Modeling hydrological process in a glacier basin on the central Tibetan Plateau with a distributed hydrology soil vegetation model

Abstract

AbstractA mass and energy balance‐based glacier melt module was coupled with the spatially distributed hydrological soil vegetation model and used to simulate the basin‐scale water and energy balance in the Zhadang glacier basin. Observed hourly meteorological data from 2011 to 2014 were used as model forcing data. The basin‐scale simulations were evaluated at both the point and areal scales using albedo, temperature, and height change on the glacier surface, as well as the mass balance and streamflow of the whole basin. The analysis showed that the model could effectively reproduce the key elements of the energy and mass balance of the Zhadang basin. The analysis demonstrates that radiation was the most important energy component accounting for 80% of total surface energy. On average, glacier runoff contributed to 64% of the total basin discharge during the study period. The overall streamflow was controlled by the glacier mass balance in 2012 and 2014, while temperature and precipitation affected hydrological processes the most during 2011 and 2013. Both high temperature and precipitation resulted in high total basin streamflow but via different mechanisms. High temperatures increase glacier mass loss and glacier melt runoff, whereas high precipitation decreases glacier melt runoff but produces high runoff in nonglacier areas. The early onset of the Indian monsoon with high snowfall reduces glacier surface melt but sustains basin discharge, positively affecting for water resources.