Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Satellite Snow Cover in a Typical Area of Tianshan Mountains

The spatial and temporal characteristics of satellite snow cover in a typical area of Tianshan Mountains are studied based on the remote sensing snow cover product(MOD10A2) from 2000 to 2010.The results show that: 1) the annual average snow cover probability and the snow cover probability of January both decrease from west and north to east and south,while the snow cover probability of April,July and October have a significant positive correlation with elevation;2) the distribution of snow in winter is mainly controlled by the atmospheric circulation,so that there is much more snow on the west slopes and the north slopes,while the distribution of snow in the other seasons is significantly influenced by elevation;3) in the past 10 years,the snow cover ratio in winter generally has decreased with a linear trend rate of-0.0875(10a)+-1,while it has slightly increased in spring with a linear trend rate of 0.0345(10a)+-1;and 4) with the ascending of elevation,the interannual fluctuation of snow coverage shows a trend of decrease.