Quantifying contributions of snowmelt water to streamflow using graphical and chemical hydrograph separation

Abstract

In this study, we characterize the snowmelt hydrological response of nine headwater watersheds in southeast Wyoming by separating streamflow into three components using a combination of tracer and graphical approaches. First, continuous 15-min records of specific conductance (SC) from 2016 to 2018 were used to separate

Multi‐Year Controls on Groundwater Storage in Seasonally Snow‐Covered Headwater Catchments

“…We find that multiple years of antecedent precipitation (of which the majority falls as snow) are positively and significantly related to above or below average winter baseflow up to 4 years later. This is consistent with past work suggesting that seasonal snowmelt contributes to both streamflow generation (Julander & Clayton, 2018;Liu et al, 2008;Miller et al, 2020;Mote et al, 2018) and groundwater recharge (Arnoux et al, 2020;Carroll et al, 2019;Cochand et al, 2019;Dailey, 2016;Schilling et al, 2021). Other work in the region suggests that the 12-15 year patterns observed in winter baseflow are also observable in the Northern Utah Valley/Great Basin groundwater levels measured from the 1960-2013.…”

A Comparison of Hydrological and Geophysical Calibration Data in Layered Hydrologic Models of Mountain Hillslopes

“…The watershed outlet was instrumented with a Level TROLL 500 Pressure Transducer (In‐Situ, Fort Collins, CO) to monitor stream discharge at 15‐min intervals using a site‐specific rating curve. The transducer was temporarily removed during the winter months to avoid freezing damage to the instrument (S. A. Miller et al., 2020).…”

“…The transducer was temporarily removed during the winter months to avoid freezing damage to the instrument (S. A. Miller et al, 2020).…”

Hydrological dynamics of snowmelt induced streamflow in a high mountain catchment of the Pyrenees under contrasting snow accumulation and duration years

“…The comparison between streamflow diel cycles and snow depletion time series also provides useful information about the snowmelt contribution to the total streamflow and their transit time (Holko et al, 2021; Jin et al, 2012; Kirchner et al, 2020; López‐Moreno et al, 2023; Miller et al, 2020). During the melting season, rain provides a large streamflow contribution, and the meltwater contribution is often difficult to infer.…”