Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan
Ice and snowmelt feed the Indus River and Amu Darya in western High Mountain Asia, yet there are limited in situ measurements of these resources. Previous work in the region has shown promise using snow water equivalent (SWE) reconstruction, which requires no in situ measurements, but validation has...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5212c1c4891e4cb0891c9f4b1e32a869 2023-05-15T18:32:28+02:00 Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan E. H. Bair K. Rittger J. A. Ahmad D. Chabot 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-331-2020 https://doaj.org/article/5212c1c4891e4cb0891c9f4b1e32a869 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/14/331/2020/tc-14-331-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-14-331-2020 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/5212c1c4891e4cb0891c9f4b1e32a869 The Cryosphere, Vol 14, Pp 331-347 (2020) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-331-2020 2022-12-31T05:39:49Z Ice and snowmelt feed the Indus River and Amu Darya in western High Mountain Asia, yet there are limited in situ measurements of these resources. Previous work in the region has shown promise using snow water equivalent (SWE) reconstruction, which requires no in situ measurements, but validation has been a problem. However, recently we were provided with daily manual snow depth measurements from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH). To validate SWE reconstruction, at each station, accumulated precipitation and SWE were derived from snow depth using the numerical snow cover model SNOWPACK. High-resolution (500 m) reconstructed SWE estimates from the Parallel Energy Balance Model (ParBal) were then compared to the modeled SWE at the stations. The Alpine3D model was then used to create spatial estimates at 25 km resolution to compare with estimates from other snow models. Additionally, the coupled SNOWPACK and Alpine3D system has the advantage of simulating snow profiles, which provides stability information. The median number of critical layers and percentage of faceted layers across all of the pixels containing the AKAH stations were computed. For SWE at the point scale, the reconstructed estimates showed a bias of −42 mm ( −19 %) at peak SWE. For the coarser spatial SWE estimates, the various models showed a wide range, with reconstruction being on the lower end. A heavily faceted snowpack was observed in both years, but 2018, a dry year, according to most of the models, showed more critical layers that persisted for a longer period. Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 14 1 331 347 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 E. H. Bair K. Rittger J. A. Ahmad D. Chabot Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Ice and snowmelt feed the Indus River and Amu Darya in western High Mountain Asia, yet there are limited in situ measurements of these resources. Previous work in the region has shown promise using snow water equivalent (SWE) reconstruction, which requires no in situ measurements, but validation has been a problem. However, recently we were provided with daily manual snow depth measurements from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH). To validate SWE reconstruction, at each station, accumulated precipitation and SWE were derived from snow depth using the numerical snow cover model SNOWPACK. High-resolution (500 m) reconstructed SWE estimates from the Parallel Energy Balance Model (ParBal) were then compared to the modeled SWE at the stations. The Alpine3D model was then used to create spatial estimates at 25 km resolution to compare with estimates from other snow models. Additionally, the coupled SNOWPACK and Alpine3D system has the advantage of simulating snow profiles, which provides stability information. The median number of critical layers and percentage of faceted layers across all of the pixels containing the AKAH stations were computed. For SWE at the point scale, the reconstructed estimates showed a bias of −42 mm ( −19 %) at peak SWE. For the coarser spatial SWE estimates, the various models showed a wide range, with reconstruction being on the lower end. A heavily faceted snowpack was observed in both years, but 2018, a dry year, according to most of the models, showed more critical layers that persisted for a longer period. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
E. H. Bair K. Rittger J. A. Ahmad D. Chabot |
author_facet |
E. H. Bair K. Rittger J. A. Ahmad D. Chabot |
author_sort |
E. H. Bair |
title |
Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan |
title_short |
Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan |
title_full |
Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan |
title_fullStr |
Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan |
title_full_unstemmed |
Comparison of modeled snow properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan |
title_sort |
comparison of modeled snow properties in afghanistan, pakistan, and tajikistan |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-331-2020 https://doaj.org/article/5212c1c4891e4cb0891c9f4b1e32a869 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 14, Pp 331-347 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/14/331/2020/tc-14-331-2020.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-14-331-2020 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/5212c1c4891e4cb0891c9f4b1e32a869 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-331-2020 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
331 |
op_container_end_page |
347 |
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1766216584537309184 |