A statistical model of spatially distributed snowmelt rates in a boreal forest basin

Spatial variation in snowmelt rates in the boreal forest can be explained by differences in canopy density. Canopy density, represented as gap fractions (GF), controls both the amount of short‐wave radiation reaching the snowpack surface and wind speed over the snow surface, which in turn regulates...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrological processes 1998-08, Vol.12 (10-11), p.1701-1722
Main Authors: Metcalfe, R. A., Buttle, J. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied geophysics
boreal forest
canopy density
Climate control
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Heat flux
Hydrology
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
Internal geophysics
Mathematical models
Remote sensing
Runoff
scaling
Snow
snowmelt
Soils
Statistical methods
Vegetation
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Summary:Spatial variation in snowmelt rates in the boreal forest can be explained by differences in canopy density. Canopy density, represented as gap fractions (GF), controls both the amount of short‐wave radiation reaching the snowpack surface and wind speed over the snow surface, which in turn regulates sensible and latent heat fluxes. Reductions in shortwave, sensible and latent heat fluxes outweigh any increased contributions from long‐wave radiation from the canopy. Differences in the total energy available for melt do not translate to equally proportional changes in melt rates under different canopy densities. As available energy increases, the melt rate increases with decreasing canopy density and the form of the relationship can vary depending on climatic conditions. A good relationship between ground‐based GF measurements and a canopy closure index derived from Landsat TM provides the spatial fabric for the distribution of snowmelt rates that show comparable patterns of snow ablation during years of very different climatological conditions. This physically meaningful method of determining the spatial variability of snow ablation and subsequent meltwater delivery to the soil interface is particularly useful for providing insight to the heterogeneous active layer development in permafrost regions of the boreal forest and the implications for runoff processes. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0885-6087
1099-1085
DOI:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(199808/09)12:10/11<1701::AID-HYP690>3.0.CO;2-D