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Comparison of hydrological regime of glacierized Marshyangdi and Tamor river basins of Nepal

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Abstract

To study hydrological regime over Marshyangdi (area: 3006.77 km2) and Tamor River basins (area: 4005.22 km2), an integrated approach was performed in particular to emphasize glacio-hydrological model development. Glacio-hydrological degree-day model (GDM) version 1.0, a physical-based gridded glacio-hydrological model, developed on C-Sharp (C#) and Python-programming language is developed. GDM is calibrated for the period 2004–2007 for Marshyangdi River basin (MRB) and from 2001 to 2005 for Tamor River basin (TRB) with Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) of 0.81 and 0.64, respectively. Furthermore, the model is validated for the period 2008–2009 for MRB and from 2006 to 2010 for TRB with NSE of 0.84 and 0.68, respectively. The snow and ice melt contribution to total discharge in MRB during calibration period is found to be 12.3% and 11.2%, respectively, whereas, during validation period, it is 9.9% and 11.8%, respectively. In case of TRB, contribution during calibration period is found to be 14.5% and 7.3%, respectively, and during validation period 12.9% and 10.6%, respectively. The highest rate of increment in minimum temperature trend over TRB and MRB is 0.027 °C/year and 0.008 °C/year. In case of maximum temperature trend, both basins show an increment rate of 0.018 °C/year. The morphometric analysis shows low drainage densities and length of overland flows of 3.66 km and 3.73 km over MRB and TRB, respectively. In Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 scenario for the period 2021–2050, an average decrease in simulated discharge as − 0.087 m3/year and − 0.366 m3/year for MRB and TRB, respectively, is seen.

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(source: Integrated Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) glacier inventory 2010)

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Acknowledgements

The work was accomplished in Himalayan Cryosphere Climate and Disaster Research Center (HiCCDRC), Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal under the umbrella of Contribution to High Asia Runoff from Ice and Snow (CHARIS) project which is implemented by University of Colorado, Boulder and supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The authors are thankful to Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Government of Nepal, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for providing the climate data and geospatial data used in the analysis. Additionally, the authors are also thankful to World Climate Research Program’s working Group on Regional Climate, and the working Group on Coupled Modelling which formerly coordinated CORDEX. We want to show our sincere appreciation to ESRI Inc., Mathworks Inc., and RStudio Inc. for providing the software support platform.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Himalayan Cryosphere, Climate and Disaster Research Centre (HiCCDRC), Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Science, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

    Aniket Gupta & Rijan Bhakta Kayastha

  2. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Aniket Gupta, AL. Ramanathan & A. P. Dimri

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  1. Aniket Gupta
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Gupta, A., Kayastha, R.B., Ramanathan, A. et al. Comparison of hydrological regime of glacierized Marshyangdi and Tamor river basins of Nepal. Environ Earth Sci 78, 427 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8443-5

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