39-Estimation of SWE and Surface Energy Balance for a Snow Cover in Pir-Panjal Range of N-W Himalaya.

Abstract

Melting of seasonal snowpack in mountainous ranges of Indian Himalaya contributes significantly to the rivers flowing in the mountain valley. The melting of snow starts in late winter, i.e., from April onwards and produces substantial amount of melt water till the complete ablation of the snowpack. An accurate estimation of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) from a catchment/basin area of a river can be of great help for the planning of agriculture irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, flood control and water supply to various urban areas. Observation of snow cover evolution and total amount of seasonal snow available in the catchment area of a river is a challenging task particularly for the remote, inaccessible and ungauged basin areas. Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) has developed a Snow Cover Simulation Model (SCSM) for the study of evolution of a snowpack. The SCSM comprises of various sub-modules and simulates snowpack properties in terms of measurable snow and meteorological parameters. The model can be used to estimate the snowpack depth, internal temperature profile, density profile and thickness of individual layers as the snowcover evolves through the season. This paper presents the estimation of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) and results of surface energy balance studies carried out at Dhundi observatory which lies in the Pir Panjal range of Indian Himalaya. The observatory can be considered a representative observatory of upper Beas catchment area. Snow and meteorological data, recorded at this location for winter year 2005-2006 were used as an input to simulate the snowpack properties by SCSM. Energy balance module of SCSM was used to calculate net energy at the snow surface.