Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The dynamics of snow cover have substantial effects on regional climate patterns, ecological conditions, and water supplies, among other environmental processes. This study focuses on the relationship between snow cover and land surface temperature (LST) and investigates the spatiotemporal fluctuations in snow cover in Gilgit Baltistan, North Pakistan. Landsat satellite images and in-situ data gathered over several years is used in the analysis. In this study, different indices are utilized like normalized difference snow index (NDSI), Normalized difference vegetation Index (NDVI), and Land Surface Temperature (LST) from Landsat images using the google earth engine. Satellite-based sensors and ground-based measurements will be used. Statistical approaches and geospatial techniques will be taken into account to examine the connection between LST and snow cover dynamics. This study reveals the spatiotemporal variations in snow cover, distinct seasonal patterns across, the influence of land surface temperature on snow cover dynamics, and snow extent and snow melt across Gilgit Baltistan. The results of this study advance our knowledge of the dynamics of snow cover in mountainous areas and shed light on the interaction between snowmelt processes and land surface temperature and the overall climate change in the region. In Gilgit Baltistan and other snow-dominated areas, the findings can guide water resource management, climate change assessments, and hazard mitigation methods.