The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (TP) is one of the most sensitive areas to climate change, and its ecological environment changes directly or indirectly reflect the global climate change trend. The snow cover ratio (SCR) is an important indicator reflecting the climate and environmental changes of the TP. The daily remote sensing data of snow cover on the TP from 2003 to 2014 were used to study the spatio-temporal distribution of snow cover on the TP. The results have shown that the average snowmelt day on the TP starts on the 103rd day and ends on the 223rd day of a year, and the snowmelt duration has a downward trend. Snow is mainly distributed in the Nyainqentanglha Mountains, Karakoram Mountains and Himalayas. The SCR in summer has a downward trend, while in autumn has a rising trend. This shows that the difference in SCR during the year has enlarged, increasing the risk of snowmelt floods. The SCR is highly correlated with temperature, but weakly correlated with precipitation. Using the long-term remote sensing data of snow cover, the distribution of glacier coverage on the TP can be extracted, in which glaciers on the TP account for about 1%. This research provides an important reference for in-depth understanding of the snow cover changes on the TP and their impact on the environment.
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