Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Land Surface Albedo and Its Influencing Factors in the Qilian Mountains, Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Land surface albedo directly determines the distribution of radiant energy between the surface and the atmosphere, and it is a key parameter affecting the energy balance on the land surface. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of land surface albedo and associated influencing factors in the Qilian Mountains (QM) have been rarely reported. By using the long-time series data products of MODIS shortwave albedo, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and snow cover with a spatial resolution of 0.05° from 2001 to 2020, this paper analyzes the temporal and spatial variations of land surface albedo in the QM over the past 20 years and its influencing factors. The analysis results show that the multi-year average surface albedo in the QM has obvious differences in spatial distribution: it increases with the altitude, and it is high in the west (at the west of 98° E) and low in the east. Meanwhile, the surface albedo has different distribution characteristics in different seasons: the spatial distribution of surface albedo is similar in spring and autumn; the areas with a high surface albedo in summer are significantly fewer than those in other seasons. Besides, in the past 20 years, the annual average surface albedo has shown a weak growth trend in the QM, with a change rate of 5 × 10−3/10a, and the minimum and maximum values were reached in 2001 and 2019, respectively. In addition, the annual variation of the surface albedo in the QM showed a “U” shape, with the largest variation in January and the smallest variation in August. The annual variation of surface albedo is significantly positively correlated with snow cover (r = 0.96) and significantly negatively correlated with NDVI (r = −0.91). Moreover, the interannual variation of the surface albedo in the QM is closely related to land surface cover and is greatly affected by snow cover. Spatially, the annual variation of surface albedo in most areas of the QM is dominated by the change of snow cover, and the increase of surface albedo in the middle area is consistent with the increase of snow cover, while the decrease of albedo in the edge area is related to the improvement of vegetation cover. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for studying the climate and environmental changes caused by changes in the surface of the QM and making ecological environment restoration strategies.