Empirical Model for Snow/Ground Reflectivity Prediction

The thesis describes the development of an empirical model for predicting snow/ground reflectivity. The new model is derived based on point measurements of global horizontal and reflected solar radiation taken for a fifteen-month period (December 2016 - April 2018), at Carleton University, Ottawa. An algorithm is developed for three periods: ground free of snow, non-melting or snow accumulation, and snow melting. The main predictors of reflectivity were found to be the following: zenith angle, cloud cover, snow age, and the difference between the ambient temperature and a threshold temperature which signals the beginning of daily snow melting.