Abstract

Snow cover is an important water source and even an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) as defined by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Assessing snow phenology and its driving factors in Northeast China will help with comprehensively understanding the role of snow cover in regional water cycle and climate change. This study presents spatiotemporal variations in snow phenology and the relative importance of potential drivers, including climate, geography, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), based on the MODIS snow products across Northeast China from 2001 to 2018. The results indicated that the snow cover days (SCD), snow cover onset dates (SCOD) and snow cover end dates (SCED) all showed obvious latitudinal distribution characteristics. As the latitude gradually increases, SCD becomes longer, SCOD advances and SCED delays. Overall, there is a growing tendency in SCD and a delayed trend in SCED across time. The variations in snow phenology were driven by mean temperature, followed by latitude, while precipitation, aspect and slope all had little effect on the SCD, SCOD and SCED. With decreasing temperature, the SCD and SCED showed upward trends. The mean temperature has negatively correlation with SCD and SCED and positively correlation with SCOD. With increasing latitude, the change rate of the SCD, SCOD and SCED in the whole Northeast China were 10.20 d/degree, −3.82 d/degree and 5.41 d/degree, respectively, and the change rate of snow phenology in forested areas was lower than that in nonforested areas. At the same latitude, the snow phenology for different underlying surfaces varied greatly. The correlations between the snow phenology and NDVI were mainly positive, but weak correlations accounted for a large proportion.

Highlights

  • Northeast China, one of the three major areas with snow cover in China [1,2], is an important agricultural production base

  • We explored the spatiotemporal variations in snow phenology and the relative importance of potential drivers, including climate, geography, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and we discussed the roles of major factors in driving snow phenology

  • The International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP) classification standard was chosen, and land cover types in this region were reclassified into water bodies, forested areas, and nonforested areas, and we explore the differences in snow cover phenology for various underlying surfaces at the same latitude

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Northeast China, one of the three major areas with snow cover in China [1,2], is an important agricultural production base. Snow cover can affect the scale and yield of agriculture by changing soil moisture, insultation from deep frost and prevention of microbial decomposition of organic matter. Snow accumulation and melting are important for storing and releasing water [3,4]. Snow phenology generally has regular interannual variations [7]. Assessing snow phenology and its driving factors in Northeast China is essential for water resource management and agricultural development in this region

Methods
Results
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.