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Abstract

The complex morphology of river ice on the Tibetan Plateau poses challenges to remote sensing of river ice. To address these problems, we conducted a series of studies on the Tibetan Plateau, developed a retrieval algorithm for river ice distribution, analyzed the evolution features of river ice at the watershed scale, and made a preliminary assessment of river ice phenology on the Tibetan Plateau with high spatial and temporal resolution. A river ice difference index (RDRI) based on the difference of spectral features of river ice was developed to overcome the interference of similar features such as snow to extract river ice accurately. Based on the RDRI method, we further utilized the orbital overlap of Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 satellites to extract the river ice distribution in different watersheds and climate zones of the Tibetan Plateau. This method significantly improves the temporal resolution of river ice monitoring. We also developed a statistical inversion method for river ice based on dual-polarization C-band SAR data. River ice thickness was retrieved from dual-polarization Sentinel-1 data, and the developmental state of river ice and radar images were taken into account to study two high-order rivers. Our study provides a reference for understanding river ice phenology and river ice processes in the Tibetan Plateau.