Space-Time Coverage Scenarios for A Global Snow Satellite Constellation

Seasonal snow on land is an important factor in water resources, natural disasters, water security, and weather and climate. While many types of sensors are sensitive to snow water equivalent or snow depth, no single sensor type works across the range of snow conditions and confounding factors (primarily forests and complex terrain) experienced globally. An attractive potential solution is to leverage existing and planned satellites with applicable sensors in a distributed spacecraft mission configuration. In this paper, we examine the basic question of the spatial-temporal coverage achievable by various combinations of satellites and sensors. The results will inform discussions on the advantages of specific future sensors, sensor parameters, as well as requirements for algorithms and models to help bridge the space-time gaps.