15-Automated snow monitoring system for the himalayas

Abstract

Snow and glacial melt contribute significant proportions of spring season flow in the Himalayan rivers. Precipitation during the winter months is 40 to 50 percent of annual precipitation in the Western Himalayas. Monitoring of depth and water equivalent of snow received during the winter months is, therefore, of crucial importance for estimating the spring season flows. There are in all about 115 snow monitoring stations in the Himalayas. All these are located in the Western Himalayas. Except for a few stations of SASE and CWC, data of snow depth and water equivalent are measured manually. Also, the density of snow observatory network is satisfactory only in the Chenab and Sutlej basins. It is proposed to set up around 160 automated weather stations with snow sensors in different river basins located in the Western Himalayas and Eastern Himalayas. The weather stations would be linked to an Indian satellite and the data transmitted through the satellite would be received at a central data receiving centre where the data would be processed and stored.