Identification of winter storm contribution to snowpack in Upper Colorado from reconstruction
Abstract
The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the U.S. Southwest. Although averaged over the entire Colorado River Basin (CRB), winter and summer precipitation are roughly equal, most of the river's runoff originates as winter precipitation that accumulates in its high mountain headwaters as snow, and melts in spring and early summer. Here, we employ a widely-used, physically-based hydrologic model (Variable Infiltration Capacity; VIC) to reconstruct CRB snowpacks over the last 60 years, and further to evaluate the source of snow water equivalent on a storm by storm basis. Specifically, we classify winter storms into Atmospheric River (AR) and non-AR events, using an AR catalog based on the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. We explore long term changes, at the level of the entire CRB and its major tributaries, in AR- and non-AR source storms and SWE accumulation. We also evaluate the relative contribution of AR and non-AR storms to snowpack during dry and wet, warm and cold years.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.H33I2034X
- Keywords:
-
- 0736 Snow;
- CRYOSPHERE;
- 0740 Snowmelt;
- CRYOSPHERE;
- 1860 Streamflow;
- HYDROLOGY;
- 1863 Snow and ice;
- HYDROLOGY