CALCULATION OF SNOW HEIGHT (HS) AND SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT (SWE) AT KEY POINTS OF THE NORTHERN KAZAKHSTAN REGION FROM SENTINEL-2 SATELLITE IMAGES

Abstract

The article presents a comparative assessment of the snow height (HS) in the Limited Liability Partnership "North Kazakhstan Agricultural Experimental Station" using three different approaches of calculation of Snow Cover Fraction (SCF) with further determination of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) from the one hand and in-situ prospective from the other. It was clear that the quadratic formula of SCF calculation provide better and reliable outcomes with an RMSE 1.36 cm which is followed by linear (12.06 cm) and exponential approaches (12.86). The lowest water level was 9 mm, the average level was about 50 mm, and the highest level was up to 62 mm, according to the SWE map produced by the quadratic equation while the highest, average and the lowest snow height (HS) have reached up to 28 cm, 13 cm and 5 cm respectively. Based on the results and the accuracy obtained, we strongly recommend to use the given methodology in the whole northern and central regions of Kazakhstan to estimate the amount of snow for the further hydrological plans and decisions.