Abstract
PRISMA is a hyperspectral satellite mission launched by the Italian
Space Agency (ASI) in April 2019. The mission is designed to collect
data at global scale for a variety of applications, including those
related to the cryosphere. This study presents an evaluation of PRISMA
Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2D) products for different snow conditions.
To the aim, PRISMA data were collected at three sites: two in the
Western European Alps (Torgnon and Plateau Rosa) and one in East
Antarctica (Nansen Ice Shelf). PRISMA data were acquired contemporary to
both field measurements and Sentinel-2 data. Simulated Top of the
Atmosphere (TOA) radiance data were then compared to L1 PRISMA and
Sentinel-2 TOA radiance. Bottom Of Atmosphere (BOA) reflectance from
PRISMA L2D and Sentinel-2 L2A data were then evaluated by direct
comparison with field data.
Both TOA radiance and BOA reflectance PRISMA products were generally in
good agreement with field data, showing a Mean Absolute Difference (MAD)
lower than 5%. L1 PRISMA TOA radiance products resulted in higher MAD
for the site of Torgnon, which features the highest topographic
complexity within the investigated areas. In Plateau Rosa we obtained
the best comparison between PRISMA L2D reflectance data and in situ
measurements, with MAD values lower than 5 % for the 400-900nm range.
The Nansen Ice Shelf instead resulted in MAD values <10%
between PRISMA L2D and field data, while Sentinel-2 BOA reflectance
showed higher values than other data sources.