Spatio-Temporal Variation Characteristics of Snow Depth and Snow Cover Days over the Tibetan Plateau

Chi Zhang,Lingxian Zhang,Feng Liu,Naixia Mou,Jiqiang Niu

doi:10.3390/w13030307

Chi Zhang, Lingxian Zhang + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/w13030307

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Abstract

Changes in snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have a significant impact on agriculture, hydrology, and ecological environment of surrounding areas. This study investigates the spatio-temporal pattern of snow depth (SD) and snow cover days (SCD), as well as the impact of temperature and precipitation on snow cover over TP from 1979 to 2018 by using the ERA5 reanalysis dataset, and uses the Mann–Kendall test for significance. The results indicate that (1) the average annual SD and SCD in the southern and western edge areas of TP are relatively high, reaching 10 cm and 120 d or more, respectively. (2) In the past 40 years, SD (s = 0.04 cm decade−1, p = 0.81) and SCD (s = −2.3 d decade−1, p = 0.10) over TP did not change significantly. (3) The positive feedback effect of precipitation is the main factor affecting SD, while the negative feedback effect of temperature is the main factor affecting SCD. This study improves the understanding of snow cover change and is conducive to the further study of climate change on TP.

Highlights

Wang et al [57], Liu et al [58], Hersbach et al [59], Terzago et al [60], and Orsolini et al [61] conducted a comprehensive assessment of snow cover parameters for this dataset, the findings showed that the ERA5 dataset can well capture the spatial distribution of snow cover and a wide range of characteristics of seasonal changes despite its large positive bias
This paper studies the temporal and spatial characteristics of snow depth (SD) and snow cover days (SCD) over Tibetan Plateau (TP) from 1979 to 2018 using the ERA5 reanalysis dataset
The results show that: (1) the areas with high snow cover were mainly distributed in the Karakoram Mountains, Nyainqentanglha

Summary

Introduction

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important snow-covered area in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere [1]. The snow cover over TP adjusts the surface energy balance through albedo feedback, thereby affecting the atmospheric circulation and climate system in East Asia [2,3,4]. Snowmelt can replenish water sources for river runoff over. TP [5], effectively promote hydrological cycles [6,7], and affect agricultural production, hydropower generation, and change the ecological environment [8,9]. Studying the spatial and temporal characteristics of snow cover over TP is of important scientific significance. Project (S-RIP) and overview of the reanalysis systems.

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