A Study of Parameterization of Albedo on the Qiyi Glacier in Qilian Mountains,China

Surface albedos measured with an automatic weather station on the Qiyi Glacier,China,were analyzed for the periods of June 9 to September 27,2006 and July 1 to October 9,2007.By fitting the dataset of 2007,multiple factorial parameterized formulae of the surface albedo on glacier are put forward,which modify the snow albedo of the present hour as a function of time after snowfall,air temperature and cloudiness,and ice albedo just as a function of air temperature.The dataset of 2006 is used for the validating the fitting equations.In the observation period of 2007,the correlation coefficient between the simulated and observed glacier albedo is 0.973,and the mean absolute error(MAE) and root mean squared error(RMSE) between simulations and observations are 0.038 and 0.052,respectively.However,in the observation period of 2006,the correlation coefficient is 0.901,and the MAE and RMSE are 0.073 and 0.089,respectively.In general,simulations are in good agreement with observations.In particular the diurnal and daily fluctuations of albedo on the Qiyi glacier are simulated remarkably well.The parameterized formulae got by regression fitting approach for glacier albedo can be used in the glacier surface energy and mass balance models.