Hydrometeorological effects of intercepted snow in an eastern Siberian taiga forest using a land‐surface model

This study investigates the hydrometeorological effects of intercepted snow in an intensely cold region. Observation of meteorological and hydrological elements in severely cold conditions, such as those in Siberia, is very difficult. One such typical element is that of snow interception. Therefore, this study applies a land surface model, which includes a relatively simple interception model for snowfall, to a taiga forest in eastern Siberia that is dominated by deciduous larch. The simulation demonstrates that solid water storage in the canopy is present from October to March. The finding concurs with photographs of the study site. Intercepted snow and ice decrease rapidly in March because of sublimation. Evaporation is low (0·01–0·05 mm day−1) in midwinter because the air temperature is very low. The average ratio of interception evaporation to precipitation is 0·16 in winter (October–March), 0·03–0·09 in midwinter, and 0·57 in March. Net radiation roughly balances with the sensible heat flux in midwinter. The albedo is almost constant at 0·35 in midwinter. Frost is negligible on the canopy in these simulations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[1]  T. Yamazaki,et al.  Water and Energy Exchanges at Forests and a Grassland in Eastern Siberia Evaluated using a One-dimensional Land Surface Model , 2004 .

[2]  R. Melloh,et al.  Radiation data corrections for snow‐covered sensors: are they needed for snowmelt modelling? , 2004 .

[3]  T. Ohta,et al.  Effect of snow interception on the energy balance above deciduous and coniferous forests during a snowy winter , 2003 .

[4]  R. Essery,et al.  Sublimation of Snow from Coniferous Forests in a Climate Model , 2003 .

[5]  T. Yamazaki A One-dimensional Land Surface Model Adaptable to Intensely Cold Regions and its Applications in Eastern Siberia , 2001 .

[6]  Martin Wild,et al.  A new snow cover fraction parametrization for the ECHAM4 GCM , 2001 .

[7]  T. Ohta,et al.  Seasonal variation in the energy and water exchanges above and below a larch forest in eastern Siberia , 2001 .

[8]  John W. Pomeroy,et al.  Multiple‐scale modelling of forest snow sublimation: initial findings , 2000 .

[9]  T. Yamazaki,et al.  A Model Study on Hydro-meteorological Effect of Intercepted Snow , 2000 .

[10]  T. Terajima,et al.  Energy balance above a boreal coniferous forest: a difference in turbulent fluxes between snow‐covered and snow‐free canopies , 1999 .

[11]  S. Halldin,et al.  Snow interception evaporation. Review of measurementtechniques, processes, and models , 2001 .

[12]  John W. Pomeroy,et al.  Measurements and modelling of snow interception in the boreal forest , 1998 .

[13]  Alan K. Betts,et al.  Albedo over the boreal forest , 1997 .

[14]  John W. Pomeroy,et al.  WINTER RADIATION EXTINCTION AND REFLECTION IN A BOREAL PINE CANOPY: MEASUREMENTS AND MODELLING , 1996 .

[15]  Tsutomu Watanabe,et al.  Model study on micrometeorological aspects of rainfall interception over an evergreen broad-leaved forest , 1996 .

[16]  J. Kondo,et al.  Albedo of forest with crown snow , 1996 .

[17]  J. Kondo,et al.  A Heat-Balance Model with a Canopy of One or Two Layers and its Application to Field Experiments , 1992 .

[18]  D. Verseghy,et al.  CLASS-A Canadian Land Surface Scheme for GCMs , 1993 .

[19]  Takashi Yamanouchi,et al.  Variations of incident solar flux and snow albedo on the solar zenith angle and cloud cover, at Mizuho Station, Antarctica , 1983 .