Abstract
Most of the watershed models contain snowmelt-computing options but there are modelling difficulties in snow-covered watersheds either due to paucity of data or in addressing snowmelt computation weakly. The temperature index (TI) and/or energy balance (EB algorithms of HEC-1, NWSRFS, PRMS, SHE, SRM, SSARR, SWAT, TANK, and UBC models have been investigated. The performance has been evaluated at the point (station specific) snowmelt computation with and without snowpack accounting. The computations have been performed for Solang station at 2 485 m altitude located in the western Himalayas. Springtime weekly snow and meteorological data of 1 983, 2003, and 2008 have been used. Data year 2008 has been used for weekly simulation with the observed snowpack ablation. The probability of success in simulating the snowmelt using TI/EB of all the models in average is 0.77. Nash-Sutcliffe (NS) efficiency coefficients for simulation with snowpack accounting are found to vary between 0.84 and 0.97. Although NS coefficients for verification year 2003 are satisfactory (0.5 to 0.88) but snowmelt prediction/verification efficiency at an interval of 25 years (1983) is below average. However, verification on probability criteria for data year 1983 in the case of TI/EB is 0.63/0.48. Results from EB approach show wind dependent fluctuations. Uncertainty arises due to inter-decadal variability of the snowpack/snowmelt. The approach applied in this paper is valuable in order to have a quick evaluation of snowmelt algorithm before integrating it with any operational watershed model.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson EA (1973) National Weather Service River Forecast System snow accumulation and ablation model. NOAA-Technical Memorandum. NWS-Hydro-17: 219p
Arora M, Singh P, Goel NK, Singh RD (2008) Climate variability influences on hydrological responses in a large Himalayan Basin. Water Resour Manage 22:1461–1475
Bergstrom S (1975) The development of a snow routine for the HBV-2 model. Nordic Hydrol 6:73–92
Braithwaite RJ, Olesen OB (1990) A simple energy-balance model to calculate ice ablation at the margin of the Greenland ice sheet. J Glaciol 36(123):222–228
Brubaker K, Rango A, Kustas W (1996) Incorporating radiation inputs into the snowmelt runoff model. Hydrol Process 10:1329–1343
Chen X, Yang T, Wang X, Xu CY, Yu Z (2013) Uncertainty intercomparison of different hydrological models in simulating extreme flows. Water Resour Manage 27:1393–1409
David GT, Al-Adhami MJ, Bowles DS (1991) A preliminary comparison of snowmelt models for erosion prediction. In Proc. of the Western Snow Conference, Juneau, Alaska, pp 79–90
Debele B, Srinivasan R, Gosain AK (2010) Comparison of process-based and temperature-index snowmelt modelling in SWAT. Water Resour Manage 24:1065–1088
Ferguson RI (1999) Snowmelt runoff models. Prog Phys Geogr 23(2):205–227
Fontaine TA, Cruickshank TS, Arnold JG, Hotchkiss RH (2002) Development of a snowfall-snowmelt routine for mountainous terrain for the soil water assessment tool (SWAT). J Hydrol 262:209–223
Forsythe N, Fowler HJ, Kilsby CG, Archer DR (2012) Opportunities from remote sensing for supporting water resources management in village/valley scale catchments in upper Indu Basin. Water Resour Manage 26:845–871. doi:10.1007/s11269-011-9933-8
Hock R (2003) Temperature index melt modeling in mountain areas. J Hydrol 282:104–115
Hanggi P, Weingartner R (2012) Variations in discharge volumes for hydropower generation in Switzerland. Water Resour Manage 26:1231–1252. doi:10.1007/s11269-011-9956-1
Jain SK, Goswami A, Saraf AK (2009) Role of elevation and aspect in snow distribution in western Himalaya. Water Resour Manage 23:71–83. doi:10.1007/s11269-008-9265-5
Jain SK, Goswami A, Saraf AK (2010) Assessment of snowmelt runoff using remote sensing and effect of clmate change on runoff. Water Resour Manage 24:1763–1777
Kjaersgaard JH, Cuenea RH, Martinez-Cob A (2009) Comparison of the performance of net radiation calculation models. Theor Appl Climatol 98:57–66
Koivusalo H, Heikinheimo M, Karvonen T (2001) Test of a simple two-layer parameterisation to simulate the energy balance and temperature of a snowpack. Theor Appl Climatol 70:65–79
Kuras PK, Alila Y, Weiler M, Spittlehouse D, Winkler R (2011) Internal catchment process simulation in a snow dominated basin: performance evaluation with spatiotemporally variable runoff generation and groundwater dynamics. Hydrol Process 25:3187–3230
Leavesley GH, Lichty RW, Troutman BM, Saindon LG (1983) Precipitation-runoff modelling system: user’s manual. WR Investigations Report 83–4238, US Geological Survey
Lopez-Moreno JI, Revuelto J, Gilaberte M, Moran-Tejeda E, Pons M, Jover E, Esteban P, Garcia C, Pomeroy JW (2013) The effect of slope aspect on the response of snowpack to climate warming in the Pyrenees. Theor Appl Climatol. doi:10.1007/s00704-013-0991-0
MacDonald RJ, Byrne JM, Boon S, Kienzle SW (2012) Modelling the potential impacts of climate change on snowpack in the North Saskatchewan River watershed, Alberta. Water Resour Manage 26:3053–3076. doi:10.1007/s11269-012-0016-2
Martinec J (1975) Snowmelt runoff model for river forecasts. Nord Hydrol 6:145–154
Martinec J, Rango A, Roberts R (1994) Snowmelt runoff model (SRM) user’s manual. Baumgartner MF (ed), Geographica Bernesia P29, Dept. of Bern, University of Bern, Bern
Melloh RA (1999) A synopsis and comparison of selected snowmelt algorithms. CREEL Report 99–8, USA Corps of Engineers, 72 LYME RD, Hanover, NH 03755-1290, New Hampshire
Moore RD, Owens IF (1984) Modelling Alpine snow accumulation and ablation using daily climate observations. J Hydrol (N.Z.) 23 (2): 73-83
Nash JE, Sutcliffe JV (1970) River flow forecasting through conceptual models, part I: A discussion of principles. J Hydrol 10:282–292
NIH (1988) Hydrologic models for mountainous area. Report TN-33 (Verdhen et al.), NIH, Roorkee, India
Pipes A, Quick MC (1977) UBC Watershed Model Users Guide Department of Civil Engineering. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Pradhanang SM, Anandhi A, Mukundan R et al (2011) Application of SWAT model to assess snowpack development and stream flow in the Cannonsville watershed, New York, USA. Hydrol Process 25:3268–3277. doi:10.1002/hyp. 8171
Rahman K, Maringanti C, Beniston M, Widmer F, Abbaspour K, Lehmann A (2013) Streamflow modeling in a highly managed mountainous glacier watershed using SWAT: the Upper Rhone River watershed case in Switzerland. Water Resour Manage 27:323–339
Rango A, Martinec J (1995) Revisiting the degree-day method for snowmelt computations. Water Resour Bull 31(4):657–669
Rao NM, Bandopadhya BK, Verdhen A (1991) Snow hydrology studies in the Beas basin for developing snowmelt runoff model. J Institution of Engineers (I) 72 (CV3): 92-102
Saskia C, Pelt V, Swart RJ (2011) Climate change risk management in transitional River Basins: the Rhine. Water Resour Manage 25:3837–3861. doi:10.1007/s11269-011-9891-1
Sensoy A, Uysal G (2012) The value of snow depletion forecasting methods towards operational snowmelt runoff estimation using MODIS and Numerical Weather Prediction Data. Water Resour Manage 26:3415–3440. doi:10.1007/s11269-012-0079-0
Shrestha AB, Aryal R (2011) Climate change in Nepal and its impact on Himalyan glaciers. Reg Environ Change 11(Suppl 1):S65–S77
Sugawara M, Watanabe I, Ozaki E, Katsuyama Y (1984) Tank model with snow component. In: Research Note of the National Research Center for Disaster Prevention, N. 65,Tennodai, Japan
Sui J, Koehler G (2007) Impacts of snowmelt on peak flows in a forest watershed. Water Resour Manage 21(8):1263–1275
USACE (1956) Snow hydrology. In Summary report of the snow investigation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Pacific Division, Portland, Oregon
USACE (1975) User manual: SSARR model Stream-flow Synthesis and Reservoir Regulation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Pacific Division, Portland, Oregon
Verdhen A, Prasad T (1993) Snowmelt runoff simulation models and their suitability in Himalayan conditions. In: Young GJ (ed) Proc. of Kathmandu International Symposium on Snow and Glacier Hydrology. IAHS Publ 218:239–248
Verdhen A, Chahar BR, Sharma OP (2013) Springtime snowmelt and streamflow predictions in the Himalayan Mountains. J Hydrol Engrg. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000816
Wang X, Messe AM (2005) Evaluation of the SWAT model’s snowmelt hydrology in a northwestern Minnesota watershed. Transactions of the ASAE 48(4):1–18
Watson BM, Putz G (2012) Comparison of temperature-index snowmelt models for use within an operational water quality model. J Environmental Quality. doi:10.2134/jeq2011.0369
Willis JC, Arnold NS, Brock BW (2002) Effect of snowpack removal on energy balance melt and runoff in small supra-glacial catchment. Hydrol Process 16:2721–2749
WMO (1986) Inter-comparison of models of snowmelt. Operational Hydrology, WMO, Report no. 23, No. 646
Zeinivand H, Smelt FD (2009) Hydrological modeling of snow accumulation and melting on River Basin scale. Water Resour Manage 23:2271–2287. doi:10.1007/s11269-008-9381-2
Acknowledgments
Authors acknowledge Mr. RD Singh, Director, National Institute of Hydrology Roorkee and Mr. A. Ganju, Director, Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh for their support and study data.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Verdhen, A., Chahar, B.R. & Sharma, O.P. Snowmelt Modelling Approaches in Watershed Models: Computation and Comparison of Efficiencies under Varying Climatic Conditions. Water Resour Manage 28, 3439–3453 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0662-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-014-0662-7