Spatial–Temporal Variability of Snow Cover and Depth in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Abstract Changes in snow cover over the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau have attracted much attention in recent years owing to climate change. Because of the limitations of in situ observations, only a few studies have analyzed the dynamics of snow cover. Using observations from 103 meteorological stations across the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, this study investigated the spatial and temporal variability of snow depth and the number of snow-cover days. The results show a very weak negative trend for the snow depth and the number of snow-cover days in spring and winter from 1961 to 2010, but two different trends were found: an initial increase followed by a decrease. In summer and autumn, snow depth and the number of snow-cover days show a significant decreasing trend for most sites. The duration of snow cover exhibits a significant decreasing trend (−3.5 ± 1.2 days decade−1), which was jointly controlled by a later snow starting time (1.6 ± 0.8 days decade−1) and an earlier snow ending time (−1.9 ± 0.8 days decade−1) consistent with a response to climate change. This study highlights the competing effects of rising temperatures and changing precipitation, which remain an important challenge in understanding and interpreting the observed changes in snow depth and the number of snow-cover days for the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau.