Toward a snow melt prediction map of Mount Lebanon

DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2019-2-25-16-27

View or download the article (Eng)

About the Authors

Jean A. Doumit

Lebanese University, department of geography, Faculty of Literatures and Human sciences,
Fanar, Lebanon,
E-mail: jeandoumit@gmail.com

Samar C. Sakr

Lebanese University, department of geography, Faculty of Literatures and Human sciences,
Fanar, Lebanon,
E-mail: samarsakr2005@hotmail.com

Abstract

An important remote sensing task is to delineate snow cover. The global significance of snow patterns constitutes an important part of the climate and bio system of the Earth. Snow contributes to the hydrologic cycle through precipitation storage and melting. It is also important to monitor snow cover lands, and detect its boundaries from the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NSDI).

In this work, based on remote sensing methods we delineate the snow cover on Mount Lebanon from 2013 till 2018 basing on sequential Landsat OLI/TIRS data.

Beside snow cover delineation we extracted terrain characteristics of these snow boundaries from the Digital Elevation Model AW3D30, elevation interval, slope, aspects, insolation calculated for a climatological snow melt analysis and understanding.

The relation of snow covers with terrain morphology is an important climatological factor influencing on the snow position, duration and melting. In this study we are seeking a link between the available snow covers and the terrain parameters.

As a final result of this study based on NDSI index of the Landsat Oli images, a snow duration map of mount Lebanon was built, and the analysis showed that the surface of the snow-cover decreases around spring and it depends directly on the orientation of the slopes especially them which are in full sun and those which are with the shelters.

Keywords

snow cover, Landsat, NSDI

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For citation: Doumit J.A., Sakr S.C. Toward a snow melt prediction map of Mount Lebanon. InterCarto. InterGIS. GI support of sustainable development of territories: Proceedings of the International conference. Moscow: Moscow University Press, 2019. V. 25. Part 2. P. 16–27. DOI: 10.35595/2414-9179-2019-2-25-16-27