Name
The relationship of snow phenology and lake ice thickness in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Description
The cryosphere is a prevalent feature of the Arctic, where it plays a pivotal role with respect to climate, hydrological processes, ecology, and human activity. Given projected climate change scenarios, the repercussions of Arctic amplification are presumed to exacerbate, resulting in alterations to snow spatiotemporal patterns. This study focuses on snow phenology patterns in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) from 2000-2024, utilizing the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Snow Cover Product at a 500-metre resolution. The use of this product will allow for snow-on and snow-off days in the CAA to be detected at a finer spatial resolution than previously possible. Utilization of the Normalized Difference Snow Index by MODIS, which calculates a percentage of snow cover within individual pixels, allows for first and final changes in snow-to-land cover, and vice versa, to be identified. This study proposes to analyze these pixels to highlight probable year-over-year shifts in phenological timing, additionally revealing regional differences in the snow-on and -off timings across the CAA. Space-based snow phenology will be supported by in situ observations to determine the local impacts on lake ice. The local distribution of snow will be monitored on two lakes, where uneven accumulation can alter ice phenology and thickness. The goal of this research is to highlight the intricacies of snow cover patterns on both large and small scales. Understanding the influencing factors on the variability of snow can promote the development of improved projections and responses to future climate scenarios in the Canadian High Arctic.