In-situobservations and modeling of spring snowmelt processes in an Altay Mountains river basin

Abstract

Snowmelt is a principal source for ground-water recharge and stream flows in moun- tainous regions of northwestern China. Knowledge of the timing, magnitude, and processes of snowmelt under changing climate conditions is required for appropriate water resource manage- ment. The Utah energy balance (UEB) model was used to simulate the development and melting of spring (March 2012) snow cover at an observation site in the Kayiertesi River Basin in the Altay Mountains in Xinjiang. The modeled results were validated by field measurements and remotely sensed data. Results show that the simulation of the snowmelt process lasted for 24 days and the modeled snow water equivalent (SWE) closely matched the observed SWE, with a mean relative error of 7.2%. During the snowmelt process, net radiation was the major energy source of the snow layer. The variation of the snowmelt outflow was closely related to the snowmelt amounts and air temperature. The initial results of this modeling process show that our calibrated parameters were reasonable and the UEB model can be used for simulating and forecasting peak snowmelt outflows in this region. © 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) (DOI: 10.1117/1.JRS.8.084697)