A laboratory-based spectrometer intercomparison for the measurement of snow spectra

Benjamin M. Roberts-Pierel; Christopher J. Crawford; Steven W. Brown; Raymond F. Kokaly; Kelly E. Gleason; Anne W. Nolin; Edward H. Bair; Brenton A. Wilder; Anton J. Surunis; S. McKenzie K. Skiles; Joachim Meyer; Allyson E. Fitts; Jeremy M. Johnston; Adam G. Hunsaker; Martin Steufer; Trond Løke

doi:10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104800

A laboratory-based spectrometer intercomparison for the measurement of snow spectra

Cold Regions Science and Technology

By: Benjamin M. Roberts-Pierel, Christopher J. Crawford, Steven W. Brown, Raymond F. Kokaly, Kelly E. Gleason, Anne W. Nolin, Edward H. Bair, Brenton A. Wilder, Anton J. Surunis, S. McKenzie K. Skiles, Joachim Meyer, Allyson E. Fitts, Jeremy M. Johnston, Adam G. Hunsaker, Martin Steufer, and Trond Løke

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104800

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Abstract

Seasonal snow is an integral component of global hydrological systems, global energy budget and Earth's climate. As an important part of many Earth systems, seasonal snow is also an essential source of water for many human populations and ecosystems around the world. As such, the measurement of seasonal snow and characterization of uncertainty in those measurements is crucial. To elucidate potential uncertainty attributable to commonly used field spectrometers (and to a lesser extent imaging spectrometers) and associated reference panels, this work presents results from an intercalibration experiment conducted synchronously with the NASA 2023 Snow Experiment (SnowEx) Albedo campaign near Fairbanks, Alaska USA. Three sets of experiments were carried out under controlled laboratory conditions to characterize the radiometric and spectral wavelength consistency of the instruments as well as the white reference panels used to calculate reflectance from field measurements. Although there was generally good agreement between the instruments, panels, and the references, there were also some notable differences. One instrument showed an average − 74 % change from the reference for radiance, and multiple instruments exceeded the suggested 0.5 nm threshold for spectral wavelength scale. The Discussion section highlights how some of these findings and their implications could improve future field campaigns and general use/maintenance of these high-precision scientific instruments.

Suggested Citation

Roberts-Pierel, B.M., Crawford, C., Brown, S.W., Kokaly, R.F., Gleason, K.E., Nolin, A.W., Bair, E.H., Wilder, B.A., Surunis, A.J., Skiles, S.K., Meyer, J., Fitts, A.E., Johnston, J.M., Hunsaker, A.G., Steufer, M., Løke, T., 2025, A laboratory-based spectrometer intercomparison for the measurement of snow spectra: Cold Regions Science and Technology, v. 245, 104800, 16 p., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104800.

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Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	A laboratory-based spectrometer intercomparison for the measurement of snow spectra
Series title	Cold Regions Science and Technology
DOI	10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104800
Volume	245
Year Published	2025
Language	English
Publisher	Elsevier
Contributing office(s)	Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Description	104800, 16 p.
Country	United States
State	Alaska
City	Fairbanks