Integrating Satellite-Derived Snow Covered Area Information with a Hydrologic Forecast Model
Abstract
A NASA sponsored Regional Earth Science Application Center (RESAC) has been established to develop hydrologic modeling and analysis tools for operational management of water resources in the southwestern United States. An important component of the RESAC is development of methods to integrate satellite derived information about snow covered area (SCA) and station measurements of snow water equivalent with hydrologic models to improve forecasts of the amount and timing of runoff from mountain drainage basins. Images from satellite borne sensors with moderate spatial resolution and short revisit times can be used to produce frequent maps of snow cover. This satellite-derived information can be used to calibrate and validate model snow routines, and to initialize and update SCA during model runs. We have developed procedures to assimilate satellite-derived maps of SCA into a distributed hydrologic model. The Precipitation Runoff Modeling System, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey is used as the hydrologic model. Snowmaps produced by National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center of the National Weather Service at a resolution of 1km and temporal resolution of about a week are used to update initial model estimates of SCA. Basin runoff is then simulated based on these updated initial conditions. Runoff has been simulated for two high elevation, gauged headwater basins of the Gunnison River, a tributary of the Upper Colorado River, U.S.A. These basins present a challenge to modeling and snow mapping because a much of the basins areas are forested. Simulations of basin daily total runoff using model estimates of SCA and model estimates of SCA updated with satellite maps are compared with observed runoff.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2001
- Bibcode:
- 2001AGUFMIP51A0721B
- Keywords:
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- 1800 HYDROLOGY;
- 1860 Runoff and streamflow;
- 1863 Snow and ice (1827);
- 1894 Instruments and techniques