The Regional Surface Heating Field over the Heterogeneous Landscape of the Tibetan Plateau Using MODIS and In-Situ Data

In this study, a parameterization scheme based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data and in-situ data was tested for deriving the regional surface heating field over a heterogeneous landscape. As a case study, the methodology was applied to the whole Tibetan Plateau (TP) area. Four images of MODIS data (i.e., 30 January 2007, 15 April 2007, 1 August 2007, and 25 October 2007) were used in this study for comparison among winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The results were validated using the observations measured at the stations of the Tibetan Observation and Research Platform (TORP). The results show the following: (1) The derived surface heating field for the TP area was in good accord with the land-surface status, showing a wide range of values due to the strong contrast of surface features in the area. (2) The derived surface heating field for the TP was very close to the field measurements (observations). The APD (absolute percent difference) between the derived results and the field observations was <10%. (3) The mean surface heating field over the TP increased from January to April to August, and decreased in October. Therefore, the reasonable regional distribution of the surface heating field over a heterogeneous landscape can be obtained using this methodology. The limitations and further improvement of this method are also discussed.