Snow Hydrology
Observing blowing snow, sublimation and snowmelt; tracing snowmelt contributions to runoff; and reconstructing snow cover and snow water equivalent.
Blowing Snow and Snow Mass Balance
At Yakou station, 4,147 m above sea level on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, combined observations from a DFIR wind-shielded precipitation gauge, a GMON snow water equivalent sensor, FlowCapt snow-transport sensors and eddy-covariance instruments record snowfall, wind-driven snow transport and sublimation. A study published in Water Resources Research in 2025 incorporated instrument errors into a probabilistic classification to identify wind-driven deposition, erosion, and mixed snowfall and snow-transport events.
The supporting observational dataset covers 2014–2017 at six-hour intervals. Read about the research →
Snowmelt Pathways and Contributions to Runoff
We trace snowmelt through hillslopes, soils, groundwater and river channels in an integrated hydrological model to analyse the spatial and temporal distribution of snowmelt inputs and delays in runoff generation. The methodology was published in JGR: Atmospheres (2019).
Recent studies further examine spring snowmelt contributions to runoff and their changes in the source region of the Yangtze River (2025) and elevation-dependent variations in snowmelt contributions in the central Tibetan Plateau (2026).
Snow Remote Sensing and Data Reconstruction
We combine forward and inverse models to reconstruct snow albedo, and simulate snow-surface spectral reflectance for satellite observations within a land-surface model. Our snow water equivalent product uses ridge regression and provides daily data at 10 km resolution for land north of 45°N during 1979–2019.
Regional datasets include snow water resources in the upper Heihe River basin for 2000–2015 and scenario projections of snow phenology in the Zhangjiakou competition zone for 2021–2050.
Recent publications
All 29 publications and citations →Abrupt shift in elevation-dependent snowmelt contribution in the Central Tibetan Plateau
Full citation
Zixiang Li, Hongyi Li, Weixin Xu, Yaru Yang, Rui He, Yiwei Liu, Yuanbao Feng, Na Dai. (2026). Abrupt shift in elevation-dependent snowmelt contribution in the Central Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 66, 103634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.103634
Wind Shaped Winter Snow Mass Balance at High Altitude: Insights From an Integrated Snow Observation System
Full citation
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
Runoff contribution of spring snowmelt in the source region of the Yangtze River and its variation characteristics
Full citation
Zixiang Li, Weixin Xu, Hongyi Li, Na Dai, Kunlin Huang, Yaru Yang, Lidong Li, Jingke Si. (2025). Runoff contribution of spring snowmelt in the source region of the Yangtze River and its variation characteristics. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 58, 102295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102295
Adaptability analysis of snow in the Zhangjiakou competition zone of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games for the next 30 years
Full citation
Shao Donghang, Li Hongyi, Wang Jian, Hao Xiaohua, Niu Liting. (2023). Adaptability analysis of snow in the Zhangjiakou competition zone of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games for the next 30 years. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 46, 101358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2023.101358
A dataset of snow cover water resources in the upper reaches of Heihe River Basin during 2000–2015
Full citation
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
A dataset of snow cover phenology for the next 30 years in Zhangjiakou Venue Cluster of the Olympics Winter Games Beijing 2022
Full citation
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
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Integrated Snow Observations Reveal Frequent Winter Blowing-Snow Events on the Plateau
Professors Hongyi Li and Tao Che and engineer Yang Zhang of the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of …
Annual Snow and Ice Survey of Hexi Inland Rivers Completed
From November 25 to December 1, 2025, supported by a key project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s Regional Joint Fund, the research …
Team Morning Run
The team enjoyed a morning run together along the Yellow River greenway, taking in a beautiful summer morning. Team group photograph during the morning run
Hongyi Li Presents at the INARCH Annual Meeting
Professor Hongyi Li attended the 2024 annual meeting of the International Network for Alpine Research Catchment Hydrology (INARCH), held on October 14–18, 2024. …
Downscaled Snow Depth Product from Passive Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing
Xiaohua Hao’s research team proposed a downscaled snow depth retrieval algorithm that couples deep learning with a snow microwave radiative transfer …
MODIS-Based Fractional Snow Cover Product for High Mountain Asia
Xiaohua Hao’s research team developed a MODIS-based fractional snow cover product for High Mountain Asia for 2000–2022 using machine learning. Fractional …