Characterising spatio-temporal variability in seasonal  snow cover at a regional scale from MODIS data:  the Clutha Catchment, New Zealand

Redpath, Todd A. N.; Sirguey, Pascal; Cullen, Nicolas J.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3189-2019

Articles | Volume 23, issue 8

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3189-2019

© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3189-2019

© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 8

Research article

|

02 Aug 2019

Research article |

| 02 Aug 2019

Characterising spatio-temporal variability in seasonal snow cover at a regional scale from MODIS data: the Clutha Catchment, New Zealand

Todd A. N. Redpath, Pascal Sirguey, and Nicolas J. Cullen

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-3189-2019-supplement

Data sets

MODIS/Terra Geolocation Fields 5-Min L1A Swath 1 km MODAPS (MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST)/MODIS Adaptive Processing System) https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD03.006

MODIS/Terra Calibrated Radiances 5-Min L1B Swath 1 km MODAPS (MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST)/MODIS Adaptive Processing System) https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MOD021KM.006

Short summary

Spatio-temporal variability of seasonal snow cover is characterised from 16 years of MODIS data for the Clutha Catchment, New Zealand. No trend was detected in snow-covered area. Spatial modes of variability reveal the role of anomalous winter airflow. The sensitivity of snow cover duration to temperature and precipitation variability is found to vary spatially across the catchment. These findings provide new insight into seasonal snow processes in New Zealand and guidance for modelling efforts.