Simulation of snowmelt in a small rangeland watershed

Snowmelt simulation of the Simultaneous Heat And Water (SHAW) model was tested by applying the model to two years of data from three sites on a rangeland watershed ranging from transient snow cover on a west-facing slope. The SHAW model is a point energy and mass balance model and simulates a one-dimensional profile extending from the snow, residue or soil surface to a specified depth within the soil. The model’s ability to simulate heat and water movement through plant cover, snow, residue and soil has been demonstrated, but the accuracy of the model in predicting snowmelt outflow has never been tested. The timing and magnitude of simulated hourly and daily snowmelt compared well with measured values. Results suggest that the SHAW model can be applied successfully to predict snowmelt from diverse rangeland sites.