What drives basin scale spatial variability of snowpack properties in northern Colorado?

Sexstone, G. A.; Fassnacht, S. R.

doi:10.5194/tc-8-329-2014

Cited by 46 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Point measurements of SWE, such as the U.S. SNOTEL network, often provide high temporal detail but may not be spatially representative of the SWE within a basin (Meromy, Molotch, Link, Fassnacht, & Rice, ; Tarboton, Blöschl, Cooley, Kirnbauer, & Luce, ). The spatial heterogeneity of the watershed (e.g., topography and vegetation variations) leads to substantial variations in SWE between the local and watershed scales (Dressler, Fassnacht, & Bales, ; Elder, Dozier, & Michaelsen, ; Fassnacht, Dressler, Hultstrand, Bales, & Patterson, ; Sexstone & Fassnacht, ; Webb, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of snowmelt‐derived streamflow from temperature‐index and modified‐temperature‐index snow models

Follum

Niemann

Fassnacht

2019

Hydrological Processes

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Reliable estimation of the volume and timing of snowmelt runoff is vital for water supply and flood forecasting in snow‐dominated regions. Snowmelt is often simulated using temperature‐index (TI) models due to their applicability in data‐sparse environments. Previous research has shown that a modified‐TI model, which uses a radiation‐derived proxy temperature instead of air temperature as its surrogate for available energy, can produce more accurate snow‐covered area (SCA) maps than a traditional TI model. However, it is unclear whether the improved SCA maps are associated with improved snow water equivalent (SWE) estimation across the watershed or improved snowmelt‐derived streamflow simulation. This paper evaluates whether a modified‐TI model produces better streamflow estimates than a TI model when they are used within a fully distributed hydrologic model. It further evaluates the performance of the two models when they are calibrated using either point SWE measurements or SCA maps. The Senator Beck Basin in Colorado is used as the study site because its surface is largely bedrock, which reduces the role of infiltration and emphasizes the role of the SWE pattern on streamflow generation. Streamflow is simulated using both models for 6 years. The modified‐TI model produces more accurate streamflow estimates (including flow volume and peak flow rate) than the TI model, likely because the modified‐TI model better reproduces the SWE pattern across the watershed. Both models also produce better performance when calibrated with SCA maps instead of point SWE data, likely because the SCA maps better constrain the space‐time pattern of SWE.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of snowmelt‐derived streamflow from temperature‐index and modified‐temperature‐index snow models

Follum

Niemann

Fassnacht

2019

Hydrological Processes

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“…Even though the timing of outflow may occur earlier in the day at these higher elevation sites the melt duration did not appear to be greatly lengthened and the shape of the diurnal FDM still follows the shape of the fit beta function (Figure ). The aspect of a slope can also influence the rate and duration that a snowpack melts (Sexstone and Fassnacht, ; Molotch and Meromy, ) and latitude will determine the angle of incidence for solar radiation and the resulting energy balance of the snowpack. Future investigations of the application and expansion of the presented methods should consider latitude, slope aspect, and elevation for defining appropriate regions with different diurnal melt patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Defining the Diurnal Pattern of Snowmelt Using a Beta Distribution Function

Webb

Fassnacht

Gooseff

2017

J American Water Resour Assoc

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Snow is an important component of the hydrologic cycle for many regions worldwide. In addition to vital water resources, snowmelt can be important for forest ecosystem dynamics and flood risk. However, standard design events in the United States lack a design snowmelt event, including only precipitation events, though snowmelt has been shown to be larger than rainfall. In this article, we present a method using hourly snow water equivalent data to develop and test a function for representing the diurnal pattern of snowmelt. A two‐parameter beta distribution function is modified for the purposes of this study and found to fit the pattern of snowmelt well with a root mean squared error of 0.008. Soil moisture sensors were additionally utilized to assess the timing of the snowmelt water outflow from the base of the snowpack that supports the shape of the function, but suggests that the timing of losses recorded on snow pillows lag as much as 3 h. Further testing of the function showed the shape of the function to be accurate. The methods developed and tested in this paper can be applied for design purposes comparing snowmelt and rainfall events or to improve hydrological models investigating processes such as streamflow or groundwater recharge.

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“…As synthesized by López-Moreno et al (2015), the following processes are responsible for snow depth heterogeneity at three distinct spatial scales: microtopography at 1-10 m (López-Moreno et al, 2011); windinduced lateral transport processes at 100-1000 m (Liston et al, 2007); and precipitation variability at catchment scales of 10-1000 km (Sexstone and Fassnacht, 2014). The spatial distribution of snow not only affects the quantity of snowmelt discharge (Hartman et al, 1999;Luce et al, 1998), but also the water chemistry (Rohrbough et al, 2003;Wadham et al, 2006;Williams et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of microtopographic snow redistribution and lateral subsurface processes on hydrologic and thermal states in an Arctic polygonal ground ecosystem: a case study using ELM-3D v1.0

et al. 2018

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Abstract. Microtopographic features, such as polygonal ground, are characteristic sources of landscape heterogeneity in the Alaskan Arctic coastal plain. Here, we analyze the effects of snow redistribution (SR) and lateral subsurface processes on hydrologic and thermal states at a polygonal tundra site near Barrow, Alaska. We extended the land model integrated in the E3SM to redistribute incoming snow by accounting for microtopography and incorporated subsurface lateral transport of water and energy (ELM-3D v1.0). Multiple 10-year-long simulations were performed for a transect across a polygonal tundra landscape at the Barrow Environmental Observatory in Alaska to isolate the impact of SR and subsurface process representation. When SR was included, model predictions better agreed (higher R 2 , lower bias and RMSE) with observed differences in snow depth between polygonal rims and centers. The model was also able to accurately reproduce observed soil temperature vertical profiles in the polygon rims and centers (overall bias, RMSE, and R 2 of 0.59 • C, 1.82 • C, and 0.99, respectively). The spatial heterogeneity of snow depth during the winter due to SR generated surface soil temperature heterogeneity that propagated in depth and time and led to ∼ 10 cm shallower and ∼ 5 cm deeper maximum annual thaw depths under the polygon rims and centers, respectively. Additionally, SR led to spatial heterogeneity in surface energy fluxes and soil moisture during the summer. Excluding lateral subsurface hydrologic and thermal processes led to small effects on mean states but an overestimation of spatial variability in soil moisture and soil temperature as subsurface liquid pressure and thermal gradients were artificially prevented from spatially dissipating over time. The effect of lateral subsurface processes on maximum thaw depths was modest, with mean absolute differences of ∼ 3 cm. Our integration of three-dimensional subsurface hydrologic and thermal subsurface dynamics in the E3SM land model will facilitate a wide range of analyses heretofore impossible in an ESM context.

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What drives basin scale spatial variability of snowpack properties in northern Colorado?

Cited by 46 publications

References 45 publications

A comparison of snowmelt‐derived streamflow from temperature‐index and modified‐temperature‐index snow models

A comparison of snowmelt‐derived streamflow from temperature‐index and modified‐temperature‐index snow models

Defining the Diurnal Pattern of Snowmelt Using a Beta Distribution Function

Impacts of microtopographic snow redistribution and lateral subsurface processes on hydrologic and thermal states in an Arctic polygonal ground ecosystem: a case study using ELM-3D v1.0

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