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Freely Available Datasets Able to Simulate the Snowmelt Runoff in Himalayan Basin with the Aid of Temperature Index Modelling

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Abstract

The present study estimates snowmelt runoff in the Bhagirathi basin of the river Ganga using the snowmelt runoff model (SRM) with the freely available input datasets. A temperature index model WinSRM is used to calculate the discharge from simulated snowmelt runoff during 2010–2014. The variables of the model include precipitation, rainfall, air temperature, and snow cover area (SCA). Air temperature and precipitation are obtained from the MERRA-2 reanalysis and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) gridded data, respectively, over the delineated zones of the basin. The SCA is estimated using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow product: MOD10A2 data with an 8-day period or composite SCA of 500-m spatial resolution interpolated to a daily scale. Five-year simulation results show that the discharge maintains a high flow in monsoon with a mean value of 375.50 m3/s. However, the model underestimates the average runoff volume by 7% in 2013 and overestimates it by 10% in 2010. The observed snow volume difference (Dv%) is − 10.32 and + 4.36 for the years 2010 and 2012, respectively. Measured and simulated discharge rates are found to be in agreement with correlation coefficients in the range of 0.81–0.84 during the 2010–2014 period. Simulated discharge rates showed strong variability with typically highest values from mid-June to August (e.g. 3400.31 m3/s in 2013). The model also showed some additional peaks in September and June as seen in measurements during 2010, 2013, and 2014. Average runoff rates during the monsoon season (June–August) were estimated to be in the range of 478.69–689.23 m3/s during the study period. This study reveals the contiguity of the model results as compared with the real-time observations and indicates potential for improvement with the usage of satellite-derived inputs within the deviation limits. The findings from the study have implications for better monitoring of glacier health, snowmelt runoff, and natural resource management in the Himalayas, where meteorological and hydrological observations are limited.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewer for improving this work. We also thank to NIH, Roorkee, India, and THDC Rishikesh for providing the field data used in the research work.

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  1. Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, Upper Aamwala, Nalapani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India

    Asha Thapliyal & Mahendra Pratap Singh Bisht

  2. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, ISRO, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India

    Varun Khajuria, Praveen Kumar Thakur & Prakash Chauhan

  3. Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Bell Road Clement Town, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248002, India

    Sanjeev Kimothi

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Thapliyal, A., Khajuria, V., Thakur, P.K. et al. Freely Available Datasets Able to Simulate the Snowmelt Runoff in Himalayan Basin with the Aid of Temperature Index Modelling. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 51, 1197–1212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-023-01690-4

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