Monitoring of Snowline altitude over the Tibetan plateau based on MODIS data

In this study, the snowline and Snowline altitude (SLA) over the Tibetan plateau (TP) during 2001 to 2013 are extracted using the cloud-removed MODIS daily fractional snow cover (FSC) products combining with DEM, and the spatiotemporal changes of SLA and their response to the changing temperature are examined. The proposed MODIS-based SLA extracting methodology includes the cloud removal from MODIS FSC data, the determination of snowline and SLA, and the establishment of snowline altitude field (SLAF). Results show that the SLA in the interior of the TP is obviously higher than the peripheral mountainous area, due to the complex terrain. There is no obvious trend of SLA change during the examined period, although a strong seasonal and interannual variability of SLA is discovered. The interannual fluctuation of SLA in snowmelt period can be explained by the high positive correlations between the SLA and temperature.