用EOS/MODIS资料反演积雪深度参量

利用EOS/MODIS可见光、近红外及短红外多通道资料以及新疆地区积雪深度气象台站实测资料等,在考虑积雪性质包括积雪粒子相态、积雪年龄等的差异以及积雪区的下垫面条件包括地表粗糙度、土地覆盖类型等的不同的情况下进行积雪分类,在此基础上,建立EOS/MODIS积雪深度反演模型,实现深度在30 cm以内的积雪深度反演的主要原理、思路及方法,并对模型的反演结果进行了验证。结果表明,利用该模型对30 cm以内的积雪进行深度反演计算,其精度能达到80%以上。     

Plowing paradise: snow clearing and urban solar radiation absorption

Abstract

Urban heat islands result from human modification of land surfaces. Snow cover reduces heating due to its reflectivity; however, urban snow is quickly plowed, thus altering surface radiative properties. The goal of this study was to evaluate the extent to which municipal snow removal affects the magnitude of solar input associated with changes in the radiation balance. Incoming and reflected shortwave radiation, surface radiating temperature, air temperature, and snow depth were measured with portable devices at eight sites in Syracuse, New York. Sites were classified as cleared, undisturbed, or snow piles. Measurements were taken following fresh snowfall, and continuing until snow had melted. A HOBO weather station provided hourly baseline conditions. Longevity of snow varied across snow site types, with greater persistence when in piles and on open areas. Albedo was reduced and surface temperatures were higher over cleared areas. The difference between absorbed energy due to clearing was quantified using an albedo regression model for undisturbed sites and comparing these to average reflectivity of cleared surfaces. The magnitude difference over the study period ranged from 841 million to 1670 million MJ. Snow plowing is therefore a significant source of additional energy that enhances the winter urban heat island.     

Change in Extent of Meadows and Shrub Fields in the Central Western Cascade Range,Oregon∗

We examined change in areal extent of mountain meadows and fields of deciduous shrubs and conifer saplings in the central western Cascade Range of Oregon, based on analysis of aerial photographs taken in 1946 and 2000. These nonforest vegetation patches are distinctive habitats in dominantly forested landscapes, such as the Cascades, and change in extent of these habitats is of interest to scientists and land managers. We mapped and dated even-aged forest stands of probable postfire origin around the nonforest patches, using tree-ring analysis and interpretation of aerial photographs. We used these and archival data to interpret possible influences of past wildfire and sheep grazing on the extent of nonforest patches. The total area of nonforest vegetation patches decreased from 5.5 percent of the study area in 1946 to 2.5 percent in 2000. Significantly more cases of contracted patches were observed for mesic and xeric meadows which have adjacent forest established after wildfire in the approximately 150 years preceding 1946. A higher proportion of mesic (47 percent, n = 47) than xeric (17 percent, n= 115) meadows contracted between 1946 and 2000. Broad-leaved shrub fields were unchanged, probably because of topo-edaphic controls, dense cover of shrubs, and snow effects; but all fields of conifer saplings underwent succession to forest. We observed no strong influences of sheep grazing on the extent of meadows.     

GIS-simulation of the spatial distribution of snow cover and observed ground temperatures in the Daisetsu Mountains,Japan

This paper describes one geometrical method of simulating the spatial distribution of snow cover. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and precise Digital Elevation Model (DEM) were used in the simulation. The model is based on empirical parameters called coefficients depending on slope aspect and inclination. As a result, this model predicts that windward convex terrains remain snow-free during winter. This snow cover distribution was validated by usage of an air photograph taken in early spring, and the distribution of vegetation patches which represent the outer fringes of snow covered areas. Low ground temperatures together with high DC resistivities, which suggest the presence of permafrost, were identified in simulated snow-free areas.     

Numerical simulations of the influence of the seasonal snow cover on the occurrence of permafrost at high latitudes

It has repeatedly been reported that snow cover is a dominating factor in determining the presence or absence of permafrost in the discontinuous and sporadic permafrost regions. The temperature at the snow-soil interface by the end of winter, known as the bottom temperature of winter snow (BTS) method, has been used to detect the existence of permafrost in European alpine regions when the maximum snow depth is about 1.0 m or greater. A critical snow thickness of about 50 cm or greater can prevent the development of permafrost in eastern Hudson Bay, Canada. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of snow cover on the presence or absence of permafrost in cold regions through numerical simulations. A one-dimensional heat transfer model with phase change and a snow cover regime is used to simulate energy exchange between deep soils and the atmosphere. The model has been validated against the in situ data in the Arctic. The simulation results indicate that both snow depth and the onset date of snow cover establishment are important parameters in relation to the presence or absence of permafrost. Early establishment of snow cover can make permafrost disappear, even with a relatively thin snow cover. Permafrost may survive when snow cover starts after the middle of December even with a snow thickness >1.0 m. This effect of snow cover on the ground thermal regime can be explained with reference to the pattern of seasonal temperature variation. Early establishment of snow cover enhances the insulating impact over the entire cold season, thus warming and eventually thawing the permafrost. The insulating effect is substantially reduced when snow cover starts relatively late and snowmelt in the spring creates a huge heat sink, resulting in a favorable combination for permafrost existence.     

Thermal Regime of Rock and its Relation to Snow Cover in Steep Alpine Rock Walls: Gemsstock,Central Swiss Alps

Snow cover influences the thermal regime and stability of frozen rock walls. In this study, we investigate and model the impact of the spatially variable snow cover on the thermal regime of steep permafrost rock walls. This is necessary for a more detailed understanding of the thermal and mechanical processes causing changes in rock temperature and in the ice and water contents of frozen rock, which possibly lead to rock wall instability. To assess the temporal and spatial evolution and influence of the snow, detailed measurements have been carried out at two selected points in steep north‐ and south‐facing rock walls since 2012. In parallel, the one‐dimensional energy balance model SNOWPACK is used to simulate the effects of snow cover on the thermal regime of the rock walls. For this, a multi‐method approach with high temporal resolution is applied, combining meteorological, borehole rock temperature and terrain parameter measurements. To validate the results obtained for the ground thermal regime and the seasonally varying snowpack, the model output is compared with near‐surface rock temperature measurements and remote snow cover observations. No decrease of snow depth at slope angles up to 70° was observed in rough terrain due to micro‐topographic structures. Strong contrasts in rock temperatures between north‐ and south‐facing slopes are due to differences in solar radiation, slope angle and the timing and depth of the snow cover. SNOWPACK proved to be useful for modelling snow cover–rock interactions in smooth, homogenous rock slopes.     

The origin of shallow landslides in Moravia (Czech Republic) in the spring of 2006

At the end of March 2006, the Czech Republic (CZ) witnessed a fast thawing of an unusually thick snow cover in conjunction with massive rainfall. Most watercourses suffered floods, and more than 90 shallow landslides occurred in the Moravian region of Eastern CZ, primarily in non-forested areas. This region, geologically part of the Outer Western Carpathians, is prone to landslides because the bedrock is highly erodible Mesozoic and Tertiary flysch.The available meteorological data (depth of snow, water equivalent of the snow, cumulative rainfall, air and soil temperatures) from five local weather stations were used to construct indices quantitatively describing the snow thaw. Among these, the Total Cumulative Precipitation (TCP) combines the amount of water from both thawing snow and rainfall. This concurrence of rain and runoff from snow melt was the decisive factor in triggering the landslides in the spring.The TCP index was applied to data of snow thaw periods for the last 20 years, when no landslides were recorded. This was to establish the safe threshold of TCP without landslides. The calculated safe threshold value for the region is ca. 100 mm of water delivered to the soil during the spring thaw (corresponding to ca. 11 mm day^− 1). In 2006, 10% of the landslides occurred under or at 100 mm of TCP. The upper value of 155 mm covered all of the landslides.     

Microclimate, freezing tolerance, and cold acclimation along an elevation gradient for seedlings of the Great Basin Desert shrub, Artemisia tridentata

Vegetation, microclimate, seedling frequency, freezing tolerance, and cold acclimation were compared for seedlings of Artemisia tridentata collected from 1775, 2175, and 2575 m elevation in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California. Data were used to test the hypothesis that ecotypic differences in stress physiology are important for seedling survival along gradients from desert to montane ecosystems. The vegetation canopy cover and A. tridentata seedling frequency were greatest at 2575 m, compared to 1775 and 2175 m. Snow cover ameliorated temperatures near the soil surface for part of the winter and depth varied across elevations. Freezing tolerance was compared for seedlings maintained in growth chambers at day/night air temperatures of 25°C/15°C. The temperature at which electrolyte leakage and Photosystem II function (F_V/F_M) from leaves were half-maximum was approximately −13·5°C for leaves of seedlings from all three elevations. Shifting day/night air temperatures from 25°C/15°C to 15°C/5°C initiated about 1·5° of acclimation by plants from all three altitudes, with seedlings from the highest elevation exhibiting the greatest acclimation change. Measurements of ambient air and canopy temperatures at the three elevations indicated that wintertime average low temperatures were consistent with the measured degree of freezing tolerance. At small spatial scales used in this study, pollen and seed dispersal between study sites may have precluded resolution of ecotypic differences. Patterns of freezing tolerance and cold acclimation may depend on a combination of mesoclimate and microclimate temperatures, canopy cover, snow depth, and snow melt patterns.     

祁连山区季节性积雪资源的气候分析*

本文采用1986年10月至1988年9月NOAA—9、10两颗卫星的AVHRR资料标准化后反演的积雪参量,对照祈连山区26个气象站1951—1988年逐日雪深、雪密度和积雪日数的资科,修正卫星反演的平均值。得到高分辨率多年平均雪深和雪盖频率的空间分布。从而估算出各流域平均雪储量,并与降雪量和春季融雪径流作对此分析。     

Spatialization of the SNOWPACK snow model for the Canadian Arctic to assess Peary caribou winter grazing conditions

Abstract

Peary caribou is the northernmost designatable unit for caribou species, and its population has declined by about 70% over the last three generations. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada identified difficult grazing conditions through the snow cover as being the most significant factor contributing to this decline. This study focuses on a spatially explicit assessment tool using snow model simulations (Swiss SNOWPACK model driven in an off-line mode by spatialized meteorological forcing data generated by the Canadian Regional Climate Model) to characterize snow conditions for Peary caribou grazing in the Canadian Arctic. The life cycle of Peary caribou has been subdivided into three critical periods: summer foraging and fall breeding (July–October), winter foraging (November–March), and spring calving (April–June). Winter snow conditions are analyzed and snow simulations compared to Peary caribou island counts to identify a snow parameter that could potentially act as a proxy for grazing conditions and explain fluctuations in Peary caribou numbers. This analysis concludes that caribou counts are affected by simulated snow density values >300 kg m^?3. A software tool mapping possibly favorable and unfavorable grazing conditions based on snow is proposed at a regional scale across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Specific output examples are given to show the utility of the tool, mapping pixels with cumulative snow thickness above densities of 300 kg m^?3, where cumulative seasonal thicknesses >7000 cm are considered unfavorable.     

Subfossil Cladocera from surface sediment in thermokarst lakes in northeastern Siberia,Russia, in relation to limnological and climatic variables

Subfossil Cladocera were sampled and examined from the surface sediments of 35 thermokarst lakes along a temperature gradient crossing the tree line in the Anabar-river basin in northwestern Yakutia, northeastern Siberia. The lakes were distributed through three environmental zones: typical tundra, southern tundra and forest tundra. All lakes were situated within the continuous permafrost zone. Our investigation showed that the cladoceran communities in the lakes of the Anabar region are diverse and abundant, as reflected by taxonomic richness, and high diversity and evenness indices (H = 1.89 ± 0.51; I = 0.8 ± 0.18). CONISS cluster analysis indicated that the cladoceran communities in the three ecological zones (typical tundra, southern tundra and forest-tundra) differed in their taxonomic composition and structure. Differences in the cladoceran assemblages were related to limnological features and geographical position, vegetation type, climate and water chemistry. The constrained redundancy analysis indicated that T_July, water depth and both sulphate (SO₄ ^2?) and silica (Si⁴⁺) concentrations significantly (p ≤ 0.05) explained variance in the cladoceran assemblage. T_July featured the highest percentage (17.4 %) of explained variance in the distribution of subfossil Cladocera. One of the most significant changes in the structure of the cladoceran communities in the investigated transect was the replacement of closely related species along the latitudinal and vegetation gradient. The results demonstrate the potential for a regional cladoceran-based temperature model for the Arctic regions of Russia, and for and Yakutia in particular.     

Spatiotemporal index for analyzing controls on snow climatology: application in the Colorado Front Range

Mountain snowpacks are important water supplies that are susceptible to climate change, yet snow measurements are sparse relative to snowpack heterogeneity. We used remote sensing to derive a spatiotemporal index of snow climatology that reveals patterns in snow accumulation, persistence, and ablation. Then we examined how this index relates to climate, terrain, and vegetation. Analyses were based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer eight-day snow cover from 2000 to 2010 for a mountain watershed in the Colorado Front Range, USA. The Snow Cover Index (SCI) was calculated as the fraction of years that were snow covered for each pixel. The proportion of SCI variability explained by independent variables was evaluated using regression analysis. Independent variables included elevation, northing, easting, slope, aspect, northness, solar radiation, precipitation, temperature, and vegetation cover. Elevation was the dominant control on SCI patterns, due to its influence on both temperature and precipitation. Grouping SCI values by elevation, we identified three distinct snow zones in the basin: persistent, transitional, and intermittent. The transitional snow zone represents an area that is sensitive to losing winter snowpack. The SCI can be applied to other basins or regions to identify dominant controls on snow cover patterns and areas sensitive to snow loss.     

A GIS-based modeling of snow accumulation and melt processes in the Votkinsk reservoir basin

Coupled hydrological and atmospheric modeling is an efficient method for snowmelt runoff forecast in large basins. We use short-range precipitation forecasts of mesoscale atmospheric Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model combining them with ground-based and satellite observations for modeling snow accumulation and snowmelt processes in the Votkinsk reservoir basin (184,319 km²). The method is tested during three winter seasons (2012–2015). The MODIS-based vegetation map and leaf area index data are used to calculate the snowmelt intensity and snow evaporation in the studied basin. The GIS-based snow accumulation and snowmelt modeling provides a reliable and highly detailed spatial distribution for snow water equivalent (SWE) and snow-covered areas (SCA). The modelling results are validated by comparing actual and estimated SWE and SCA data. The actual SCA results are derived from MODIS satellite data. The algorithm for assessing the SCA by MODIS data (ATBD-MOD 10) has been adapted to a forest zone. In general, the proposed method provides satisfactory results for maximum SWE calculations. The calculation accuracy is slightly degraded during snowmelt periods. The SCA data is simulated with a higher reliability than the SWE data. The differences between the simulated and actual SWE may be explained by the overestimation of the WRF-simulated total precipitation and the unrepresentativeness of the SWE measurements (snow survey).     

Effects of neighboring vascular plants on the abundance of bryophytes in different vegetation types

Due to the climate change, vegetation of tundra ecosystems is predicted to shift toward shrub and tree dominance, and this change may influence bryophytes. To estimate how changes in growing environment and the dominance of vascular plants influence bryophyte abundance, we compared the relationship of occurrence of bryophytes among other plant types in a five-year experiment of warming (T), fertilization (F) and T + F in two vegetation types, heath and meadow, in a subarctic–alpine ecosystem. We compared individual leaf area among shrub species to confirm that deciduous shrubs might cause severe shading effect. Effects of neighboring functional types on the performance of Hylocomium splendens was also analyzed.Results show that F and T + F treatments significantly influenced bryophyte abundance negatively. Under natural conditions, bryophytes in the heath site were negatively related to the abundance of shrubs and lichens and the relationship between lichens and bryophytes strengthened after the experimental period. After five years of experimental treatments in the meadow, a positive abundance relationship emerged between bryophytes and deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs and forbs. This relationship was not found in the heath site. Our study therefore shows that the abundance relationships between bryophytes and plants in two vegetation types within the same area can be different. Deciduous shrubs had larger leaf area than evergreen shrubs but did not show any shading effect on H. splendens.     

基于HJ-1数据的木孜塔格峰地区雪深时空变化

以木孜塔格峰地区为研究区,从不同坡度、坡向的样方内测量雪深和采集光谱,通过分析归一化差分雪盖指数（Normalized Difference Snow Index,NDSI）、反照率、HJ-1卫星的红外波段反射率与雪深的相关关系,建立了适用于HJ-1星的积雪深度反演模型,估算出2012年4月14日-25日木孜塔格峰地区的雪深时空变化,并结合实测数据进行验证。结果表明:反照率反演模型的复相关系数为0.992;通过NDSI阈值区分混合雪盖像元和积雪像元,雪深估测精度可达92.78%。冰川区的反照率、NDSI与海拔的相关系数分别为0.626和0.733,且高海拔带反照率值明显高于低海拔带的反照率值。受西风带降雪的影响,非冰川区的北坡雪深值较大;西坡、南坡次之;东坡最小,且雪深最大值出现在坡度约等于10°处。雪深估测的相对误差随着样地的坡度增大而增加,坡度为15°时相对误差较大。     

A review of snow manipulation experiments in Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems

Snow cover is one of the most important factors controlling microclimate and plant growing conditions for Arctic and alpine ecosystems. Climate change is altering snowfall regimes, which in turn influences snow cover and ultimately tundra plant communities. The interest in winter climate change and the number of experiments exploring the responses of alpine and Arctic ecosystems to changes in snow cover have been growing in recent years, but their outcomes are difficult to summarize because of the large variability in manipulation approaches, extents and measured response variables. In this review, we (1) compile the ecological publications on snow manipulation experiments, (2) classify the studies according to the climate scenarios they simulate and response variables they measure, (3) discuss the methods applied to manipulate snow cover, and (4) analyse and generalize the response in phenology, productivity and community composition by means of a meta-analysis. This meta-analysis shows that flowering phenology responded strongly to changes in the timing of snowmelt. The least responsive group of species were graminoids; however, they did show a decrease in productivity and abundance with experimentally increased snow covers. The species group with the greatest phenological response to snowmelt changes were the dwarf shrubs. Their abundance also increased in most long-term snow fence experiments, whereas species richness generally declined. We conclude that snow manipulation experiments can improve our understanding of recently observed ecosystem changes, and are an important component of climate change research.     

Uncertainties in the SNOWPACK multilayer snow model for a Canadian avalanche context: sensitivity to climatic forcing data

Abstract

As interest in outdoor activities in remote areas is increasing, there is a strong need for improved avalanche forecasting at the regional scale. Due to important logistical and safety matters, avalanche terrain measurements (avalanche observations, snowpack profiles, and stability tests) are not always possible for practitioners/forecasters. An interesting alternative would be to analyze the snowpack without these challenges by using snow model outputs. The SNOWPACK model is currently used operationally for avalanche forecasting and research in the Swiss Alps. Thus, this paper presents a summary of analyses that have been conducted to assess the potential of using the SNOWPACK model driven with both in-situ and forecasted meteorological data in three different Canadian climate and geomorphological contexts. A comparison of meteorological data from in-situ and predicted datasets for two winters shows that the GEMLAM weather model is the most accurate for the three climatic contexts of this project, but also showed a bias proportional to precipitation intensity/rate. Snow simulations forced with GEMLAM are the closest to field measurements. Finally, predictions of persistent weak layers have been validated using the InfoEx platform from Avalanche Canada. Crust and surface hoar formation dates agree with the information reported in InfoEx.     

基于反射率和亮度温度的锡林郭勒积雪深度估算

积雪是我国西北干旱半干旱区重要的水资源，也是影响全球气候变化的重要因子之一。 目前光学影像反射率和雷达亮温数据是积雪遥感领域的主要数据，本文首次结合两类遥感数据估 算积雪深度，并比较偏最小二乘法和机器学习算法（人工神经网络、支持向量机和随机森林算法） 在积雪深度估算方面的表现。以锡林郭勒盟 2012—2015 年积雪深度数据为例，基于反射率和亮度 温度相结合的积雪深度估算精度优于单个数据源，且随机森林算法表现最好，均方根误差为 2.93 cm，满足实际应用的需求。研究结果对我国西北地区水资源分布、生态环境评估等研究具有重要 意义。     

MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN REGROWN SALIX ARBUSCULOIDES FOLLOWING CLEAR CUTTING IN THE CANADIAN SUBARCTIC

In a Picea mariana forest near Fort Norman, NWT, Canada, a corridor was cleared in the spring of 1985 to simulate a seismic line or pipeline disturbance. Salix arbusculoides, the dominant erect shrub, was monitored for three growing seasons after canopy harvesting. Leaf area was not consistent between the three years in either the cleared right-of-way or the undisturbed forest control area. Relative to control shrubs, leaves were significantly larger in right-of-way shrubs in 1985, virtually identical in size in 1986, and smaller in the right-of-way shrubs in 1987. In 1986, stem production was so great for right-of-way shrubs that the mean leaf/stem biomass ratio for this sample was smaller than both the other two years for right-of-way samples and the control sample for that year. Right-of-way shrubs were consistently shorter in height than control shrubs; by the third growing season, however, this difference was negligible. Right-of-way shrub canopy volume was significantly less than control shrubs only in the first growing season of recovery (right-of-way shrub volume averaged 85% of control shrub volume). By the second growing season after harvesting, right-of-way shrubs had attained canopy volumes that were no longer significantly less than control shrubs. Although the average canopy volume of right-of-way shrubs approached that of control shrubs as time passed, the right-of-way shrubs maintained a lower, broader morphology, as reflected in the height to mean canopy diameter ratio which was typically lower for right-of-way shrubs. [Key words: plant morphology, vegetation disturbance, subarctic, Canada.]     

Evaluation of the SNOWPACK model’s metamorphism and microstructure in Canada: a case study

The snow thermodynamic multi-layer model SNOWPACK was developed to address the risk of avalanches by simulating the vertical properties of snow. Risk and stability assessments are based on the simulation of the vertical variability of snow microstructure, as well as on snow cohesion parameters. Previous research has shown systematic error in grain size simulations (equivalent optical grain size) over several areas in northern Canada. To quantify the simulated errors in snow grain size and uncertainties in stability, the snow specific surface area (SSA) was measured with a laser-based instrument. Optical grain size was retrieved to validate the optical equivalent grain radius from SNOWPACK. The two study plots are located in Glacier National Park, BC, and Jasper National Park, AB, Canada. Profiles for density and stratigraphic analysis were obtained as well as grain size profiles, combined with snow micropenetrometer (SMP) measurements. Density analysis showed good agreement with the simulated values (R² = 0.76). Optical grain size analysis showed systematic overestimation of the modeled values, in agreement with the current literature. The error in SSA evolution for a rounding environment was mostly constant, whereas error for conditions driven by a temperature gradient was linked to the size of the facetted grains.