Remote Sensing of 2000–2016 Alpine Spring Snowline Elevation in Dall Sheep Mountain Ranges of Alaska and Western Canada
| Autor: | Laura R. Prugh, Madelon van de Kerk, David L. Verbyla, T. A. Kurkowski, Troy Hegel, Anne W. Nolin |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Science 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Dall sheep spring snow alpine MODIS MODCAG snowline elevation snow mapping Spring (hydrology) Snow line Precipitation 0105 earth and related environmental sciences Remote sensing geography geography.geographical_feature_category biology Elevation Snow biology.organism_classification Arctic Remote sensing (archaeology) Dall Sheep Climatology General Earth and Planetary Sciences Environmental science |
| Zdroj: | Remote Sensing, Vol 9, Iss 11, p 1157 (2017) Remote Sensing; Volume 9; Issue 11; Pages: 1157 |
| ISSN: | 2072-4292 |
| Popis: | The lowest elevation of spring snow (“snowline”) is an important factor influencing recruitment and survival of wildlife in alpine areas. In this study, we assessed the spatial and temporal variability of alpine spring snowline across major Dall sheep mountain areas in Alaska and northwestern Canada. We used a daily MODIS snow fraction product to estimate the last day of 2000–2016 spring snow for each 500-m pixel within 28 mountain areas. We then developed annual (2000–2016) regression models predicting the elevation of alpine snowline during mid-May for each mountain area. MODIS-based regression estimates were compared with estimates derived using a Normalized Difference Snow Index from Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) surface reflectance data. We also used 2000–2009 decadal climate grids to estimate total winter precipitation and mean May temperature for each of the 28 mountain areas. Based on our MODIS regression models, the 2000–2016 mean May 15 snowline elevation ranged from 339 m in the cold arctic class to 1145 m in the interior mountain class. Spring snowline estimates from MODIS and Landsat OLI were similar, with a mean absolute error of 106 m. Spring snowline elevation was significantly related to mean May temperature and total winter precipitation. The late spring of 2013 may have impacted some sheep populations, especially in the cold arctic mountain areas which were snow-covered in mid-May, while some interior mountain areas had mid-May snowlines exceeding 1000 m elevation. We found this regional (>500,000 km2) remote sensing application useful for determining the inter-annual and regional variability of spring alpine snowline among 28 mountain areas. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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