Implementation of an automated snow monitoring system using MODIS products in Lebanon

Snow Cover Area monitoring is an important factor in studies of global climate change, regional water balance and soil moisture. Recently, the usage of remote sensing techniques has flourished. In fact, remote sensing data provides timely adequate snow cover information for large areas. While the National Center for Remote Sensing in Lebanon (CNRS) has recently established an operational monitoring room for natural resources and natural disasters, this paper presents the implementation of a fully automated snow cover monitoring system based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images. The system uses snow products from EOS Terra, and Aqua satellites to monitor the Snow Cover of Lebanon during the snow season (i.e. November-April). The importance of this project lies in its daily and fully automated process of acquiring, processing, storing and displaying statistics of the snow covered areas in Lebanon. Applying a custom algorithm based on combining Terra and Aqua snow products will reduce cloud contamination.