Abstract

Surface albedo is one of the most important parameters for the balance of surface radiation energy. Long-term records of surface albedo allow for the further understanding of regional, even global, land cover processes and the monitoring of the variation of land cover caused by natural processes and human disturbance. In this paper, we took Hengshui in China as a study case and obtained both high spatial (30m) and high temporal (8-day) resolution surface albedo data by blending the Landsat images and Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS) surface albedo products using the spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion model (STARFM) algorithm. The results show that the synthetic surface albedo, estimated by STARFM, can accurately describe the temporal and spatial distribution of surface albedo. The annual average albedo shows the heterogeneity during 2001-2015 in Hengshui, which is lower in the northern region and higher in the southern region. Owing to the snow cover in winter and the change in crop growth conditions, the surface albedo has an obvious seasonal difference and presents a U-shape curve in a year, with the highest albedo in winter. The average albedo in late April is higher in the south of Hengshui, which is mostly related to the local mulching of the plastic film during the period of cotton sowing. The albedo fluctuates greatly in the cotton planting area covered plastic film. The use of plastic film increases the surface albedo of Jizhou in March and April.