Research on Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Snow Cover in Yangbajain Basin of Lhasa River Basin Based on MODIS Snow Product

Based on MODIS snow cover products from 2003 to 2008, spatial and temporal distribution of snow is analyzed in Yangbajain basin of Lhasa River Basin. In spatial characteristics, snow-cover ratio varied with elevation in "S" style. In temporal features, there is not a significant trend of snow-covered ratio in the 6-year series from annual-scale. While in a year, the elevation zone between 4800-6400m behaves seasonal cycle. And in the regions above 6400m glacier and perpetual snow covers while below 4800m it rains more than snowfall. It is just an application of MODIS data and data mining in a certain region. We will study more regions and consider more factors to quantify snow covered regime in future work. Those will firstly support us to characterize snow distribution; secondly, provide a reliable input for hydrological model.