Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2727-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2727-2017
Research article
 | 
27 Nov 2017
Research article |  | 27 Nov 2017

Comparison of different methods to retrieve optical-equivalent snow grain size in central Antarctica

Tim Carlsen, Gerit Birnbaum, André Ehrlich, Johannes Freitag, Georg Heygster, Larysa Istomina, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Anaïs Orsi, Michael Schäfer, and Manfred Wendisch

Data sets

Snow specific surface area (SSA) retrieved from spectral surface albedo (ground-based and airborne) and reflectance (spaceborne) measurements at Kohnen research station, Antarctica, during austral summer 2013/14 T. Carlsen, G. Birnbaum, A. Ehrlich, G. Heygster, L. Istomina, M. Schäfer, and M. Wendisch https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.880815

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Short summary
The optical size of snow grains (ropt) affects the reflectivity of snow surfaces and thus the local surface energy budget in particular in polar regions. The temporal evolution of ropt retrieved from ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne remote sensing could reproduce optical in situ measurements for a 2-month period in central Antarctica (2013/14). The presented validation study provided a unique testbed for retrievals of ropt under Antarctic conditions where in situ data are scarce.