Analysis of snow depth distribution focusing on vegetation and topographic features in Japan

Airborne laser scanning technology has become widely used and has made it possible to measure the height of a wide range of ground surfaces. In this study, we conducted a basic analysis of the relationship between snow depth and vegetation/topographic features using airborne laser scanning in the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido. The vegetation was differentiated between forest areas and non-forest areas, and topographic features such as elevation, overground-openness, slope angle, and slope aspect were selected for analysis. As a result, trends in spatial variability of snow depth differed significantly between forest and non-forest areas, clearly confirming the influence of vegetation. Spatial variability was relatively smaller inside the forest than outside the forest. In terms of topographic features, a clear relationship with overground-openness and slope aspect (non-forest only) was found. We also confirmed that our findings are generally consistent in quantitative terms with those of previous studies, showing that the spatial heterogeneity of snow depth is smaller in forest areas and greater in non-forest areas.