Taking northern Xinjiang, China, as an example, this study first compares the standard MODIS Terra and Aqua snow cover classifications, and then compares the accuracy of the standard MODIS daily and 8-day snow cover products with the new daily and multi-day snow cover combination of MODIS Terra and Aqua observations using in situ measurements. Under clear sky in both products, the agreement of ...

A warm, very wet Paci®c storm caused signi®cant ̄ooding in the Paci®c Northwest during February 1996. Rapid melting of the mountain snow cover contributed to this ̄ooding. An energy balance snowmelt model is used to simulate snowmelt processes during this event in the Central Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Data from paired open and forested experimental sites at locations at and just below the Pa...

Climate change might alter annual snowfall patterns and modify the duration and magnitude of snow cover in temperate regions with resultant impacts on soil microclimate and soil CO2 efflux (Fsoil ). We used a 5-year time series of Fsoil measurements from a mid-elevation forest to assess the effects of naturally changing snow cover. Snow cover varied considerably in duration (105-154 days) and d...

‘Alpine systems are generally considered to be among the most vulnerable to future climate change’ (Hughes 2003), and changes in snow depth and cover in the Australian mountains would likely affect many animals. For instance, the Pygmy Possum depends on snow cover for stable, low temperatures during hibernation (Walter and Broome 1998). In years of shallow snow cover populations of Dusky Antech...

Variations in the strength of the current spring snow albedo feedback (SAF) over Northern Hemisphere land surfaces (NH) explain over one third of the 21 century temperature response to anthropogenic forcings in this region within global circulation model (GCM) projections. Observation based estimates of controls on SAF are needed to constrain the snow and albedo parameterizations in these model...

A snow-cover mapping method accounting for forests (SnowFrac) is presented. SnowFrac uses spectral unmixing and endmember constraints to estimate the snow-cover fraction of a pixel. The unmixing is based on a linear spectral mixture model, which includes endmembers for snow, coniferous trees, branches of leafless deciduous trees and snow-free ground. Model input consists of a land-cover fractio...

A snow-cover mapping method accounting for forests (SnowFrac) is presented. SnowFrac uses spectral unmixing and endmember constraints to estimate the snow-cover fraction of a pixel. The unmixing is based on a linear spectral mixture model, which includes endmembers for snow, conifer, branches of leafless deciduous trees and snow-free ground. Model input consists of a land-cover fraction map and...

Large areas of the Tibetan plateau are only covered by a sparse network of ground snow sampling stations, while the snow cover is highly heterogeneously distributed due to wind, topography etc. Nevertheless, the snow accumulation and spatial patterns play an important role in the hydrological cycle. It releases moisture during the dry spring period before the onset of the monsoon season. Widely...

Snow cover changes over the Tibetan plateau (TP) are examined using moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily fractional snow cover (FSC) data from 2001 to 2011 as well as in situ temperature data. First, the accuracy of the MODIS FSC data under clear sky conditions is evaluated by comparing with Landsat 30-m observations. Then we describe a cloud-gap-filled (CGF) method using...

In the present paper, the inter-seasonal Hg variability in snow cover was examined based on multivariate statistical analysis of chemical and meteorological data. Samples of freshly fallen snow cover were collected at the semi-urban site in Poznań (central Poland), during 3-month field measurements in winter 2013. It was showed that concentrations of atmospherically deposited Hg were highly var...