{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T23:59:26Z","timestamp":1777507166977,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,16]],"date-time":"2015-07-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1437004800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Chinese Academy of Sciences Action Plan for West Development Project","award":["KZCX2-XB3-15"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KZCX2-XB3-15"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["91225302"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["91225302"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["91325203"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["91325203"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>High-resolution snow distributions are essential for studying cold regions. However, the temporal and spatial resolutions of current remote sensing snow maps remain limited. Remotely sensed snow cover fraction (SCF) data only provide quantitative descriptions of snow area proportions and do not provide information on subgrid-scale snow locations. We present a downscaling method based on simulated inhomogeneous snow ablation capacities that are driven by air temperature and solar radiation data.  This method employs a single parameter to adjust potential snow ablation capacities. Using this method, SCF data with a resolution of 500 m are downscaled to a resolution of 30 m. Then, 18 remotely sensed TM, CHRIS and EO-1 snow maps are used to verify the downscaled results. The mean overall accuracy is 0.69, the average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of snow-covered slopes between the downscaled snow map and the real snow map is 3.9\u00b0, and the average RMSE of the sine of the snow covered aspects between the downscaled snow map and the real snow map is 0.34, which is equivalent to 19.9\u00b0. This method can be applied to high-resolution snow mapping in similar mountainous regions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs70708995","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,16]],"date-time":"2015-07-16T10:11:44Z","timestamp":1437041504000},"page":"8995-9019","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Downscaling Snow Cover Fraction Data in Mountainous Regions Based on Simulated Inhomogeneous Snow Ablation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7583-6003","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hong","family":"Li","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"},{"name":"Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yong","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecology System, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xiao","family":"Hao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"},{"name":"Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tao","family":"Che","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"},{"name":"Heihe Remote Sensing Experimental Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"},{"name":"CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jian","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Gansu Province, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6530-1475","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xiao","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecology System, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"210","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gloplacha.2008.02.001","article-title":"Cryospheric change in China","volume":"62","author":"Li","year":"2008","journal-title":"Glob. Planet. Chang."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2195","DOI":"10.5194\/hess-15-2195-2011","article-title":"Simulation of snow distribution and melt under cloudy conditions in an Alpine watershed","volume":"15","author":"Li","year":"2011","journal-title":"Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1820","DOI":"10.1175\/JCLI3694.1","article-title":"Snow cover distribution, variability, and response to climate change in Western China","volume":"19","author":"Qin","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Clim."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1275","DOI":"10.1029\/97WR03755","article-title":"Estimating the spatial distribution of snow in mountain basins using remote sensing and energy balance modeling","volume":"34","author":"Cline","year":"1998","journal-title":"Water Resour. Res."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1007\/s11430-014-5029-7","article-title":"A distributed scheme developed for eco-hydrological modeling in the upper Heihe River","volume":"58","author":"Yang","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sci. China Earth Sci."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"709","DOI":"10.1029\/WR016i004p00709","article-title":"A clear-sky spectral solar radiation model for snow-covered mountainous terrain","volume":"16","author":"Dozier","year":"1980","journal-title":"Water Resour. Res."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"369","DOI":"10.3189\/172756400781820066","article-title":"Intercomparison of satellite-derived snow-cover maps","volume":"31","author":"Hall","year":"2000","journal-title":"Ann. Glaciol."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2014.09.026","article-title":"Fractional snow cover estimation in complex alpine-forested environments using an artificial neural network","volume":"156","author":"Hirschboeck","year":"2015","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yang, J., Jiang, L., M\u00e9nard, C.B., Luojus, K., Lemmetyinen, J., and Pulliainen, J. (2015). Evaluation of snow products over the Tibetan Plateau. Hydrol. Process.","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.10427"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1029\/95WR02718","article-title":"Automated mapping of montane snow cover at subpixel resolution from the Landsat Thematic Mapper","volume":"32","author":"Rosenthal","year":"1996","journal-title":"Water Resour. Res."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"084687","DOI":"10.1117\/1.JRS.8.084687","article-title":"Remote sensing for snow hydrology in China: Challenges and perspectives","volume":"8","author":"Wang","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Appl. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"980","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.9636","article-title":"Evaluation of the MODIS snow cover fraction product","volume":"28","author":"Arsenault","year":"2012","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2003.10.016","article-title":"Estimating fractional snow cover from MODIS using the normalized difference snow index","volume":"89","author":"Salomonson","year":"2004","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"868","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2009.01.001","article-title":"Retrieval of subpixel snow covered area, grain size, and albedo from MODIS","volume":"113","author":"Painter","year":"2009","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"650","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.7857","article-title":"Improvement of distributed snowmelt energy balance modeling with MODIS-based NDSI-derived fractional snow-covered area data","volume":"25","author":"Homan","year":"2011","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"W10529","DOI":"10.1029\/2012WR011971","article-title":"Snow cover dynamics of four lake basins over Tibetan Plateau using time series MODIS data (2001\u20132010)","volume":"48","author":"Zhang","year":"2012","journal-title":"Water Resour. Res."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhydrol.2010.01.022","article-title":"Toward advanced daily cloud-free snow cover and snow water equivalent products from Terra-Aqua MODIS and Aqua AMSR-E measurements","volume":"385","author":"Gao","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Hydrol."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1361","DOI":"10.5194\/hess-13-1361-2009","article-title":"Cloud removal methodology from MODIS snow cover product","volume":"13","author":"Gafurov","year":"2009","journal-title":"Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"496","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2009.10.007","article-title":"Development and evaluation of a cloud-gap-filled MODIS daily snow-cover product","volume":"114","author":"Hall","year":"2010","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"413","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rse.2014.07.001","article-title":"A physiographic approach to downscaling fractional snow cover data in mountainous regions","volume":"152","author":"Walters","year":"2014","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.3189\/2013AoG62A162","article-title":"Modeling the spatial distribution of snow water equivalent, taking into account changes in snow-covered area","volume":"54","author":"Skaugen","year":"2013","journal-title":"Ann. Glaciol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"355","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.5543","article-title":"Statistical probability distribution of snow depth at the model sub-grid cell spatial scale","volume":"19","author":"Marchand","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1381","DOI":"10.1175\/1520-0442(2004)017<1381:RSSCHI>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Representing subgrid snow cover heterogeneities in regional and global models","volume":"17","author":"Liston","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Clim."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1409","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.1420","article-title":"The application of depletion curves for parameterization of subgrid variability of snow","volume":"18","author":"Luce","year":"2004","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2363","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.6060","article-title":"Updating of snow depletion curve with remote sensing data","volume":"20","author":"Kolberg","year":"2006","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3965","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.7034","article-title":"The influence of resolution and topographic uncertainty on melt modelling using hypsometric sub-grid parameterization","volume":"22","author":"Hebeler","year":"2008","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1175\/JHM486.1","article-title":"A meteorological distribution system for high-resolution terrestrial modeling (MicroMet)","volume":"7","author":"Liston","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Hydrometeorol."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1329","DOI":"10.1002\/(SICI)1099-1085(199610)10:10<1329::AID-HYP464>3.0.CO;2-W","article-title":"Incorporating radiation inputs into the snowmelt runoff model","volume":"10","author":"Brubaker","year":"1996","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"169","DOI":"10.1016\/0022-1694(95)02913-3","article-title":"Snowmelt modelling by combining air temperature and a distributed radiation index","volume":"181","author":"Cazorzi","year":"1996","journal-title":"J. Hydrol."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1503","DOI":"10.1016\/j.advwatres.2008.07.017","article-title":"Estimating the distribution of snow water equivalent using remotely sensed snow cover data and a spatially distributed snowmelt model: A multi-resolution, multi-sensor comparison","volume":"31","author":"Molotch","year":"2008","journal-title":"Adv. Water Resour."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"W12549","DOI":"10.1029\/2010WR009434","article-title":"Using repeated patterns in snow distribution modeling: An Arctic example","volume":"46","author":"Sturm","year":"2010","journal-title":"Water Resour. Res."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1177\/001316446002000104","article-title":"A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales","volume":"20","author":"Cohen","year":"1960","journal-title":"Educ. Psychol. Meas."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.2307\/2529310","article-title":"The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data","volume":"33","author":"Landis","year":"1977","journal-title":"Biometrics"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"127","DOI":"10.1016\/0034-4257(95)00137-P","article-title":"Development of methods for mapping global snow cover using moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer data","volume":"54","author":"Hall","year":"1995","journal-title":"Remote Sens. Environ."},{"key":"ref_35","first-page":"132","article-title":"Evaluation of the NDSI threshold value in mapping snow cover of MODIS\u2014A case study of snow in the Middle Qilian Mountains","volume":"30","author":"Hao","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Glaciol. Geocryol."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1145","DOI":"10.1175\/BAMS-D-12-00154.1","article-title":"Heihe Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (HiWATER): Scientific objectives and experimental design","volume":"94","author":"Li","year":"2013","journal-title":"Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1159","DOI":"10.1007\/s11430-015-5074-x","article-title":"Integrated research methods in watershed science","volume":"58","author":"Cheng","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sci. China Earth Sci."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"413","DOI":"10.1093\/nsr\/nwu017","article-title":"Integrated study of the water-ecosystem-economy in the Heihe River Basin","volume":"1","author":"Cheng","year":"2014","journal-title":"Natl. Sci. Rev."},{"key":"ref_39","unstructured":"Flerchinger, G.N. The Simultaneous Heat and Water (SHAW) Model, Available online: http:\/\/www.ars.usda.gov\/SP2UserFiles\/Place\/20520000\/ShawDocumentation.pdf."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1351","DOI":"10.13031\/2013.22051","article-title":"Evaluation of the SHAW model in simulating the components of net all-wave radiation","volume":"49","author":"Xiao","year":"2006","journal-title":"Trans. ASABE"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1016\/0168-1923(85)90079-6","article-title":"An equation for separating daily solar irradiation into direct and diffuse components","volume":"35","author":"Bristow","year":"1985","journal-title":"Agric. For. Meteorol."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"DeWalle, D.R., and Rango, A. (2008). Principles of Snow Hydrology, Cambridge University Press.","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511535673"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1166","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhydrol.2014.04.059","article-title":"\u201cAs simple as possible but not simpler\u201d: What is useful in a temperature-based snow-accounting routine? Part 1\u2014Comparison of six snow accounting routines on 380 catchments","volume":"517","author":"Perrin","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Hydrol."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"W04503","DOI":"10.1029\/2010WR010008","article-title":"A theoretical assessment of heat transfer by ventilation in homogeneous snowpacks","volume":"47","author":"Bartlett","year":"2011","journal-title":"Water Resour. Res."},{"key":"ref_45","first-page":"D17113","article-title":"Assimilating Doppler radar radial velocity and reflectivity observations in the weather research and forecasting model by a proper orthogonal-decomposition-based ensemble, three-dimensional variational assimilation method","volume":"117","author":"Pan","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Geophys. Res."},{"key":"ref_46","unstructured":"Maidment, D.R. (1993). Handbook of Hydrology, MCGRAW-HILL Professional."},{"key":"ref_47","first-page":"124","article-title":"Role of blowing snow in snow processes in Qilian Mountainous region","volume":"6","author":"Li","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sci. Cold Arid Reg."},{"key":"ref_48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2557","DOI":"10.1002\/hyp.7348","article-title":"Modelling blowing snow redistribution to prairie wetlands","volume":"23","author":"Fang","year":"2009","journal-title":"Hydrol. Process."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"745","DOI":"10.1175\/1525-7541(2004)005<0745:POBSIA>2.0.CO;2","article-title":"Parameterization of blowing-snow sublimation in a macroscale hydrology model","volume":"5","author":"Bowling","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Hydrometeorol."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"084691:1","DOI":"10.1117\/1.JRS.8.084691","article-title":"Fractional snow-cover mapping using an improved endmember extraction algorithm","volume":"8","author":"Zhang","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Appl. Remote Sens."},{"key":"ref_51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"367","DOI":"10.1016\/j.advwatres.2012.03.002","article-title":"Assessment of methods for mapping snow cover from MODIS","volume":"51","author":"Rittger","year":"2013","journal-title":"Adv. Water Resour."}],"container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/7\/7\/8995\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T20:49:16Z","timestamp":1760215756000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-4292\/7\/7\/8995"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,16]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2015,7]]}},"alternative-id":["rs70708995"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/rs70708995","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-4292"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-4292","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2015,7,16]]}}}