Spatial and Temporal Variation Analysis of Snow Cover Using MODIS over Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during 2003–2014

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) snow cover information acquisition of the high precision spatial and temporal characteristics is of great significance for the research on its land surface atmosphere coupled system and global climate change effects. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) daily snow cover products (MOD10A1 and MYD10A1) have been widely used in long time series of spatial and temporal variation analysis, but they are limited to be used because of high cloud cover ratio. In this paper, a 7-day rolling combination algorithm was presented to eliminate cloud obscuration, and the whole cloud amount falls below 7 %. The ground station in situ measurements verify that the overall precision is more than 90 %. The presented algorithm guaranteed the same spatial resolution and temporal resolution, and has higher precision than products MOD10A1 and MYD10A1. The MODIS 7-day rolling combination snow cover datasets products were obtained between 2003 and 2014 in the QTP, and the snow cover area of spatial and temporal variation was analyzed. The change characteristics of snow cover duration was also studied combining with the Digital Elevation Model data. Results show that the snow cover area of the whole QTP has a slowly decreased trend, but increases in autumn. Thus, the snow cover proportion of annual periodic and unstable in different elevations has the highest correlation with area of the elevation.     

Recent Literature

Development of a temporal geographic information system (GIS) and spatio-temporal data modeling are key to incorporating time into geographic information science. This paper describes how to design and develop temporal GIS that will work with spatio-temporal data represented in various data models, and it introduces a prototype temporal GIS with a case study. In temporal GIS, the integration of multiple spatio-temporal representations is based on common spatial and temporal reference systems. In other words, a map window of temporal GIS visualizes spatio-temporal data valid at the same time within one spatial area. To achieve such visualization, separate data editing and query modules are required for each spatio-temporal data model (STDM). In the temporal query interface, after a user specifies a time, the system automatically hires correspondent modules to retrieve spatio-temporal data valid at that time. Besides temporal queries common to all STDMs, each module may provide additional temporal query capabilities specific to that STDM. In the case study, I implement a prototype temporal GIS for three STDMs. The examples of query and visualization, which use three datasets (census data, land use/land cover, and elevation data) demonstrate the prototype temporal GIS can integrate multiple temporal representations.     

Accuracy assessment of MODIS/Terra snow cover product for parts of Indian Himalayas

Snow cover mapping is important for snow and glacier-related research. The spatial and temporal distribution of snow cover area is a fundamental input to the atmospheric models, snowmelt runoff models and climate models, as well as other applications. Daily snow cover maps from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra satellite were retrieved for the period between 2004 and 2007, and pixels in these images were classified as cloud, snow or snow-free. These images have then been compared with ground snow depth (SD) measurements from the four observatories located at different parts of Himalayas. Comparison of snow maps with in situ data showed good agreement with overall accuracies in between 78.15 and 95.60%. When snow cover was less, MODIS data were found to be less accurate in mapping snow cover region. As the SD increases, the accuracy of MODIS snow cover maps also increases.     

Tropical land use land cover mapping in Pará (Brazil) using discriminative Markov random fields and multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data

Remote sensing satellite data offer the unique possibility to map land use land cover transformations by providing spatially explicit information. However, detection of short-term processes and land use patterns of high spatial–temporal variability is a challenging task.We present a novel framework using multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data and machine learning techniques, namely discriminative Markov random fields with spatio-temporal priors, and import vector machines, in order to advance the mapping of land cover characterized by short-term changes. Our study region covers a current deforestation frontier in the Brazilian state Pará with land cover dominated by primary forests, different types of pasture land and secondary vegetation, and land use dominated by short-term processes such as slash-and-burn activities. The data set comprises multi-temporal TerraSAR-X imagery acquired over the course of the 2014 dry season, as well as optical data (RapidEye, Landsat) for reference. Results show that land use land cover is reliably mapped, resulting in spatially adjusted overall accuracies of up to 79% in a five class setting, yet limitations for the differentiation of different pasture types remain.The proposed method is applicable on multi-temporal data sets, and constitutes a feasible approach to map land use land cover in regions that are affected by high-frequent temporal changes.     

利用多光谱卫星遥感和深度学习方法进行青藏高原积雪判识

青藏高原积雪对全球气候变化十分重要,针对已有积雪遥感判识方法中普遍采用的可见光与红外光谱数据易受复杂地形与高海拔影响,导致青藏高原地区积雪判识精度较低的问题,提出了一种基于多光谱遥感与地理信息数据特征级融合的积雪遥感判识方法:以风云三号卫星可见光与红外多光谱遥感资料与多要素地理信息作为数据源,由地面实测雪深数据与现有积雪产品交叉筛选出样本标签,构建并训练基于层叠去噪自编码器(SDAE)的特征融合与分类网络,从而有效辨识青藏高原遥感图像中的云、积雪以及无雪地表。经地面实测雪深数据验证,该方法分类精度显著高于使用相同数据源的FY-3A/MULSS积雪产品,略高于国际主流积雪产品MOD10A1与MYD10A1,并且年均云覆盖率最低。试验结果表明该方法可有效地减少云层对积雪判识的干扰,提升分类精度。     

Monitoring of Snow Cover Variability in Chenab Basin Using IRS AWiFS Sensor

Monitoring of seasonal snow cover is important for many applications such as melt runoff estimation, climate change studies and strategic requirements. Contribution of seasonal snow melt runoff of Chenab River is significant and important to meet hydrological requirement at foothills. Seasonal snow cover of Chandra, Bhaga, Miyar, Bhut, Warwan and Ravi, six major tributaries of Chenab River, becomes crucial to assess the water availability. In addition, altitudinal distribution of snow cover significantly influences the melt runoff which is highly sensitive to minor variations in atmospheric temperature. In this investigation, remote sensing based Normalized Difference Snow Index technique has been used to generate 10 daily snow cover product. Snow cover monitoring of all the sub-basins were carried out for 10 years from 2004–2005 to 2013–2014 during hydrological year (October to June) using Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) of Indian remote sensing satellite (IRS). Accumulation and ablation patterns of snow cover have also been analyzed for the six sub-basins. Accumulation and ablation pattern of snow cover, from 2004 to 2014 which shows slightly increasing trend for all the sub-basins. Meteorological data of Kelong at Bhaga sub-basin was also analysed. Average monthly snow line altitude was estimated for all the sub-basins using hypsographic curve. Chandra and Bhaga sub-basins are at higher altitude and Ravi sub-basin is at lower altitude. It was also observed that areal extent of snow reaches to lower altitude during last 5 years, particularly in Ravi sub-basin.     

MTSAT-2静止气象卫星中国区域雪盖监测

利用MTSAT-2静止气象卫星数据开展了中国区域的雪盖监测研究,结合MODIS雪盖产品及站点雪深观测数据对判识结果进行对比分析和验证。首先,根据MTSAT-2静止气象卫星数据特点,进行角度效应校正及多时相数据合成,以减少云对图像的影响;其次,根据多个雪盖判识因子建立中国区域雪盖判识算法;最后,对比分析2011年1月份MTSAT-2和MODIS雪盖判识结果,并使用站点观测数据进行精度验证。研究表明:(1)MTSAT-2雪盖判识受云影响比例约30%,MODIS雪盖产品受云影响比例约60%,MTSAT-2去云效果明显。(2)无云情况下,MTSAT-2雪盖判识和MODIS雪盖产品判识精度均高于92%;有云覆盖时,MTSAT-2判识精度约65%,优于MODIS雪盖产品35%的判识精度。(3)MTSAT-2静止气象卫星在保持高积雪判识精度的前提下,可以更有效减少云对雪盖判识影响,实时获取更多地表真实信息。该研究对中国区域雪盖信息准确监测、气候变化研究以及防灾减灾等具有重要意义。     

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of snow parameters using passive microwave remote sensing

Snow cover is an important variable for climatic and hydrologic models due to its effect on surface albedo, energy, and mass balance. Satellite observations successfully provide a global and comprehensive hemispheric-scale record of the short-term, as well as inter-seasonal variations in snow cover. Passive microwave sensors provide an excellent method to monitor temporal and spatial variations in large-scale snow cover parameters, overcoming problems of cloud cover. Using microwave remote sensing data, snow parameters (snow surface temperature, snow water equivalence, scattering index, emissivity, snow depth) have been retrieved to integrate with the snow cover simulation model developed by SASE for avalanche risk assessment on regional basis. Multispectral and multitemporal brightness temperature data obtained from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), flown onboard the DMSP satellites, for the period November 2000 to April 2001 and from November 2001 to February 2002 have been analysed. A comparative data set on snow measurements and meteorological observations of a region covering large area of Pir-Panjal and the Greater Himalayan range, available on near real time basis from SASE field observatories were also used. Model calculations were carried out to study the effects of atmospheric transmission on the microwave radiation emitted from the snow covered and snow free ground and atmosphere. The sensitivity of combinations of the SSM/I channels at 19, 37 and 85 GHz, in both horizontal and vertical polarizations, in respect to snow depth, surface temperature of the snowpack have been carried out. Decision rule based algorithms are developed to identify snow cover and non-snow area.     

Mapping and characterizing the vegetation types of the Democratic Republic of Congo using SPOT VEGETATION time series

The need for quantitative and accurate information to characterize the state and evolution of vegetation types at a national scale is widely recognized. This type of information is crucial for the Democratic Republic of Congo, which contains the majority of the tropical forest cover of Central Africa and a large diversity of habitats. In spite of recent progress in earth observation capabilities, vegetation mapping and seasonality analysis in equatorial areas still represent an outstanding challenge owing to high cloud coverage and the extent and limited accessibility of the territory. On one hand, the use of coarse-resolution optical data is constrained by performance in the presence of cloud screening and by noise arising from the compositing process, which limits the spatial consistency of the composite and the temporal resolution. On the other hand, the use of high-resolution data suffers from heterogeneity of acquisition dates, images and interpretation from one scene to another. The objective of the present study was to propose and demonstrate a semi-automatic processing method for vegetation mapping and seasonality characterization based on temporal and spectral information from SPOT VEGETATION time series. A land cover map with 18 vegetation classes was produced using the proposed method that was fed by ecological knowledge gathered from botanists and reference documents. The floristic composition and physiognomy of each vegetation type are described using the Land Cover Classification System developed by the FAO. Moreover, the seasonality of each class is characterized on a monthly basis and the variation in different vegetation indicators is discussed from a phenological point of view. This mapping exercise delivers the first area estimates of seven different forest types, five different savannas characterized by specific seasonality behavior and two aquatic vegetation types. Finally, the result is compared to two recent land cover maps derived from coarse-resolution (GLC2000) and high-resolution imagery (Africover).     

基于地理实体的时空信息云平台资源服务体系研究与实践

地理实体作为时空信息云平台的基础数据,在城市信息化建设中发挥了重要作用,是智慧城市的重要组成部分.以地理实体为基础,可有效整合地理实体相关的专题数据,实现城市数据的一体化管理,形成时空信息云平台的资源服务体系.本文主要研究地理实体的数据获取、组织、更新、融合和智能化应用方面的内容,并以智慧柳州时空信息云平台为例,阐述地理实体在时空信息云平台建设和应用中的作用.     

Regional assessment of pan-Pacific urban environments over 25 years using annual gap free Landsat data

Urbanization and the associated change in land cover has been intensifying across the globe in recent decades. Regional studies on the rate and amount of urban expansion are critical for understanding how patterns of change differ within and among cities with varying structure and development characteristics. Yet spatially consistent and timely information on urban development is difficult to access particularly across international jurisdictions. Remote sensing based technologies offer a unique perspective on urban land cover with the data offering significant potential to urban studies due to its consistent and ubiquitous nature. In this research we applied a pixel-based image composite technique to generate annual gap-free surface reflectance Landsat composites from 1984 to 2012 for 25 urban environments across 12 countries in the Pacific Rim. Using time series composites, spectral indices were calculated and compared using a hexagonal grid ring model to assess changes in vegetative and urban patterns. Trajectories were then clustered to further investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics and relationships among the 25 cities. Performance of the clustering analyses varied depended on the temporal and spatial metrics however overall clustering results indicated relatively strong spatio-temporal similarities among a number of key cities. Three pairs of cities—Melbourne and Sydney; Tianjin and Manila; and Singapore City and Kuala Lumpur were found to be highly similar in their urban and vegetation dynamics temporally and spatially. In contrast Vancouver and Las Vegas had no similar analogous. This work demonstrates the value of utilising annual Landsat time series composites for assessing urban vegetation and urban dynamics at regional scales and potential use in sustainable urban planning, resources allocation, and policy making.     

Scrutinising MODIS and GIMMS Vegetation Indices for Extracting Growth Rhythm of Natural Vegetation in India

Satellite derived vegetation vigour has been successfully used for various environmental modeling since 1972. However, extraction of reliable annual growth information about natural vegetation (i.e., phenology) has been of recent interest due to their important role in many global models and free availability of time-series satellite data. In this study, usability of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) and Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) based products in extracting phenology information about evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous and dry deciduous vegetation in India was explored. The MODIS NDVI and EVI time-series data (MOD13C1: 5.6 km spatial resolution with 16 day temporal resolution—2001 to 2010) and GIMMS NDVI time-series data(8 km spatial resolution with 15 day temporal resolution—2000 to 2006) were used. These three differently derived vegetation indices were analysed to extract and understand the vegetative growth rhythm over different regions of India. Algorithm was developed to derive onset of greenness and end of senescence automatically. The comparative analysis about differences in the results from these products was carried out. Due to dominant noise in the values of NDVI from GIMMS and MODIS during monsoon period the phenology rhythm were wrongly depicted, especially for evergreen and semi-evergreen vegetation in India. Hence, care is needed before using these data sets for understanding vegetative dynamics, biomass cestimation and carbon studies. MODIS EVI based results were truthful and comparable to ground reality. The study reveals spatio-temporal patterns of phenology, rate of greening, rate of senescence, and differences in results from these three products.     

Snow and forest cover assessment of uttaranachal state using irs 1c wifs data

In this study, IRS 1C WiFS data have been used for the assessment of two natural resources i.e. forest cover and snow cover. These two resources have a great role to play in various hydrological studies such as floods, soil erosion and water pollution etc. Therefore their assessment is very useful in various hydrological studies and management of these resources. The assessment of snow and forest cover have been made on the basis of multispectral classification and classification of NDVI images. Newly created Uttaranchal state has been taken as the study area. These two resources have been estimated for all the thirteen districts of the state separately. The forest cover area estimated in this study is compared with the available data sets of Forest Survey of India (FSI). The estimated forest is 52%, whereas the forest cover reported by the FSI is 44.5% of the total geographical area of the state. The snow cover is estimated for the period after winter season i.e. maximum snow cover and before next winter season i.e. minimum snow cover. It is found that one quarter of the state is under snow cover covering six districts of the state. As such no estimate of snow cover at regional scale has been made so far therefore comparison of the present assessment could not be made.     

增强型多时相云检测

针对云检测在高亮度地表以及雪覆盖区域存在过度检测的问题,设计了一种不依赖热红外波段的增强型多时相云检测EMTCD(Enhanced Multiple Temporal Cloud Detection)算法。首先,利用云的光谱特征建立单时相云检测规则,并基于云、雪的光谱差异构建了增强型云指数ECI(Enhanced Cloud Index),改进了云、雪的区分能力;其次,以同一区域无云影像为参考,基于ECI指数构建了多时相云检测算法,较好地克服了单时相云检测中高亮度地表、雪和云容易混淆的问题,提高了云检测的精度;最后,选择两个典型区域的Landsat-8 OLI影像,对比分析了不同算法的云检测结果。实验结果表明:ECI指数能够有效区分云、雪,EMTCD方法的平均检测精度达到93.2%,高于Fmask(Function of mask)(81.85%)、MTCD(Multi-Temporal Cloud Detection)(66.14%)和Landsat-8地表反射率产品LaSRC(Landsat-8 Surface Reflectance Code)的云检测结果(86.3%)。因此,本文提出的EMTCD云检测算法能够有效地减少高亮度地表和雪的干扰,实现不依赖热红外波段的高精度云检测。     

Field based spectral reflectance studies to develop NDSI method for snow cover monitoring

Snow is highly reflective in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum making it possible to easily distinguish on a satellite image. However, cloud cover and mountain shadows pose a serious problem in the identification of snow in a mountainous region. Therefore, to identify snow in such an environment, a Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) has been applied. The NDSI is based on the high reflectance of snow in the visible region and its low reflectance in the SWIR region, whereas, reflectance of cloud remains high compared to snow in the SWIR region. Efforts have been made to carry out field observations on reflectance of various land features near Manali in Himachal Pradesh (HP) to develop NDSI values for identifying snow. Field data have been collected using three field radiometers, viz., Multi-band Ground Truth Radiometer (GTR) operating in the 12 spectral bands ranging from visible to near-infrared wavelengths, Near-Infrared Ground Truth Radiometer (NIGTR) operating in the SWIR range, and Ratio-Radiometer (RR) operating in two spectral bands, one in the visible range, and another band in the SWIR range. All these three field radiometers have been designed and developed indigenously at the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad. NDSI values for all types of snow, such as, fresh, clear, patchy and wet, have been found to be in the range 0.9 to 0.96. In addition, the NDSI value for snow under mountain shadow is found to be more than 0.9. This suggests the use of NDSI method for snow cover monitoring under mountain shadow. NDSI values for other land features such as soil, vegetation, and rock were substantially different than snow. However, water bodies have NDSI values close to snow and they need to be masked during snow cover delineation using NIR band.     

An ontological system based on MODIS images to assess ecosystem functioning of Natura 2000 habitats: A case study for Quercus pyrenaica forests

The implementation of the Natura 2000 network requires methods to assess the conservation status of habitats. This paper shows a methodological approach that combines the use of (satellite) Earth observation with ontologies to monitor Natura 2000 habitats and assess their functioning. We have created an ontological system called Savia that can describe both the ecosystem functioning and the behaviour of abiotic factors in a Natura 2000 habitat. This system is able to automatically download images from MODIS products, create indicators and compute temporal trends for them. We have developed an ontology that takes into account the different concepts and relations about indicators and temporal trends, and the spatio-temporal components of the datasets. All the information generated from datasets and MODIS images, is stored into a knowledge base according to the ontology. Users can formulate complex questions using a SPARQL end-point. This system has been tested and validated in a case study that uses Quercus pyrenaica Willd. forests as a target habitat in Sierra Nevada (Spain), a Natura 2000 site. We assess ecosystem functioning using NDVI. The selected abiotic factor is snow cover. Savia provides useful data regarding these two variables and reflects relationships between them.     

基于MODIS影像的内蒙古草原积雪监测

光学遥感源MODIS具有高光谱分辨率、高时间分辨率、高空间分辨率、全球范围内免费接收等优势,被广泛应用于洪涝、干旱、森林草原火灾、雪灾等自然灾害的动态监测领域。MODIS数据用于内蒙古草原积雪监测,提取积雪信息在国内尚属空白。本文利用MODIS L1B 500m分辨率数据,经过几何校正、去"双眼皮"预处理,根据归一化差分积雪指数(NDSI)算法和综合阈值判别法对内蒙古自治区2008年1月下旬大范围降雪进行积雪信息提取,制作积雪覆盖图。利用内蒙古生态与农业气象中心发布的雪情遥感监测信息验证积雪覆盖图的准确度。验证结果表明,MODIS数据用于大范围积雪监测非常有效。     

Temporal logic and operation relations based knowledge representation for land cover change web services

Providing land cover spatio-temporal information and geo-computing through web service is a new challenge for supporting global change research, earth system simulation and many other societal benefit areas. This requires an integrated knowledge representation and web implementation of static land cover and change information, as well as the related operations for geo-computing. The temporal logic relations among land cover snapshots and increments were examined with a matrix-based three-step analysis. Twelve temporal logic relations were identified and five basic spatial operations were formalized with set operators, which were all used to develop algorithms for deriving implicit change information. A knowledge representation for land cover change information was then developed based on these temporal logic and operation relations. A prototype web-service system was further implemented based on OWL-DL. Both online access and conversion of land cover spatio-temporal information can be facilitated with such a web service system.     

How much variation in land surface phenology can climate oscillation modes explain at the scale of mountain pastures in Kyrgyzstan?

Climate oscillation modes can shape weather across the globe due to atmospheric teleconnections. We built on the findings of a recent study to assess whether the impacts of teleconnections are detectable and significant in the early season dynamics of highland pastures across five rayons in Kyrgyzstan. Specifically, since land surface phenology (LSP) has already shown to be influenced by snow cover seasonality and terrain, we investigated here how much more explanatory and predictive power information about climatic oscillation modes might add to explain variation in LSP. We focused on seasonal values of five climate oscillation indices that influence vegetation dynamics in Central Asia. We characterized the phenology in highland pastures with metrics derived from LSP modeling using Landsat NDVI time series together with MODIS land surface temperature (LST) data: Peak Height (PH), the maximum modeled NDVI and Thermal Time to Peak (TTP), the quantity of accumulated growing degree-days based on LST required to reach PH. Next, we calculated two metrics of snow cover seasonality from MODIS snow cover composites: last date of snow (LDoS), and the number of snow covered dates (SCD). For terrain features, we derived elevation, slope, and TRASP index as linearization of aspect. First, we used Spearman’s rank correlation to assess the geographical differentiation of land surface phenology metrics responses to environmental variables. PH showed weak correlations with TTP (positive in western but negative in eastern rayons), and moderate relationships with LDoS and SCD only in one northeastern rayon. Slope was weakly related to PH, while TRASP showed a consistent moderate negative correlation with PH. A significant but weak negative correlation was found between PH and SCAND JJA, and a significant weak positive correlation with MEI MAM. TTP showed consistently strong negative relationships with LDoS, SCD, and elevation. Very weak positive correlations with TTP were found for EAWR DJF, AMO DJF, and MEI DJF in western rayons only. Second, we used Partial Least Squares regression to investigate the role of oscillation modes altogether. PLS modelling of TTP showed that thermal time accumulation could be explained mostly by elevation and snow cover metrics, leading to reduced models explaining 55 to 70% of observed variation in TTP. Variable selection indicated that NAO JJA, AMO JJA and SCAND MAM had significant relationships with TTP, but their input of predictive power was neglible. PLS models were able to explain up to 29% of variability in PH. SCAND JJA and MEI MAM were shown to be significant predictors, but adding them into models did not influence modeling performance. We concluded the impacts of climate oscillation anomalies were not detectable or significant in mountain pastures using LSP metrics at fine spatial resolution. Rather, at a 30 m resolution, the indirect effects of seasonal climatic oscillations are overridden by terrain influences (mostly elevation) and snow cover timing. Whether climate oscillation mode indices can provide some new and useful information about growing season conditions remains a provocative question, particularly in light of the multiple environmental challenges facing the agropastoralism livelihood in montane Central Asia.     

An Introduction to MODISI and SCMOD Methods for Correction of the MODIS Snow Assessment Algorithm

Detection, monitoring and precise assessment of the snow covered regions is an important issue. Snow cover area and consequently the amount of runoff generated from snowmelt have a significant effect on water supply management. To precisely detect and monitor the snow covered area we need satellite images with suitable spatial and temporal resolutions where we usually lose one for the other. In this study, products of two sensors MODIS and ASTER both on board of TERRA platform having low and high spatial resolution respectively were used. The objective of the study was to modify the snow products of MODIS by using simultaneous images of ASTER. For this, MODIS snow index image with high temporal resolution were compared with that of ASTER, using regression and correlation analysis. To improve NDSI index two methods were developed. The first method generated from direct comparison of ASTER averaged NDSI with those of MODIS (MODISI). The second method generated by dividing MODIS NDSI index into 10 codes according to their percentage of surface cover and then compared the results with the difference between ASTER averaged and MODIS snow indices (SCMOD). Both methods were tested against some 16 MODIS pixels. It is found that the precision of the MODISI method was more than 96%. This for SCMOD was about 98%. The RMSE of both methods were as good as 0.02.