Temporal and Spatial Variability in Snow Cover Over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, from 2001 to 2015
Temporal and spatial variability in snow cover over the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, from 2001 to 2015 Wenqian Chen1,2,3, Jianli Ding1,2, Jingzhe Wang1,2,4, Junyong Zhang1,2 and Zhe Zhang1,2 1 Key Laboratory of Smart City and Environment Modelling of Higher Education Institute, College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China 2 Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China 3 College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 4 Key Laboratory for Geo-Environmental Monitoring of Coastal Zone of the Ministry of Natural Resources & Guangdong Key Laboratory of Urban Informatics & Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Spatial Smart Sensing and Services, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China ABSTRACT Xinjiang, China, is a typical arid and semi-arid region of Central Asia that significantly lacks freshwater resources, and the surface runoff in this region is mainly supplied by mountain glacier and snow cover meltwater. Based on the above background and issues of transnational water resources between Xinjiang and Central Asia along the Silk Road Economic Belt, which were highlighted in the major strategy of ``The Belt and Road'', this study analysed the spatial and temporal variations in snow cover and snow cover days in the Xinjiang region from 2001 to 2015. The study area includes four subregions: Northern Xinjiang, Southern Xinjiang, Eastern Xinjiang and the Ili River Valley. Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 8-day snow cover data were used after removing clouds by combining MOD10A2 and MYD10A2. The results showed that seasonal snow cover occurred from October to April in most regions of Xinjiang and that this snow cover consisted of two processes: snow accumulation and snow ablation.
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