Streamflow response to seasonal snow cover extent changes in large Siberian watersheds

[1] This study uses remotely sensed long-term (1966-1999) weekly snow cover extent data to investigate snowmelt runoff response to seasonal snow cover change in the large Siberian watersheds (Ob, Yenisei, and Lena basins). It quantified the seasonal cycles and variations of snow cover extent and river streamflow and identified a clear correspondence of river streamflow to seasonal snow cover extent change; i.e., an association of low streamflow with high snow cover extent during the cold season and an increase in discharge associated with a decrease of snow cover extent during the melt periods. This study also examined and compared the weekly mean streamflow with the weekly basin snow cover extent for the study period. The results revealed a very strong linkage between the streamflow and snow cover extent change during the spring melt season over the large Siberian watersheds and developed a statistically significant weekly runoff-snow cover relation. This relation suggests a practical procedure of using remotely sensed snow cover information for snowmelt runoff forecasting over the large northern watersheds. Analyses of extreme (high/low) streamflow cases (years) and the associated snow cover conditions indicate an association of high (low) flood peak with late (early) snowmelt in the Ob and Yenisei basins. Comparisons of snowmelt timing with peak flow show different associations between these two variables among the large Siberian rivers. These results demonstrate that the NOAA weekly snow cover extent data are useful for understanding and predicting streamflow changes in the Arctic regions. Snow cover water equivalent data/products obtained by remote sensing technology and in situ snow observations are currently being examined for what we expect will eventually improve hydrologic forecasts over the large northern watersheds.

[1]  W. Oechel,et al.  Observational Evidence of Recent Change in the Northern High-Latitude Environment , 2000 .

[2]  David A. Robinson,et al.  Seasonal Variability of Northern Hemisphere Snow Extent Using Visible Satellite Data , 2000 .

[3]  F. Portmann,et al.  Discharge Observation Networks in Arctic Regions: Computation of the River Runoff into the Arctic Ocean, Its Seasonality and Variability , 2000 .

[4]  D. Bromwich,et al.  Large‐scale hydro‐climatology of the terrestrial Arctic drainage system , 2002 .

[5]  M. Woo.  Permafrost hydrology in North America 1 , 1986 .

[6]  M. Hulme.  An intercomparison of model and observed global precipitation climatologies , 1991 .

[7]  Douglas L. Kane,et al.  Siberian Lena River hydrologic regime and recent change , 2002 .

[8]  P. Jones,et al.  Hemispheric Surface Air Temperature Variations: A Reanalysis and an Update to 1993. , 1994 .

[9]  T. Skaugen.  Estimating the mean areal snow water equivalent by integration in time and space , 1999 .

[10]  Albert Rango,et al.  Spaceborne remote sensing for snow hydrology applications , 1996 .

[11]  R. Barry,et al.  Statistics and characteristics of permafrost and ground-ice distribution in the Northern Hemisphere , 1999 .

[12]  Jerry Brown,et al.  Permafrost Digital Databases now available , 1998 .

[13]  R. Dickinson,et al.  Simulation of snow mass and extent in general circulation models , 1999 .

[14]  David A. Robinson,et al.  Northern Hemisphere snow extent: regional variability 1972–1994 , 1999 .

[15]  M. Brodzik,et al.  A comparison of Northern Hemisphere snow extent climatologies derived from passive microwave and visible remote sensing data , 1998, IGARSS '98. Sensing and Managing the Environment. 1998 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing. Symposium Proceedings. (Cat. No.98CH36174).

[16]  C. Vörösmarty,et al.  Assessment of contemporary Arctic river runoff based on observational discharge records , 2001 .

[17]  Dorothy K. Hall,et al.  Snow parameters derived from microwave measurements during the BOREAS winter field campaign , 1997 .

[18]  Richard B. Lammers,et al.  THE DYNAMICS OF RIVER WATER INFLOW TO THE ARCTIC OCEAN , 2000 .

[19]  G. Weller,et al.  The Dispersion of Siberian River Flows into Coastal Waters: Meteorological, Hydrological and Hydrochemical Aspects , 2000 .

[20]  H. Ye,et al.  The Changes in Russian Winter Snow Accumulation during 1936–83 and Its Spatial Patterns , 1998 .

[21]  Z. Cao,et al.  On the physical processes associated with the water budget and discharge of the Mackenzie basin during the 1994/95 water year , 2002 .

[22]  I. Polyakov,et al.  Climate states and variability of Arctic ice and water dynamics during 1946–1997 , 1999 .

[23]  T. Prowse,et al.  Arctic River Flow: A Review of Contributing Areas , 2000 .

[24]  R. H. Meade,et al.  Environmental and hydrologic overview of the Yukon River basin, Alaska and Canada , 2000 .

[25]  David A. Robinson,et al.  Evaluation of snow extent and its variability in the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project , 1998 .

[26]  J. Walsh.  Global Atmospheric Circulation Patterns and Relationships to Arctic Freshwater Fluxes , 2000 .

[27]  Mary Jo Brodzik,et al.  Validation of passive microwave snow algorithms , 2000, IGARSS 2000. IEEE 2000 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Taking the Pulse of the Planet: The Role of Remote Sensing in Managing the Environment. Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37120).

[28]  M. Clark,et al.  Atmospheric controls on Eurasian snow extent , 1999 .

[29]  Douglas L. Kane,et al.  The Impact of Hydrologic Perturbations on Arctic Ecosystems Induced by Climate Change , 1997 .

[30]  E. Carmack,et al.  The role of sea ice and other fresh water in the Arctic circulation , 1989 .

[31]  D. Robinson,et al.  Global Snow Cover Monitoring: An Update , 1993 .

[32]  Xiaolan L. Wang,et al.  Spatial-Temporal Structures of Trend and Oscillatory Variabilities of Precipitation over Northern Eurasia , 1997 .

[33]  R. Massom.  Satellite remote sensing of polar snow and ice: present status and future directions , 1995, Polar Record.

[34]  W. D. Hogg,et al.  Trends in Canadian streamflow , 2000 .

[35]  A. Rango,et al.  Snow water equivalent determination by microwave radiometry , 1981 .

[36]  L. Hinzman,et al.  An Overview of a Nested Watershed Study in Arctic Alaska , 2000 .