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EP23694
Poster Title: Ground based photography as a tool for snow distribution assessment in High Arctic unglaciated catchment (Fuglebekken, SW Spitsbergen)
Submitted on 17 Nov 2015
Author(s): Kępski D.(1), Luks B.(1), Wawrzyniak T.(1), Westermann S.(2), Migała K.(3)
Affiliations: 1 - Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences - Centre for Polar Studies KNOW (Leading National Research Centre); 2 - Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo; 3 - Department of Climatology and Atmosphere Protection, University of Wrocław
This poster was presented at 1st Central European Polar Meeting
Poster Views: 1,762
Submitted on 17 Nov 2015
Author(s): Kępski D.(1), Luks B.(1), Wawrzyniak T.(1), Westermann S.(2), Migała K.(3)
Affiliations: 1 - Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences - Centre for Polar Studies KNOW (Leading National Research Centre); 2 - Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo; 3 - Department of Climatology and Atmosphere Protection, University of Wrocław
This poster was presented at 1st Central European Polar Meeting
Poster Views: 1,762
Abstract: The spatial distribution of snow and the timing of the snow melt are crucial factors for all land ecosystems on Svalbard, impacting e.g. the thermal regime of permafrost, the hydrological cycle, as well as vegetation and land fauna.
In our study we present effects of orthorectification and classification of images acquired with time lapse camera installed close to Fugleberget summit (560 m asl), overlooking Fuglebekken catchment located in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station Hornsund. We analyzed daily imagery covering Spring and Summer 2014, from continuous snow coverage in April, till complete disappearance of snow. Images were orthorectified with MATLAB and semi-automatically classified into two types of terrain surface (snow and snow-free) with ArcGIS software. Day by day changes of snow cover spatial distribution in the catchment are presented. Distribution of snow cover is combined with meteorological background. We also analyze how tundra vegetation types and topography affect snow cover distribution and melting over the ablation period. Summary: Comparison of the length of snow cover occurrence indicates the low correlation with tundra coverage. Snow melted at first on epilithic tundra on rocks and persisted the longest on dritfts that were covering the rock debris. Interesting is the fact that in the beginning of June snow disappearance did not occur on wet moss tundra and polygonal tundra, while two weeks laterthe mostly covered land cover type were rock debris. At the same time cyanobakteria-moss tundra had the lowest snow coverage.References: Migała, K., Wojtuń, B., Szymański, W., & Muskała, P. (2014). Soil moisture and temperature variation under different types of tundra vegetation during the growing season: A case study from the Fuglebekken catchment, SW Spitsbergen. Catena, 116, 10-18.
In our study we present effects of orthorectification and classification of images acquired with time lapse camera installed close to Fugleberget summit (560 m asl), overlooking Fuglebekken catchment located in the vicinity of the Polish Polar Station Hornsund. We analyzed daily imagery covering Spring and Summer 2014, from continuous snow coverage in April, till complete disappearance of snow. Images were orthorectified with MATLAB and semi-automatically classified into two types of terrain surface (snow and snow-free) with ArcGIS software. Day by day changes of snow cover spatial distribution in the catchment are presented. Distribution of snow cover is combined with meteorological background. We also analyze how tundra vegetation types and topography affect snow cover distribution and melting over the ablation period. Summary: Comparison of the length of snow cover occurrence indicates the low correlation with tundra coverage. Snow melted at first on epilithic tundra on rocks and persisted the longest on dritfts that were covering the rock debris. Interesting is the fact that in the beginning of June snow disappearance did not occur on wet moss tundra and polygonal tundra, while two weeks laterthe mostly covered land cover type were rock debris. At the same time cyanobakteria-moss tundra had the lowest snow coverage.References: Migała, K., Wojtuń, B., Szymański, W., & Muskała, P. (2014). Soil moisture and temperature variation under different types of tundra vegetation during the growing season: A case study from the Fuglebekken catchment, SW Spitsbergen. Catena, 116, 10-18.
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