ARS | Publication request: SNOW COVER REMOTE SENSING AND SNOWMELT RUNOFF FORECASTS IN THE SPANISH PYRENEES USING THE SRM MODEL

Submitted to: Application Of Remote Sensing In Hydrology International Workshop
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: November 1, 1999
Publication Date: December 15, 1999

Technical Abstract: Snowmelt runoff forecasts are being carried out using the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) in several basins of the Spanish Pyrenees. These results are being used by hydropower companies of Spain for reasonable management of water resources. We describe a method for snow mapping using NOAA-AVHRR data and a procedure to retrospectively estimate the accumulated snow water requivalent volume with the SRM. A linear combination of NOAA channels 1 and 2 is used to obtain a snow cover image in which the product is the percent of snow covered area in each pixel. Real-time snowmelt forecasts are being carried out with the SRM using the snow covered area as an input. Even in basins with a total absence of historical discharge and meteorological data, the SRM provides an estimation of the snowmelt daily discharge. Integrating the forecasted streamflow over the recession streamflow, the snowmelt volume is obtained as a function of time. This function converges asymtotically to the net stored volume of water equivalent of the snowpack.