ice cover. It provides a forum for researchers to share their findings, methodologies, and insight. We welcome contributions on a variety of topics, including the following:
- Remote sensing algorithms for monitoring the key parameters of snow and ice cover using multi-sensors and multi-source data.
- Spatial and temporal changes in snow and ice cover from regional to global scales.
- Field measurements or experiences of snow and ice combining with remote sensing.
- Interdisciplinary research and perspectives on snow and ice cover combining remote sensing, meteorology, hydrology and ecology.
- Assessment of snow and ice applications related to human activities, such as tourism resources and nature disasters.
Review or surveys of recent applications, techniques and advancements in snow and ice remote sensing.
Dr. Qian Yang
Prof. Dr. Xiaohua Hao
Prof. Dr. Yanli Zhang
Dr. Yuwen Pang
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- snow cover
- lake ice
- ice dynamics
- sea ice
- climate change
- multi-sensor and multi-source data
- change detection
- remote sensing applications
- resources assessment
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