A new MODIS daily cloud free snow cover mapping algorithm on the Tibetan Plateau

Because of similar reflective characteristics of snow and cloud, the weather status seriously affects snow monitoring using optical remote sensing data. Cloud amount analysis during 2010 to 2011 snow seasons shows that cloud cover is the major limitation for snow cover monitoring using MOD10A1 and MYD10A1. By use of MODIS daily snow cover products and AMSR-E snow water equivalent products (SWE), several cloud elimination methods were integrated to produce a new daily cloud free snow cover product, and information of snow depth from 85 climate stations in Tibetan Plateau area (TP) were used to validate the accuracy of the new composite snow cover product. The results indicate that snow classification accuracy of the new daily snow cover product reaches 91.7% when snow depth is over 3 cm. This suggests that the new daily snow cover mapping algorithm is suitable for monitoring snow cover dynamic changes in TP.     

基于GF-1的青藏高原东南部积雪分布及MODIS积雪产品适用性研究

青藏高原东南部海拔高,地形复杂,云量大,准确掌握该地区的积雪分布特征对于积雪灾害防治非常重要。论文以2013—2019年冬季积雪积累期云量符合要求的35景高分一号(GF-1)影像为基础,将全色影像和多光谱影像融合为2 m分辨率影像,通过目视解译获取了研究区积雪的空间分布特征,结合改进后的30 m分辨率SRTM DEM,探讨了地形对积雪分布的影响。结果表明：积雪像元在研究区范围内占比为33.1%。积雪的垂直分布特征明显：积雪在高程带4000~5000 m(高海拔)处分布较集中,积雪面积占比为18.1%;在高程带0~2000 m、2000~3000 m和6000~7000 m处积雪面积占比均不到0.1%。积雪在北坡、东北坡的分布比例较高,均为15%以上;在南坡、西坡、西南坡、东南坡分布比例较低,均为10%左右。将基于GF-1影像获取的积雪分布分别与同日获取的根据MODIS V6积雪产品计算的积雪比例(MODIS FSC)和积雪分布的对比表明,64.4%的MODIS FSC像元绝对误差不超过10%,MODIS积雪分布产品对含雪像元的漏分率和误分率平均为33.8%和32.7%,说明MODIS积雪产品在研究区的精度还具有较高的不确定性,其对低覆盖积雪反演的精度较差。这表明利用MODIS积雪产品研究青藏高原东南部积雪的时空变化特征时还需要对其积雪反演算法进行改进,同时亟需加强地面观测和基于多源遥感数据的积雪研究。研究结果可为青藏高原东南部雪冰灾害防治提供支撑。     

Impacts of snow cover and frozen soil in the Tibetan Plateau on summer precipitation in China

This paper presents an analysis of the mechanisms and impacts of snow cover and frozen soil in the Tibetan Plateau on the summer precipitation in China, using RegCM3 version 3.1 model simulations. Comparisons of simulations vs. observations show that RegCM3 well captures these impacts. Results indicate that in a more-snow year with deep frozen soil there will be more precipitation in the Yangtze River Basin and central Northwest China, western Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang, but less precipitation in Northeast China, North China, South China, and most of Southwest China. In a less-snow year with deep frozen soil, however, there will be more precipitation in Northeast China, North China, and southern South China, but less precipitation in the Yangtze River Basin and in northern South China. Such differences may be attributed to different combination patterns of melting snow and thawing frozen soil on the Plateau, which may change soil moisture as well as cause differences in energy absorption in the phase change processes of snow cover and frozen soil. These factors may produce more surface sensible heat in more-snow years when the frozen soil is deep than when the frozen soil is shallow. The higher surface sensible heat may lead to a stronger updraft over the Plateau, eventually contributing to a stronger South Asia High and West Pacific Subtropical High. Due to different values of the wind fields at 850 hPa, a convergence zone will form over the Yangtze River Basin, which may produce more summer precipitation in the basin area but less precipitation in North China and South China. However, because soil moisture depends on ice content, in less-snow years with deep frozen soil, the soil moisture will be higher. The combination of higher frozen soil moisture with latent heat absorption in the phase change process may generate less surface sensible heat and consequently a weaker updraft motion over the Plateau. As a result, both the South Asia High and the West Pacific Subtropical High will be weaker, hence causing more summer precipitation in northern China but less in southern China.     

Characteristics of abrupt changes of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer in the Tibetan Plateau and their impacts on summer precipitation in China

In this paper, a variation series of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer from 1965 to 2004 on the Tibetan Plateau has been established by using the observation data from meteorological stations. The sliding T-test, M-K test and B-G algorithm are used to verify abrupt changes of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer in the Tibetan plateau. The results show that the snow cover has not undergone an abrupt change, but the seasonal freeze-thaw layer obviously witnessed a rapid degradation in 1987, with the frozen soil depth being reduced by about 15 cm. It is also found that when there is less snow in the plateau region, precipitation in South China and Southwest China increases. But when the frozen soil is deep, precipitation in most of China apparently decreases. Both snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer on the plateau can be used to predict the summer precipitation in China. However, if the impacts of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer are used at the same time, the predictability of summer precipitation can be significantly improved. The significant correlation zone of snow is located in middle reaches of the Yangtze River covering the Hexi Corridor and northeastern Inner Mongolia, and the seasonal freeze-thaw layer exists in Mt. Nanling, northern Shannxi and northwestern part of North China. The significant correlation zone of simultaneous impacts of snow cover and seasonal freeze-thaw layer is larger than that of either snow cover or seasonal freeze-thaw layer. There are three significant correlation zones extending from north to south: the north zone spreads from Mt. Daxinganling to the Hexi Corridor, crossing northern Mt. Taihang and northern Shannxi; the central zone covers middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River; and the south zone extends from Mt. Wuyi to Yunnan and Guizhou Plateau through Mt. Nanling.     

Distribution of winter-spring snow over the Tibetan Plateau and its relationship with summer precipitation in Yangtze River

The distribution of winter-spring snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau(TP) and its relationship with summer precipitation in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River Valley(MLYRV) during 2003–2013 have been investigated with the moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer(MODIS) Terra data(MOD10A2) and precipitation observations. Results show that snow cover percentage(SCP) remains approximately 20% in winter and spring then tails off to below 5% with warmer temperature and snow melt in summer. The lower and highest percentages present a declining tendency while the middle SCP exhibits an opposite variation. The maximum value appears from the middle of October to March and the minimum emerges from July to August. The annual and winter-spring SCPs present a decreasing tendency. Snow cover is mainly situated in the periphery of the plateau and mountainous regions, and less snow in the interior of the plateau, basin and valley areas in view of snow cover frequency(SCF) over the TP. Whatever annual or winter-spring snow cover, they all have remarkable declining tendency during 2003–2013, and annual snow cover presents a decreasing trend in the interior of the TP and increasing trend in the periphery of the TP. The multi-year averaged eight-day SCP is negatively related to mean precipitation in the MLYRV. Spring SCP is negatively related to summer precipitation while winter SCP is positively related to summer precipitation in most parts of the MLYRV. Hence, the influence of winter snow cover on precipitation is much more significant than that in spring on the basis of correlation analysis. The oscillation of SCF from southeast to northwest over the TP corresponds well to the beginning, development and cessation of the rain belt in eastern China.     

MODIS observed snow cover variations in the Aksu River Basin,Northwest China

A major proportion of discharge in the Aksu River is contributed from snow-and glacier-melt water.It is therefore essential to understand the cryospheric dynamics in this area for water resource management.The MODIS MOD10A2 remotesensing database from March 2000 to December 2012 was selected to analyze snow cover changes.Snow cover varied significantly on a temporal and spatial scale for the basin.The difference of the maximum and minimum Snow Cover Fraction(SCF)in winter exceeded 70%.On average for annual cycle,the characteristic of SCF is that it reached the highest value of 53.2%in January and lowest value of 14.7%in July and the distributions of SCF along with elevation is an obvious difference between the range of 3,000 m below and 3,000 m above.The fluctuation of annual average snow cover is strong which shows that the spring snow cover was on the trend of increasing because of decreasing temperatures for the period of 2000-2012.However,temperature in April increased significantly which lead to more snowmelt and a decrease of snow cover.Thus,more attention is needed for flooding in this region due to strong melting of snow.     

Statistics of cloud heights over the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding region derived from CloudSat data

Cloud-radiation interaction has a large impact on the Earth's weather and climate change, and clouds with different heights cause different radiative forcing. Thus, the information on the statistics of cloud height and its variation in space and time is very important to global climate change studies. In this paper, cloud top height (CTH), cloud base height (CBH) and cloud thickness over regions of the Tibetan Plateau, south slope of the plateau and South Asian Monsoon are analyzed based on CloudSat data during the period from June 2006 to December 2007. The results show that frequency of CTH and CBH in unit area over the studied regions have certain temporal-spatial continuity. The CTH and CBH of different cloud types have different variation scopes, and their seasonal variations are distinct. Cloud thickness is large (small) in summer (winter), and the percentages of different cloud types also have certain regularity.     

基于MODIS积雪产品的高亚洲融雪末期雪线高度遥感监测

以2001—2016年逐日MODIS积雪产品为主要数据源,在高亚洲区域发展了大尺度融雪末期雪线高度的遥感提取方法,并对其2001—2016年的时空变化特征进行了分析。提取方法首先对逐日的MODIS积雪覆盖率产品进行去云处理,获得积雪覆盖日数（SCD）数据集;并用冰川年物质平衡观测数据、融雪末期Landsat数据对提取终年积雪的MODIS SCD阈值进行率定;最后以MODIS SCD提取的终年积雪面积结合地形“面积—高程”曲线实现大尺度融雪末期雪线高度信息的提取。结果表明：① 高亚洲融雪末期雪线高度的空间异质性较强,总体上呈南高北低的纬度地带性分布规律;并因受山体效应的影响,雪线高度由高海拔地区向四周呈环形逐渐降低的特点。② 高亚洲2001—2016年融雪末期雪线高度总体上表现为明显的增加趋势。在744个30 km的监测格网中,24.2%的格网雪线高度呈显著增加,而仅0.9%的格网呈显著下降。除兴都库什、西喜马拉雅外,其他地区雪线高度均表现为升高趋势,显著上升的地区主要分布在天山、喜马拉雅中东部和念青唐古拉山等,其中以东喜马拉雅升高最为显著（8.52 m yr ^-1）。③ 夏季气温是影响高亚洲融雪末期雪线高度变化的主要因素,两者具有显著的正相关关系（R = 0.64,P < 0.01）。     

基于MODIS数据中国天山积雪面积时空变化特征分析

基于2011-2015年MOD10A2积雪产品和气象数据,通过几何校正、去云预处理,应用归一化差分积雪指数算法等获取中国境内天山山区积雪覆盖面积数据,分析了积雪面积的时空变化特征及与气温降水的关系。结果表明：（1）年内积雪面积呈单峰变化,9月开始积累,次年1月达峰值,3月气温回暖消融加速,至7月最小。春秋季波动较大但没有明显的增减趋势,夏季积雪面积最小,冬季最大且呈减小趋势。（2）2001-2015年积雪覆盖面积整体上呈减少趋势,积雪覆盖率最大值的波动比最小值的波动更加剧烈。（3）积雪覆盖率随着海拔升高而增大,海拔<1 500 m区域积雪覆盖率低于10%,海拔>4 500 m以上区域平均可达70%,为常年稳定积雪区。积雪覆盖率在西北坡最高,南坡最低。（4）年均气温升高是积雪覆盖面积减小的主因,年积雪覆盖面积变化与年降水量变化保持一致的下降趋势。     

MODIS Derived Equilibrium Line Altitude Estimates for Purogangri Ice Cap,Tibetan Plateau,and their Relation to Climatic Predictors (2001–2012)

The variation of the equilibrium line altitude can be used as an indicator for glacier mass balance variability. Snow lines at the end of the ablation period are suitable proxies for the annual equilibrium line altitude on glaciers. We investigate snow lines at Purogangri ice cap on the central Plateau in order to study the interannual variability of glacier mass balance. Datasets of the daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer snow product MOD10A1 were used to infer transient snow line variability during 2001–2012 and to derive regional‐scale, annual equilibrium line altitude. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer snow albedo embedded within the snow product was compared with high‐resolution Landsat imagery. An albedo threshold was established to differentiate between ice and snow and the 13th percentile of the altitudes of snow‐covered pixels was chosen to represent the snow line altitude. The second maximum of the snow line altitudes in the ablation period was taken as a proxy for the annual equilibrium line altitude. A linear correlation analysis was carried out (1) between interannual variability of the equilibrium line altitude at Purogangri ice cap and various climate elements derived from the High Asia Reanalysis, and (2) between interannual variability of the equilibrium line altitude and the circulation indices North Atlantic Oscillation and Indian Summer Monsoon. Results suggest that air temperature and meridional wind speed above ground in July, as well as the lower tropospheric zonal wind in June and August play a crucial role in the development of the annual equilibrium line altitude.     

Interdecadal change of snow depth in winter over the Tibetan Plateau and its effect on summer precipitation in China

This paper obtained a set of consecutive and long-recorded observational snow depth data from 51 observation stations by choosing, removing and interpolating original observation data over the Tibetan Plateau for 1961–2006. We used monthly precipitation and temperature data from 160 stations in China for 1951–2006, which was collected by the National Climate Center. Through calculating and analyzing the correlation coefficient, significance test, polynomial trend fitting, composite analysis and abrupt change test, this paper studied the interdecadal change of winter snow over the Tibetan Plateau and its relationship to summer precipitation and temperature in China, and to tropospheric atmospheric temperature. This paper also studied general circulation and East Asian summer monsoon under the background of global warming.     

Comparison and analysis of snow cover data based on different definitions of snow cover days

In order to analyze the differences between the two snow cover data, the snow cover data of 884 meteorological stations in China from 1951 to 2005 are counted. The data include days of visual snow observation, snow depth, and snow cover durations, which vary according to different definitions of snow cover days. Two series of data, as defined by "snow depth" and by "weather observation," are investigated here. Our results show that there is no apparent difference between them in east China and the Xinjiang region, but in northeast China and the Tibetan Plateau the "weather observation" data vary by more than 10 days and the "snow depth" data vary by 0.4 cm. Especially in the Tibetan Plateau, there are at least 15 more days of "weather observation" snow in most areas (sometimes more than 30 days). There is an obvious difference in the snow cover data due to bimodal snowfall data in the Tibetan Plateau, which has peak snowfalls from September to October and from April to May. At those times the temperature is too high for snow cover formation and only a few days have trace snow cover. Also, the characteristics and changing trends of snow cover are analyzed here based on the snow cover data of nine weather stations in the northeast region of the Tibetan Plateau, by the Mann-Kendall test. The results show significantly fewer days of snow cover and shorter snow durations as defined by "snow depth" compared to that as defined by "weather observation." Mann-Kendall tests of both series of snow cover durations show an abrupt change in 1987.     

The relationship between NDVI and precipitation on the Tibetan Plateau

The temporal and spatial changes of NDVI on the Tibetan Plateau, as well as the relationship between NDVI and precipitation, were discussed in this paper, by using 8-km resolution multi-temporal NOAA AVHRR-NDVI data from 1982 to 1999. Monthly maximum NDVI and monthly rainfall were used to analyze the seasonal changes, and annual maximum NDVI, annual effective precipitation and growing season precipitation (from April to August) were used to discuss the interannual changes. The dynamic change of NDVI and the corre-lation coefficients between NDVI and rainfall were computed for each pixel. The results are as follows: (1) The NDVI reached the peak in growing season (from July to September) on the Tibetan Plateau. In the northern and western parts of the plateau, the growing season was very short (about two or three months); but in the southern, vegetation grew almost all the year round. The correlation of monthly maximum NDVI and monthly rainfall varied in different areas. It was weak in the western, northern and southern parts, but strong in the central and eastern parts. (2) The spatial distribution of NDVI interannual dynamic change was different too. The increase areas were mainly distributed in southern Tibet montane shrub-steppe zone, western part of western Sichuan-eastern Tibet montane coniferous forest zone, western part of northern slopes of Kunlun montane desert zone and southeastern part of southern slopes of Himalaya montane evergreen broad-leaved forest zone; the decrease areas were mainly distributed in the Qaidam montane desert zone, the western and northern parts of eastern Qinghai-Qilian montane steppe zone, southern Qinghai high cold meadow steppe zone and Ngari montane desert-steppe and desert zone. The spatial distribution of correlation coeffi-cient between annual effective rainfall and annual maximum NDVI was similar to the growing season rainfall and annual maximum NDVI, and there was good relationship between NDVI and rainfall in the meadow and grassland with medium vegetation cover, and the effect of rainfall on vegetation was small in the forest and desert area.     

青藏高原植被覆盖变化与降水关系

The temporal and spatial changes of NDVI on the Tibetan Plateau, as well as the relationship between NDVI and precipitation, were discussed in this paper, by using 8-km resolution multi-temporal NOAA AVHRR-NDVI data from 1982 to 1999. Monthly maximum NDVI and monthly rainfall were used to analyze the seasonal changes, and annual maximum NDVI, annual effective precipitation and growing season precipitation (from April to August) were used to discuss the interannual changes. The dynamic change of NDVI and the corre- lation coefficients between NDVI and rainfall were computed for each pixel. The results are as follows: (1) The NDVI reached the peak in growing season (from July to September) on the Tibetan Plateau. In the northern and western parts of the plateau, the growing season was very short (about two or three months); but in the southern, vegetation grew almost all the year round. The correlation of monthly maximum NDVI and monthly rainfall varied in different areas. It was weak in the western, northern and southern parts, but strong in the central and eastern parts. (2) The spatial distribution of NDVI interannual dynamic change was different too. The increase areas were mainly distributed in southern Tibet montane shrub-steppe zone, western part of western Sichuan-eastern Tibet montane coniferous forest zone, western part of northern slopes of Kunlun montane desert zone and southeastern part of southern slopes of Himalaya montane evergreen broad-leaved forest zone; the decrease areas were mainly distributed in the Qaidam montane desert zone, the western and northern parts of eastern Qinghai-Qilian montane steppe zone, southern Qinghai high cold meadow steppe zone and Ngari montane desert-steppe and desert zone. The spatial distribution of correlation coeffi- cient between annual effective rainfall and annual maximum NDVI was similar to the growing season rainfall and annual maximum NDVI, and there was good relationship between NDVI and rainfall in the meadow and grassland with medium vegetation cover, and the effect of rainfall on vegetation was small in the forest and desert area.     

Environmental records of snow pits in Yuzhufeng Glacier and Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier in the Tibetan Plateau

The contents and distribution characteristics of ions, n-alkanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in snow pits on the Yuzhufeng (YZF) Glacier and the Xiao Dongkemadi (XDKMD) Glacier are studied. Parameter characteristics and correlation coefficients between ions and two organic compounds are used to explore the possible sources of these chemical compositions. The results indicated that both glaciers are influenced by west wind circulation, but the contents of ions, n-alkanes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the YZF Glacier are higher than in the XDKMD Glacier because of differences in geographical position. The ratios of ΣnC₂₁^–/ΣnC₂₂⁺ and CPI values (CPI: carbon preference index) indicate that the n-alkanes from natural sources in these two glaciers are mainly derived from higher plants, whereas the contribution from lower organisms was small, also, n-alkanes from anthropogenic sources in the YZF Glacier are higher than in the XDKMD Glacier. The ratios of LPAHs/HPAHs and (Fly+Pyr)/(BghiP+INP) indicate that the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in these two glaciers are mainly derived from low temperature combustion of coal and biomass, and, in the XDKMD Glacier, partially from the vehicle exhaust.     

MODIS-based estimation of air temperature of the Tibetan Plateau

The immense and towering Tibetan Plateau acts as a heating source and, thus, deeply shapes the climate of the Eurasian continent and even the whole world. However, due to the scarcity of meteorological observation stations and very limited climatic data, little is quantitatively known about the heating effect and temperature pattern of the Tibetan Plateau. This paper collected time series of MODIS land surface temperature （LST） data, together with meteorological data of 137 stations and ASTER GDEM data for 2001-2007, to estimate and map the spatial distribution of monthly mean air temperatures in the Tibetan Plateau and its neighboring areas. Time series analysis and both ordinary linear regression （OLS） and geographical weighted regression （GWR） of monthly mean air temperature （Ta） with monthly mean land surface temperature （Ts） were conducted. Regression analysis shows that recorded Ta is rather closely related to Ts, and that the GWR estimation with MODIS Ts and altitude as independent variables, has a much better result with adjusted R 2 〉 0.91 and RMSE = 1.13-1.53℃ than OLS estimation. For more than 80% of the stations, the Ta thus retrieved from Ts has residuals lower than 2℃. Analysis of the spatio-temporal pattern of retrieved Ta data showed that the mean temperature in July （the warmest month） at altitudes of 4500 m can reach 10℃. This may help explain why the highest timberline in the Northern Hemisphere is on the Tibetan Plateau.     

Trend of snow cover fraction over East Asia in the 21st century under different scenarios

Using the snow cover fraction (SNC) output from eight WCRP CMIP3 climate models under SRES A2, A1B, and B1 scenarios, the future trend of SNC over East Asia is analyzed. Results show that SNC is likely to decrease in East Asia, with the fastest decrease in spring, then winter and autumn, and the slowest in summer. In spring and winter the SNC decreases faster in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau than in northern East Asia, while in autumn there is little difference between them. Among the various scenarios, SRES A2 has the largest decrease trend, then A1B, and B1 has the smallest trend. The decrease in SNC is mainly caused by the changes in surface air temperature and snowfall, which contribute differently to the SNC trends in different regions and seasons.     

Spatial-temporal variability of snow cover over the Amur River Basin inferred from MODIS daily snow products in recent decades

MODIS snow products MOD10A1\MYD10A1 provided us a unique chance to investigate snow cover as well as its spatial-temporal variability in response to global changes from regional and global perspectives. By means of MODIS snow products MOD10A1\MYD10A1 derived from an extensive area of the Amur River Basin, mainly located in the Northeast part of China, some part in far east area of the former USSR and a minor part in Republic of Mongolia, the reproduced snow datasets after removal of cloud effects covering the whole watershed of the Amur River Basin were generated by using 6 different cloud-effect-removing algorithms. The accuracy of the reproduced snow products was evaluated with the time series of snow depth data observed from 2002 to 2010 within the Chinese part of the basin, and the results suggested that the accuracies for the reproduced monthly mean snow depth datasets derived from 6 different cloud-effect-removing algorithms varied from 82% to 96%, the snow classification accuracies (the harmonic mean of Recall and Precision) was higher than 80%, close to the accuracy of the original snow product under clear sky conditions when snow cover was stably accumulated. By using the reproduced snow product dataset with the best validated cloud-effect-removing algorithm newly proposed, spatial-temporal variability of snow coverage fraction (SCF), the date when snow cover started to accumulate (SCS) as well as the date when being melted off (SCM) in the Amur River Basin from 2002 to 2016 were investigated. The results indicated that the SCF characterized the significant spatial heterogeneity tended to be higher towards East and North but lower toward West and South over the Amur River Basin. The inter-annual variations of SCF showed an insignificant increase in general with slight fluctuations in majority part of the basin. Both SCS and SCM tended to be slightly linear varied and the inter-annual differences were obvious. In addition, a clear decreasing trend in snow cover is observed in the region. Trend analysis (at 10% significance level) showed that 71% of areas between 2,000 and 2,380 m a.s.l. experienced a reduction in duration and coverage of annual snow cover. Moreover, a severe snow cover reduction during recent years with sharp fluctuations was investigated. Overall spatial-temporal variability of Both SCS and SCM tended to coincide with that of SCF over the basin in general.     

青藏高原中东部植被覆盖对水热条件的响应研究

植被覆盖的变化常是自然因子和人类活动的综合作用,分析植被对水热条件的响应关系有助于认识人类活动在地表植被变化中的作用程度。本文旨在结合1982~2000年地面气象观测资料和NOAA卫星的AVHRR 植被指数（8km）,对气象站点分布相对密集的青藏高原中东部的NDVI（归一化植被指数）空间变化同水热条件的响应关系进行分析。通过水热有关指标的趋势面模拟、植被类型比较和样带分析,表明：在青藏高原中东部地区,水热条件组合较好（如常绿针叶林）或较差（如荒漠半荒漠）的区域,多年平均的NDVI旬值同水热条件的相关性不强;而范围广阔的水热条件组合中等区域（如高山草甸/草原）同水热条件相关性很高;青藏高原周边区域植被对水热条件相对不敏感,而高原主体部分植被覆盖同水热的相关性则很高（0.75以上）;此外,海拔对热量条件影响很大,进而影响植被覆盖。     

Sub-regional snow cover distribution across the southern Appalachian Mountains

Abstract

Snowfall in the Southern Appalachian Mountain region of the eastern US is characterized by much spatiotemporal variability. Annual snowfall totals vary by up to 75 cm, and variations in snowfall intensity can lead to large differences in the local snowfall distribution. Research has shown that the synoptic pattern associated with the snowfall strongly influences the regional-scale distribution of snow cover. However, topographic variability results in locally complex snow cover patterns that are not well understood or documented. In this study, we characterize the snow covered area (SCA) and fractional snow cover associated with different synoptic patterns in 14 individual sub-regions. We analyze 63 snow events using Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer standard snow cover products to ascertain both qualitative and quantitative differences in snow cover across sub-regions. Among sub-regions, there is significant variation in the snow cover pattern from individual synoptic classes. Furthermore, the percent SCA follows the regional snowfall climatology, and sub-regions with the highest elevations and northerly latitudes exhibit the greatest variability. Results of the sub-regional analysis provide valuable guidance to forecasters by contributing a deeper understanding of local snow cover patterns and their relationship to synoptic-scale circulation features.