Modeling snowmelt-runoff under climate scenarios in the Hunza River basin, Karakoram Range, Northern Pakistan

► Snowmelt runoff is modeled in the snow and glacier-fed Hunza River catchment. ► Snowmelt runoff model (SRM) integrated with MOD10A2 snow product is used. ► SRM has efficiently simulated the discharge in the Hunza River basin. ► Future climate change scenarios indicate a doubling of summer runoff u...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hydrology (Amsterdam) 2011-10, Vol.409 (1), p.104-117
Main Authors: Tahir, Adnan Ahmad, Chevallier, Pierre, Arnaud, Yves, Neppel, Luc, Ahmad, Bashir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catchments
Climate
Climate change
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Freshwater
Hunza River basin
Hydrology. Hydrogeology
Indus River
MODIS
Precipitation
River basins
Runoff
Snow cover
Snowmelt-Runoff Model
Summer
Upper Indus River Basin (UIB)
Water resources management
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:► Snowmelt runoff is modeled in the snow and glacier-fed Hunza River catchment. ► Snowmelt runoff model (SRM) integrated with MOD10A2 snow product is used. ► SRM has efficiently simulated the discharge in the Hunza River basin. ► Future climate change scenarios indicate a doubling of summer runoff until 2075. A major proportion of flow in the Indus River is contributed by its snow and glacier-fed river catchments situated in the Karakoram Range. It is therefore essential to estimate the snowmelt runoff from these catchments (with no or scarce precipitation records) for water resources management. The snowmelt runoff model (SRM) integrated with MODIS remote-sensing snow cover products was selected to simulate the daily discharges and to study the climate change impact on these discharges in the Hunza River basin (the snow- and glacier-fed sub-catchment of the Indus River). The results obtained suggest that the SRM can be used efficiently in the snow- and glacier-fed sub-catchments of the Upper Indus River Basin (UIB). The application of the SRM under future climate (mean temperature, precipitation and snow cover) change scenarios indicates a doubling of summer runoff until the middle of this century. This analysis suggests that new reservoirs will be necessary for summer flow storage to meet with the needs of irrigation supply, increasing power generation demand, flood control and water supply.
ISSN:0022-1694
1879-2707
DOI:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.08.035