ESTIMATED SNOWMELT INFILTRATION AND RUNOFF FOR THE PRAIRIE PROVINCES

Abstract

A revised version of the Versatile Soil Moisture Budget model, which included an algorithm for infiltration into frozen soils, was utilized to simulate snowmelt infiltration and runoff for the agricultural region of the Prairie Provinces of Canada. Thirty years of daily data from 78 climatological stations within the Prairie region were used in the model to produce maps of the average annual winter precipitation, snow water equivalent, and runoff for fallow and stubble lands.The average annual water equivalent of snowcovers within the region ranged between 25 mm and 60 mm on fallow land and between 35 mm and 85 mm on stubble land. Snowmelt infiltration did not vary widely throughout the region ranging from 17 to 23 mm for fallow and from 23 to 33 mm for stubble. Average annual snowmelt runoff ranged between 10 mm and 40 mm for fallow and between 15 and 55 mm for stubble. Average annual runoff for the three years with highest runoff was approximately double that of the 30-year average.