HR: 0800h
AN: C21B-0466    [Abstracts]
TI: Terrain and forest shelter effects on snowcover energetics, patterns of snow deposition, snowmelt and runoff over a semi-arid mountain catchment
AU: * Marks, D
EM: danny@nwrc.ars.usda.gov
AF: USDA-ARS NWRC, 800 Park Blvd, Suite 105, Boise, Ida 83712-7716, United States
AU: Winstral, A
EM: awinstra@nwrc.ars.usda.gov
AF: USDA-ARS NWRC, 800 Park Blvd, Suite 105, Boise, Ida 83712-7716, United States
AU: Pomeroy, J
EM: john.pomeroy@usask.ca
AF: Department of Geography, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sas S7N 5C8, Canada
AU: nayak, A
EM: nayakanurag@gmail.com
AF: Biological and Irrigation Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Uta 84322, United States
AU: Reba, M
EM: mreba@nwrc.ars.usda.gov
AF: Civil Engineering, CER, University of Idaho, Boise, Ida 83702, United States
AB: In mountainous regions, topographic and vegetation structure control snowcover energetics, patterns of snow deposition, meteorological conditions, snowmelt and runoff. A topographically distributed snow accumulation and melt model (ISNOBAL) is coupled to a wind field and snow redistribution model to simulate the development and ablation of the seasonal snowcover over a small mountainous catchment, the Reynolds Mountain East basin in southwestern Idaho, USA. Simulations were conducted for 9 water years (1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2006) representing a range of wet and dry, warm and cold conditions. Simulated patterns of snowcover energetics, mass balance and surface water input for each water year are shown. Discussion and analysis of how distributions of snowcover energetics, development, melt and ablation response to dry and wet, and warm and cold snow season conditions is presented. Snow redistribution in relation to drift and scour zones, and vegetation shelter under the range of conditions presented is analyzed. The details of select events, such as mid-winter melt, rain-on-snow, early spring wind and high radiation are evaluated and discussed. This research will improve our understanding of how the structure of topography and vegetation influences snowcover distribution, energetics, hydrology and water resources in snow and wind-dominated mountainous regions.
DE: 0736 Snow (1827, 1863)
DE: 0740 Snowmelt
DE: 0762 Mass balance (1218, 1223)
DE: 0764 Energy balance
DE: 0798 Modeling
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting