Assessing the importance of snowmelt water supply from 'historical' records of snow accumulation and runoff, Jhelum catchment, Pakistan Himalaya

TitleAssessing the importance of snowmelt water supply from 'historical' records of snow accumulation and runoff, Jhelum catchment, Pakistan Himalaya
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference1994
Authorsde Scally, F. A.
Conference Name62nd Annual Western Snow Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 62nd Annual Western Snow Conference
Date PublishedApril 1994
PublisherWestern Snow Conference
Conference LocationSante Fe, New Mexico
KeywordsJhelum River, Pakistan, Snow courses
Abstract

The importance of snowmelt water supply in the Jhelum River catchment is assessed by comparing the ‘historical’ records of winter snow accumulation and runoff in Pakistani sub-basins. The snow accumulation records, although only five to eight years long, represent the only such data available for this region of the western Himalaya. Strong statistical correlations are found to exist between point measurements of the annual maximum of snowpack water equivalent or total winter precipitation, and total annual runoff. Point measurements of total winter snowfall also show a generally significant correlation with annual runoff. Other evidence reinforces the conclusion that snowmelt is the dominant source of annual runoff, and indicates the potential value of such snow accumulation measurements for predicting seasonal and annual runoff, particularly since remotely sensed data have so far been difficult to obtain. However, such predictions may be complicated in this region by the effects of a continental-scale feedback mechanism between snow cover and the summer monsoon.

URLsites/westernsnowconference.org/PDFs/1994deScally.pdf