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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Boise, Idaho » Northwest Watershed Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #100458

Title: DISTRIBUTED SIMULATION OF SNOWCOVER MASS AND ENERGY BALANCE IN THE BOREAL FOREST

Author
item LINKS, T - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item Marks, Daniel

Submitted to: Cold Regions Research Engineering Laboratory Special Report
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The accurate distributed simulation of snowpack deposition and ablation beneath forest canopies is complicated by the fact that vegetation canopies strongly affect the snow surface energy balance. The canopy alters the radiation balance of the snowcover and reduces the wind speed at the snow surface. Simple canopy adjustment algorithms for solar and thermal radiation and wind speed are used in conjunction with topographically corrected radiation estimates and commonly available land-cover classifications (canopy species and height) to distribute subcanopy solar and thermal radiation, air and soil temperature, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation. The spatially distributed climate surfaces are used to drive a 2-layer coupled energy-and mass-balance snowmelt model over the BOREAS northern and southern study areas for the 1994-1995 snow season. Model results are validated using both automatic and manually collected snow-depth data. The simulated timing and rate of snowpack development and ablation at both study areas are well represented beneath the canopy types where validation data are present.