Articles | Volume 15, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-793-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-793-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Feb 2021
Research article |
| 17 Feb 2021
| 17 Feb 2021
Effect of small-scale snow surface roughness on snow albedo and reflectance
Terhikki Manninen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Kati Anttila
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Emmihenna Jääskeläinen
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Aku Riihelä
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Jouni Peltoniemi
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, National Land Survey,
Geodeetinrinne 2, 02430 Masala, Finland
Petri Räisänen
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Panu Lahtinen
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Niilo Siljamo
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Laura Thölix
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Outi Meinander
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Anna Kontu
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Hanne Suokanerva
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Roberta Pirazzini
Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, P.O. Box 503, 00101,
Finland
Juha Suomalainen
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, National Land Survey,
Geodeetinrinne 2, 02430 Masala, Finland
Teemu Hakala
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, National Land Survey,
Geodeetinrinne 2, 02430 Masala, Finland
Sanna Kaasalainen
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, National Land Survey,
Geodeetinrinne 2, 02430 Masala, Finland
Harri Kaartinen
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, National Land Survey,
Geodeetinrinne 2, 02430 Masala, Finland
Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, 20500
Turku, Finland
Antero Kukko
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, National Land Survey,
Geodeetinrinne 2, 02430 Masala, Finland
Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo,
Finland
Olivier Hautecoeur
Météo-France, Toulouse, France
currently at: Exostaff GmbH/EUMETSAT, Darmstadt, Germany
Jean-Louis Roujean
Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la BIOsphère (CESBIO) – UMR 5126 –
31401 Toulouse, France
Viewed
Total article views: 5,026 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 30 Jul 2020)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,666 | 1,252 | 108 | 5,026 | 238 | 163 | 211 |
- HTML: 3,666
- PDF: 1,252
- XML: 108
- Total: 5,026
- Supplement: 238
- BibTeX: 163
- EndNote: 211
Total article views: 4,315 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 17 Feb 2021)
| HTML | XML | Total | Supplement | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,316 | 899 | 100 | 4,315 | 238 | 148 | 195 |
- HTML: 3,316
- PDF: 899
- XML: 100
- Total: 4,315
- Supplement: 238
- BibTeX: 148
- EndNote: 195
Total article views: 711 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Cumulative views and downloads
(calculated since 30 Jul 2020)
| HTML | XML | Total | BibTeX | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 350 | 353 | 8 | 711 | 15 | 16 |
- HTML: 350
- PDF: 353
- XML: 8
- Total: 711
- BibTeX: 15
- EndNote: 16
Viewed (geographical distribution)
Total article views: 5,026 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 4,773 with geography defined
and 253 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 4,315 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 4,125 with geography defined
and 190 with unknown origin.
Total article views: 711 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
Thereof 648 with geography defined
and 63 with unknown origin.
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Country | # | Views | % |
|---|
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
| Total: | 0 |
| HTML: | 0 |
| PDF: | 0 |
| XML: | 0 |
- 1
1
Cited
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Divergence of apparent and intrinsic snow albedo over a season at a sub-alpine site with implications for remote sensing E. Bair et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1765-2022
- Evaluating sensitivity of optical snow grain size retrievals to radiative transfer models, shape parameters, and inversion techniques J. Dillon et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2913-2025
- Airborne Measurements of Surface Albedo and Leaf Area Index of Snow‐Covered Boreal Forest T. Manninen et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035376
- Simulation of snow albedo and solar irradiance profile with the Two-streAm Radiative TransfEr in Snow (TARTES) v2.0 model G. Picard & Q. Libois https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-8927-2024
- Response mechanisms of soil albedo to temperature and water content: Experimental insights from three typical bare soils in Northwest China M. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2025.107342
- Inter-comparison of medium-resolution satellite albedo retrieval techniques over snow and ice P. Fuchs et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2025.2607758
- Reflection of Solar Light from Surface Snow Loaded with Light-Absorbing Impurities: A Case Study of Black Carbon, Mineral Dust, and Ash W. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c01280
- Albedo reduction for snow surfaces contaminated with soot aerosols: Comparison of experimental results and models M. Lapuerta et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2022.2091975
- Impact of Vehicle Soot Agglomerates on Snow Albedo S. González-Correa et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050801
- Newly identified climatically and environmentally significant high-latitude dust sources O. Meinander et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11889-2022
- On the Relationship Between Stickiness in DMRT Theory and Physical Parameters of Snowpack: Theoretical Formulation and Experimental Validation With SNOWPACK Snow Model and X-Band SAR Data S. Pilia et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2022.3201669
- Relating GNSS Reflected Signal Coherence to Ice Shelf Surface Deformation and Roughness S. Anderson et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3538558
- Snow Surface Roughness at a Ski Resort During Melt S. Fassnacht et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/glacies3010004
- Cloud-probability-based estimation of black-sky surface albedo from AVHRR data T. Manninen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-879-2022
- Optical effect of Andean mineral dust onto snow surface spectral albedo D. Pacheco-Ferrada et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120608
- Reflecting on surface albedo and climate P. Gottschalk et al. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01764
- Continuous bidirectional reflectance (BRF) measurement of snow using monochromatic camera T. Manninen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2022.103514
- Improving Surface Property Retrievals in Boreal Seasonal Snowpacks Through Multiscale Modeling of Subgrid Reflectance S. Singh & A. Barros https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2026.3667435
- Field study on the diffusion and advection effects of vehicle-emitted soot aerosols on snow albedo in the Chilean Andes S. González-Correa et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.120136
- Modelling light-absorbing particle–snow–radiation interactions and impacts on snow albedo: fundamentals, recent advances and future directions C. He & J. Ming https://doi.org/10.1071/EN22013
- Snow particle fragmentation enhances snow sublimation N. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12535-2025
- A Database of Snow on Sea Ice in the Central Arctic Collected during the MOSAiC expedition A. Macfarlane et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02273-1
- Detection of Winter Heat Wave Impact on Surface Runoff in a Periglacial Environment (Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard) R. Salzano et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184435
- The effects of surface roughness on the calculated, spectral, conical–conical reflectance factor as an alternative to the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of bare sea ice M. Lamare et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-737-2023
- How flat is flat? Investigating snow topography and the spatial variability of snow surface temperature on landfast sea ice using UAVs in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica J. Martin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6103-2025
- Effects of Spatial Resolution on Reflectance Responses to Soil Salinity in Plastic-Mulched Farmland W. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16090863
- Simulation of Spectral Albedo and Bidirectional Reflectance over Snow-Covered Urban Canyon: Model Development and Factor Analysis Q. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16132340
27 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Divergence of apparent and intrinsic snow albedo over a season at a sub-alpine site with implications for remote sensing E. Bair et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1765-2022
- Evaluating sensitivity of optical snow grain size retrievals to radiative transfer models, shape parameters, and inversion techniques J. Dillon et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2913-2025
- Airborne Measurements of Surface Albedo and Leaf Area Index of Snow‐Covered Boreal Forest T. Manninen et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD035376
- Simulation of snow albedo and solar irradiance profile with the Two-streAm Radiative TransfEr in Snow (TARTES) v2.0 model G. Picard & Q. Libois https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-8927-2024
- Response mechanisms of soil albedo to temperature and water content: Experimental insights from three typical bare soils in Northwest China M. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2025.107342
- Inter-comparison of medium-resolution satellite albedo retrieval techniques over snow and ice P. Fuchs et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2025.2607758
- Reflection of Solar Light from Surface Snow Loaded with Light-Absorbing Impurities: A Case Study of Black Carbon, Mineral Dust, and Ash W. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c01280
- Albedo reduction for snow surfaces contaminated with soot aerosols: Comparison of experimental results and models M. Lapuerta et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2022.2091975
- Impact of Vehicle Soot Agglomerates on Snow Albedo S. González-Correa et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13050801
- Newly identified climatically and environmentally significant high-latitude dust sources O. Meinander et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11889-2022
- On the Relationship Between Stickiness in DMRT Theory and Physical Parameters of Snowpack: Theoretical Formulation and Experimental Validation With SNOWPACK Snow Model and X-Band SAR Data S. Pilia et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2022.3201669
- Relating GNSS Reflected Signal Coherence to Ice Shelf Surface Deformation and Roughness S. Anderson et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3538558
- Snow Surface Roughness at a Ski Resort During Melt S. Fassnacht et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/glacies3010004
- Cloud-probability-based estimation of black-sky surface albedo from AVHRR data T. Manninen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-879-2022
- Optical effect of Andean mineral dust onto snow surface spectral albedo D. Pacheco-Ferrada et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2024.120608
- Reflecting on surface albedo and climate P. Gottschalk et al. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01764
- Continuous bidirectional reflectance (BRF) measurement of snow using monochromatic camera T. Manninen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2022.103514
- Improving Surface Property Retrievals in Boreal Seasonal Snowpacks Through Multiscale Modeling of Subgrid Reflectance S. Singh & A. Barros https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2026.3667435
- Field study on the diffusion and advection effects of vehicle-emitted soot aerosols on snow albedo in the Chilean Andes S. González-Correa et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.120136
- Modelling light-absorbing particle–snow–radiation interactions and impacts on snow albedo: fundamentals, recent advances and future directions C. He & J. Ming https://doi.org/10.1071/EN22013
- Snow particle fragmentation enhances snow sublimation N. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-12535-2025
- A Database of Snow on Sea Ice in the Central Arctic Collected during the MOSAiC expedition A. Macfarlane et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02273-1
- Detection of Winter Heat Wave Impact on Surface Runoff in a Periglacial Environment (Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard) R. Salzano et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15184435
- The effects of surface roughness on the calculated, spectral, conical–conical reflectance factor as an alternative to the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of bare sea ice M. Lamare et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-737-2023
- How flat is flat? Investigating snow topography and the spatial variability of snow surface temperature on landfast sea ice using UAVs in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica J. Martin et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6103-2025
- Effects of Spatial Resolution on Reflectance Responses to Soil Salinity in Plastic-Mulched Farmland W. Ma et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16090863
- Simulation of Spectral Albedo and Bidirectional Reflectance over Snow-Covered Urban Canyon: Model Development and Factor Analysis Q. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16132340
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 09 Jun 2026
Short summary
The primary goal of this paper is to present a model of snow surface albedo (brightness) accounting for small-scale surface roughness effects. It can be combined with any volume scattering model. The results indicate that surface roughness may decrease the albedo by about 1–3 % in midwinter and even more than 10 % during the late melting season. The effect is largest for low solar zenith angle values and lower bulk snow albedo values.
The primary goal of this paper is to present a model of snow surface albedo (brightness)...
