Data Sharing · Cold-Region Remote Sensing and Hydrology

River Ice Monitoring

River ice cover, long-term changes and spectral classification samples.

2 datasets

River ice 2026 released

Monthly River Ice Dataset for the Yellow River Basin (1987–2022)

Su Haiyang, Li Hongyi, Yang Yaru, He Rui, Liu Yiwei, Feng Yuanbao, Che Tao

A long time series of river ice cover in the Yellow River Basin, developed using Landsat surface reflectance imagery and machine learning, provides a basis for studying river ice distribution and change.

Coverage: Yellow River Basin
Time span: 1987–2022
Resolution: 30 m · Monthly
File format: GeoTIFF

Data citation

Su Haiyang, Li Hongyi, Yang Yaru, He Rui, Liu Yiwei, Feng Yuanbao, Che Tao. Monthly River Ice Dataset for the Yellow River Basin (1987–2022). National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, 2026. https://cstr.cn/CSTR:11738.11.NCDC.RIVER_ICE.DB7310.2026.

River ice spectra 2026 paper published

River Ice Spectral Classification Samples for the Tibetan Plateau (2000–2024)

Zhang Hanwen, Li Hongyi

A total of 24,674 pixel-level spectral samples were extracted from 356 winter scenes acquired by Landsat 5/7, Landsat 8/9 and Sentinel-2 across eight Tibetan Plateau basins, with labels for four river ice spectral classes.

Labels were determined through clustering and hierarchical visual interpretation. Request the sample data from the authors according to the paper’s data availability statement and cite the paper below.

Coverage: Eight basins on the Tibetan Plateau
Time span: 2000–2024 (winter)
Resolution: Pixel-level spectral samples

Data citation

Related paper

Hanwen Zhang, Hongyi Li. (2026). Optical River Ice Spectral Subclassification on the Tibetan Plateau: A Landsat 5–9 and Sentinel-2 Benchmark with Interpretable Machine Learning. Remote Sensing, 18(9), 1437. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18091437.

Surface Elevation

Surface elevation changes derived from satellite altimetry.

1 datasets

Surface elevation 2023 released · V2.0

High Spatial Resolution Elevation Change Dataset Derived from ICESat-2 Crossover Points for the Tibetan Plateau

Chen Tengfei, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian

ICESat-2 orbital crossover points record surface elevation changes on the Tibetan Plateau. Data in CSV and SHP formats support studies of changing glaciers, lakes, permafrost and other surface features.

Coverage: Tibetan Plateau
Time span: 2018–2022
Resolution: Discrete crossover points · Approx. 17 m footprint
File format: CSV / SHP

Data citation

Datasets

Chen, T., Li, H. & Wang, J. High spatial resolution elevation change dataset derived from ICESat-2 crossover points for the Tibetan Plateau (2018-2022)(V2.0). National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (2023). https://doi.org/10.11888/RemoteSen.tpdc.300749.

Related paper

Tengfei Chen, Jian Wang, Tao Che, Xiaohua Hao, Hongyi Li. (2024). High spatial resolution elevation change dataset derived from ICESat-2 crossover points on the Tibetan Plateau. Scientific Data, 11, 394. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03214-2.

Snow and Snow Water Resources

Observations of snow phenology, snow water equivalent, snowmelt runoff and blowing snow.

4 datasets

Snow and blowing snow 2025 released

Snow Mass Balance and Transport Observations at Yakou Station (2014–2017)

Li Hongyi, Che Tao, Zhang Yang

Observations include snow water equivalent, corrected precipitation, blowing-snow fluxes at 1 m, 2 m and 3 m heights, wind speed and direction, and evaporation and sublimation derived from eddy covariance measurements. These support analysis of snowfall, wind transport and sublimation contributions to snow mass balance.

Times are in UTC; missing values are marked NaN. Data are licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Coverage: Yakou Station, Qilian Mountains (4,147 m elevation)
Time span: January 2014–December 2017
Resolution: Station observations · 6-hourly
File format: CSV

Data citation

Datasets

Li, H., Che, T., Zhang, Y. (2025). Snow mass balance and transport observations from Yakou snow observation station, Tibetan Plateau (2014-2017). National Tibetan Plateau / Third Pole Environment Data Center. https://doi.org/10.11888/Cryos.tpdc.302345.

Related paper

Hongyi Li, Tao Che, Yang Zhang. (2025). Wind Shaped Winter Snow Mass Balance at High Altitude: Insights From an Integrated Snow Observation System. Water Resources Research, 61(12), e2025WR039885. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025WR039885.

Snow phenology 2022 released

Snow Phenology Dataset for the Next Thirty Years at the Chongli Venue of the Beijing Winter Olympics

Yang Yaru, Zhao Chunlei, Shao Donghang, Ji Wenzheng, Li Hongyi

CMIP6 climate scenarios and the GBEHM model are combined to project snow-cover days, snow onset and end dates, and consecutive snow-cover days for the Chongli venue in Zhangjiakou, supporting snow resource assessment.

Coverage: Chongli venue, Zhangjiakou
Time span: 2021–2050 (scenario projections)
Resolution: 1 km · Annual phenology metrics
File format: NetCDF

Data citation

Datasets

Yang Yaru, Zhao Chunlei, Shao Donghang, Ji Wenzheng, Li Hongyi. Snow Phenology Dataset for the Next Thirty Years at the Chongli Venue of the Beijing Winter Olympics. National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, 2022. https://doi.org/10.12072/ncdc.I-SNOW.db1807.2022.

Related paper

YANG Yaru, ZHAO Chunlei, LI Hongyi, SHAO Donghang, JI Wenzheng. (2022). A dataset of snow cover phenology for the next 30 years in Zhangjiakou Venue Cluster of the Olympics Winter Games Beijing 2022. China Scientific Data, 7(3), 70-83. https://doi.org/10.11922/11-6035.ncdc.2021.0023.zh.

Snow water resources 2021 released

Snow Water Resources Dataset for the Upper Heihe River Basin (2000–2015)

Niu Liting, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian

Three products—snowmelt runoff depth, snow water equivalent and snowmelt runoff coefficient—were developed using the distributed cold-region hydrological model GBEHM, calibration with remote sensing data, and ground snow surveys.

Snowmelt runoff depth and snow water equivalent are daily products; the snowmelt runoff coefficient is annual.

Coverage: Upper Heihe River Basin
Time span: 2000–2015
Resolution: 1 km · Daily / Annual
File format: GeoTIFF

Data citation

Datasets

Niu Liting, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian. Snowmelt Runoff Depth in the Upper Heihe River Basin, 2000–2015. National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, 2021. https://doi.org/10.12072/ncdc.I-SNOW.db0009.2021.

Niu Liting, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian. Snow Water Equivalent in the Upper Heihe River Basin, 2000–2015. National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, 2021. https://doi.org/10.12072/ncdc.I-SNOW.db0018.2021.

Niu Liting, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian. Snowmelt Runoff Coefficient in the Upper Heihe River Basin, 2000–2015. National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, 2021. https://doi.org/10.12072/ncdc.I-SNOW.db0019.2021.

Related paper

NIU Liting, LI Hongyi, WANG Jian. (2022). A dataset of snow cover water resources in the upper reaches of Heihe River Basin during 2000–2015. China Scientific Data, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.11922/11-6035.ncdc.2021.0035.zh.

Snow water equivalent 2021 released

Arctic Snow Water Equivalent Grid Dataset (1979–2019)

Li Hongyi, Shao Donghang, Li Haojie, Wang Weiguo, Ma Yuan, Lei Huajin

Ridge regression integrates multiple snow water equivalent products into a continuous daily dataset for land north of 45°N, supporting snow-change analysis and hydrological and climate modelling.

Coverage: Land between 45°N and 90°N
Time span: 1979–2019
Resolution: 10 km · Daily
File format: NetCDF

Data citation

Datasets

Li, H., Shao, D., Li, H., Wang, W., Ma, Y., Lei, H. (2021). Arctic Snow Water Equivalent Grid Dataset (1979-2019). National Tibetan Plateau / Third Pole Environment Data Center. https://doi.org/10.11888/Snow.tpdc.271556.

Related paper

Shao Donghang, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian, Hao Xiaohua, Che Tao, Ji Wenzheng. (2022). Reconstruction of a daily gridded snow water equivalent product for the land region above 45° N based on a ridge regression machine learning approach. Earth System Science Data, 14(2), 795-809. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-795-2022.

Precipitation

Gridded precipitation data for cold-region hydrological applications.

1 datasets

Precipitation 2020 released

Gridded Precipitation Dataset for the Tibetan Plateau with Improved Frequency Distribution and Wind Correction (1980–2009)

Ma Jiapei, Li Hongyi

Daily precipitation data for the Tibetan Plateau combine correction of wind-induced gauge undercatch with improved precipitation frequency distributions in spatial interpolation, supporting precipitation statistics and model bias correction.

Coverage: Tibetan Plateau
Time span: 1980–2009
Resolution: 10 km · Daily
File format: NetCDF

Data citation

Datasets

Ma Jiapei, Li Hongyi. Gridded Precipitation Dataset for the Tibetan Plateau with Improved Frequency Distribution and Wind Correction (1980–2009). National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, 2020. https://doi.org/10.12072/ncdc.NIEER.db0108.2020.

Related paper

Ma Jiapei, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian, Hao Xiaohua, Shao Donghang, Lei Huajin. (2020). Reducing the Statistical Distribution Error in Gridded Precipitation Data for the Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Hydrometeorology, 21(11), 2641-2654. https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-20-0096.1.