Comparison of seasonal and interannual variability of snow cover in Russian watersheds according to observations and reanalyses

Seasonal and interannual variability of the water equivalent of snow over the period 1966–1996 is analyzed with the use of the ERA/ECMWF reanalysis data, two versions of the NCEP reanalysis, and ground-based instrumental observations. Regions have been determined where snow characteristics from various sources are most consistent. In general, the snow water equivalent data from the ERA reanalysis are closer to the snow survey data than the NCEP reanalysis data. The best consistency of the water equivalent of snow in the reanalyses with measured data is observed in the period when the snow cover begins to form, in November and December, and the largest discrepancies are found for the snowmelt period, April and May. The interannual variability of the water equivalent in Asian Russia in the 1990s is better reproduced by the NCEP/DOE-II reanalysis. The snow cover data from satellite observations are compared with ground-based instrumental observations. It is shown that large discrepancies between the snow surveys and satellite observations may be observed at the snow-cover boundary during periods of snow formation and snowmelt.