Maximum temperature drove snow cover expansion from the Arctic, 2000–2008

Investigating annual phenology of snow cover around the circumpolar Arctic is of significance for better grasping the effect of environment variation on global climate change, and previous studies found that temperature is the kernel climate feature interlinking with snow onset. However, how temperature closely drives snow cover expansion has not been fully exploited. Our analysis based on the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS) (i.e., SSM/I-SSMIS) data during 2000–2008 showed that the snow onset date (Do) was primarily driven by the maximum temperature approximately at the 22(nd) day in advance (termed as the optimal period, OP) in the Northern Hemisphere. Specifically, the spatial patterns of the Do trends are similar with the previous finding, e.g., east Europe and west Asia exhibiting the most notable Do delay, and the OP days in latitude show the principal trend of first decreasing and then increasing. These characteristics can be attributed to the variation of the maximum temperature feature in latitude. Overall, the derivation of the statistical rules of temperature driving snow cover expansion from the Arctic facilitates predicting the occurrence of snow and understanding various terrestrial processes.