Abstract
A simple model of runoff in West Greenland is proposed for the case that glaciers are in a state of balance. The independent variables in the model are estimated annual precipitation and evaporation while model parameters are evaluated by analyses of precipitation series from Greenland, and mass balance series from other parts of the world. The model ean be applied to ungauged basins for preliminary calculations of mean mnoff, reservoir capacities and relative error in mean runoff. Application of the model to sixteen proposed hydropower projects in West Greenland shows an order-of-magnitude agreement with earlier estimates. However, a more detailed analysis of runoff from Johan Dahl Land confirms that the mnoff there is less than originally estimated. The proposed reservoir appears to be adequate for 30-year storage but the design yield of the project must be reduced for safety. The shortcomings of the model should be obvious. They ean be best overcorne by an improved knowledge of hydrological conditions in the country resulting from systematic field observations.
Highlights
BACKGROUNDThe possibility of generating hydropower in Greenland has received growing attention in the last decade
There are no long glacier runoff or mass balance series from Greenland
Areas and physiographic characteristics were determined for a total of 870 basins, covering an area of 484000 km2, and rough estimates of water balances were made using simple regional models
Summary
The possibility of generating hydropower in Greenland has received growing attention in the last decade. The work described in the present report is intended as an extension of the approach of Weidick & Olesen (1978, 1980) It concerns the development of a regional hydrological model which purports to calculate mean runoff from ungauged basins. Where f3 is the coefficient of variation of the annual runoff for a mean glacier balance of zero. From the above it is clear that the most important hydrological information required for preliminary design of hydropower projects are estimates of the mean runoff qo and the coefficient of variation fJ. The term under the square root will tend to a minimum for a basin with a fairly high degree of glacierization, e.g. a about 0.6 to 0.8, so that glacier-cover in a basin will tend to make the runoff smoother compared to an unglacierized basin
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