Utilizing Landsat, Sentinel Image to Estimate Snow Cover Duration in Gara Mountain

Abstract

The study area is considered a mountainous environment with climatic characteristics that suit the nature of this study. It is located in the northern part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and it is part of a complex mountainous region according to the physiographic division of the surface of Iraq. On the other hand, it’s one of the most significant in terms of snow cover region in winter and spring season. No study has been done on this subject in the study area. In this study, Landsat data and geographic information system (GIS) techniques were used to analyze the duration of snow cover. After apply these technologies, snow cover duration maps (SCDM) for the duration (1989 – 1990) and (2022 – 2023) were extracted and analyzed. The maps show how long snow remains in each cell during these periods. This study suggested that there is an effect of terrain on snow cover duration, and this is due to the increase in air temperature.