SnowEx17 Cloud Absorption Radiometer BRDF V001

This data set contains measurements of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) for two locations in Colorado, USA: Grand Mesa, a snow-covered, forested study site about 40 miles east of Grand Junction; and Senator Beck Basin approximately 80 miles to the SSE of Grand Mesa. Measurements were acquired using the NASA Cloud Absorption Radiometer (CAR), an airborne multi-angular, multi-wavelength scanning radiometer. The CAR instrument measures scattered light in 14 spectral bands between 0.34 μm and 2.30 μm, which lie in the UV, visible, and near-infrared atmospheric windows. Data were obtained for a variety of conditions including snow grain size (or age), snow liquid water content, solar zenith angle, cloud cover, and snowpack thickness. The data set can be used to assess the accuracy of satellite reflectance and albedo products in snow-covered, forested landscapes.