Spatial and temporal variations in snowmelt degree-day factors computed from SNOTEL data in the upper Rio Grande Basin
Title | Spatial and temporal variations in snowmelt degree-day factors computed from SNOTEL data in the upper Rio Grande Basin |
Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
Year of Conference | 2002 |
Authors | DeWalle, D. R., Henderson Z., and Rango A. |
Conference Name | 70th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Series Title | Proceedings of the 70th Annual Western Snow Conference |
Date Published | May 2002 |
Publisher | Western Snow Conference |
Conference Location | Granby, Colorado |
Keywords | Degree-day, Melt factor, Rio Grande, SNOTEL, Snowmelt runoff, Forecasting |
Abstract | The spatial and temporal variation of degree-day melt factors (DDF's) computed from SNOTEL data wereevaluated for the Upper Rio Grande Basin to improve modeling and forecasting ofsnowmelt runoff. Data fromseven SNOTEL sites in the Upper Rio Grande Basin were analyzed for the 1996-2000 melt seasons. Average degree-day factors varied among sites with varying density of forest cover. DDF's also varied among years due to incidence of cloudy weather and timing of melt during the season. Degree-day factors for each year at each site generally increased linearly with Julian Date during the melt season, but the rate of change increased with site exposure. Best predictions of daily melt using SNOTEL data were obtained using daily degree days, Julian Date, and an indicator variable for presence/absence of precipitation. Overall, SNOTEL data produced estimates of daily DDF's that were in good agreement with data from previous studies. |
URL | sites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/2002DeWalle.pdf |