Abstract:
Glaciers are crucial in many countries where meltwater from glaciers is an important source of water for
drinking water supply, irrigation, hydropower generation and the ecological system. Glaciers are also
important indicators of climate change. They have been significantly altered due to the global warming
and have subsequently affected the regional hydrological regime. However, few models are able to
parameterise the dynamics of the glacier system and consequent runoff processes in glacier fed basins
with desirable performance measures. To narrow this gap, we have developed an integrated approach
by coupling a hydrological model (HBV) and a glacier retreat model (Dh-parameterisation) and tested this
approach in three basins with different glacier coverage and subject to different climate and hydrologic
regimes. Results show that the coupled model is able to give satisfactory estimations of runoff and glacier
mass balance in the Nigardsbreen basin where the measured data are available to verify the results. In
addition, the model can provide maps of snowpack distribution and estimate runoff components from
glaciers.