Estimating snow albedo in tibetan plateau using MODIS

Abstract

Snow is highly reflective and snow albedo play an important role in surface energy fluxes. Snow albedo is an important input parameter needed by both global and regional climateic models. In addition the albedo of snow-covered surfaces varies during relatively short time periods. The Tibetan Plateau is the most sensitive area in the world to hydrological cycle and climatic change. Traditional in situ surveying and mapping cannot provide enough large-scale snow cover information; in addition it will take much time and money, sometimes even dangerous. Remote sensing is a practical means for mapping snow albedo in high elevation area such as in the Tibetan Plateau. The conventional methods estimate snow albedo through a series of processing steps including atmospheric correction, surface angular modeling, and narrow band to broadband albedo conversions. The accuracy of estimating snow albedo relied on all these processes. This paper develops a direct method to estimate snow broadband albedo using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery in Tibetan Plateau.