Your search found 21 records
1 Chaponniere, Anne; Boulet, G.; Chehbouni, A.; Aresmouk, A. 2008. Understanding hydrological processes with scarce data in a mountain environment. Hydrological Processes, 22(12):1908-1921. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6775]
Hydrology ; Simulation models ; Calibration ; Stream flow ; Measurement ; Time series analysis ; Remote sensing ; Precipitation ; Water balance ; Highlands ; Mountains ; Watersheds ; Reservoirs ; Snow cover ; Geology ; Topography ; Land use ; Soil types ; Groundwater ; Evapotranspiration ; Runoff ; Infiltration ; Percolation / Morocco / Rheraya Watershed / Atlas Mountains
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H042330)
(2.48 MB)
Performance of process-based hydrological models is usually assessed through comparison between simulated and measured streamflow. Although necessary, this analysis is not sufficient to estimate the quality and realism of the modelling since streamflow integrates all processes of the water cycle, including intermediate production or redistribution processes such as snowmelt or groundwater flow. Assessing the performance of hydrological models in simulating accurately intermediate processes is often difficult and requires heavy experimental investments. In this study, conceptual hydrological modelling (using SWAT) of a semi-arid mountainous watershed in the High Atlas in Morocco is attempted. Our objective is to analyse whether good intermediate processes simulation is reached when global-satisfying streamflow simulation is possible. First, parameters presenting intercorrelation issues are identified: from the soil, the groundwater and, to a lesser extent, from the snow. Second, methodologies are developed to retrieve information from accessible intermediate hydrological processes. A geochemical method is used to quantify the contribution of a superficial and a deep reservoir to streamflow. It is shown that, for this specific process, the model formalism is not adapted to our study area and thus leads to poor simulation results. A remote-sensing methodology is proposed to retrieve the snow surfaces. Comparison with the simulation shows that this process can be satisfyingly simulated by the model. The multidisciplinary approach adopted in this study, although supported by the hydrological community, is still uncommon.
2 Gurung, D. R.; Kulkarni, A. V.; Amarnath, Giriraj; Aung, K. S.; Shrestha, B. 2011. Monitoring of seasonal snow cover in Bhutan using remote sensing technique. Current Science, 101(10):1364-1370.
Climate change ; Remote sensing ; Snow cover ; Monitoring ; Water availability ; Indicators / Bhutan
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044438)
(6.47 MB) (6.46MB)
All major rivers in Bhutan depend on snowmelt for discharge. Therefore, changes in snow cover due to climate change can influence distribution and availability of water. However, information about distribution of seasonal snow cover in Bhutan is not available. The MODIS snow product was used to investigate snow cover status and trends in Bhutan. Average snow cover area (SCA) of Bhutan estimated for the period 2002 to 2010 was 9030 sq. km, about 25.5% of the total land area. SCA trend of Bhutan for the period 2002–10 was found to decrease (–3.27 ± 1.28%). The average SCA for winter was 14,485 sq. km (37.7%), for spring 7411 sq. km (19.3%), for summer 4326 sq. km (11.2%), and for autumn 7788 sq. km (20.2%), mostly distributed in the elevation range 2500–6000 m amsl. Interannual and seasonal SCA trend both showed a decline, although it was not statistically significant for all sub-basins. Pho Chu sub-basin with 19.5% of the total average SCA had the highest average SCA. The rate of increase of SCA for every 100 m elevation was the highest (2.5%) in the Pa Chu sub-basin. The coefficient of variance of 1.27 indicates high variability of SCA in winter.
3 Chemin, Yann. (Ed.) 2012. Remote sensing of planet earth. Rijeka, Croatia: InTech. 240p.
Remote sensing ; GIS ; Vegetation ; Water resources ; Surface Water ; Mapping ; Monitoring ; Wetlands ; Lakes ; Satellite surveys ; Satellite imagery ; Image analysis ; Image processing ; Data ; Analytical methods ; Time series analysis ; Land cover ; Land classification ; Land use ; Tsunamis ; Snow cover ; Models ; Environmental effects ; Water vapour / Brazil / China / Italy / Indonesia / Thailand / Chile / Japan / Solomon Islands / Samoa Islands / Indonesia / Peruacu watershed / Tibet Plateau / Umbria / Subasio Mountain Regional Park / Banda Aceh / Phang Nga / Phuket / Tohoku / Okushiri Island / Banda Aceh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H044692)
http://www.intechopen.com/books/show/title/remote-sensing-of-planet-earth
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044692.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044692.pdf
(28.13 MB) (28.13MB)
4 Wardlow, B. D.; Anderson, M. C.; Verdin, J. P. (Eds.) 2012. Remote sensing of drought: innovative monitoring approaches. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press. 422p.
Remote sensing ; Drought ; Monitoring ; History ; Vegetation ; Precipitation ; Indicators ; Evapotranspiration ; Water balance ; Energy balance ; Satellite surveys ; Satellite imagery ; Data analysis ; Analytical methods ; Soil moisture ; Rain ; Temperature ; Snow cover ; Early warning systems ; Models / Kenya / Eastern Africa / Sahel
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 621.3678 G000 WAR Record No: H045035)
(0.46 MB)
5 Tang, B.-H.; Shrestha, B.; Li, Z.-L.; Liu, G.; Ouyang, H.; Gurung, D. R.; Amarnath, Giriraj; Aung, K. S. 2013. Determination of snow cover from MODIS data for the Tibetan Plateau Region. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 21:356-365. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2012.07.014]
Snow cover ; Cloud cover ; Satellite surveys ; Data ; Mapping ; Indicators ; Algorithms / Central Asia / China / Tibet / Tibetan Plateau
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045039)
(1.65 MB)
This paper addresses a snow-mapping algorithm for the Tibetan Plateau region using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Accounting for the effects of the atmosphere and terrain on the satellite observations at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), particularly in the rugged Tibetan Plateau region, the surface reflectance is retrieved from the TOA reflectance after atmospheric and topographic corrections. To reduce the effect of the misclassification of snow and cloud cover, a normalized difference cloud index (NDCI) model is proposed to discriminate snow/cloud pixels, separate from the MODIS cloud mask product MOD35. The MODIS land surface temperature (LST) product MOD11 L2 is also used to ensure better accuracy of the snow cover classification. Comparisons of the resulting snow cover with those estimated from high spatial-resolution Landsat ETM+ data and obtained from MODIS snow cover product MOD10 L2 for the Mount Everest region for different seasons in 2002, show that the MODIS snow cover product MOD10 L2 overestimates the snow cover with relative error ranging from 20.1% to 55.7%, whereas the proposed algorithm estimates the snow cover more accurately with relative error varying from 0.3% to 9.8%. Comparisons of the snow cover estimated with the proposed algorithm and those obtained from MOD10 L2 product with in situ measurements over the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region for December 2003 and January 2004 (the snowy seasons) indicate that the proposed algorithm can map the snow cover more accurately with greater than 90% agreement.
6 Mukhopadhyay, B.; Singh, V. P. 2011. Hydrological modelling at mesoscopic scales using global data sets to derive stream water availability models of river basins. In Shukla, M. K. (Ed.) Soil hydrology, land use and agriculture: measurement and modelling. Wallingford, UK: CABI. pp.24-74.
Hydrology ; Models ; Data ; Water availability ; Catchment areas ; River basins ; Flow discharge ; Climate change ; Precipitation ; Temperature ; Snow cover ; Infiltration ; Soil moisture ; Maps ; Literature reviews ; Land use ; Land cover
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy SF Record No: H045774)
7 Savoskul, Oxana S.; Smakhtin, Vladimir. 2013. Glacier systems and seasonal snow cover in six major Asian river basins: water storage properties under changing climate. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 61p. (IWMI Research Report 149) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2013.203]
Glaciers ; Monitoring ; Seasonality ; Snow cover ; River basins ; Climate change ; Impact assessment ; Remote sensing ; Water resources ; Water availability ; Water storage ; Hydrological cycle ; Mountains ; Surveys ; Models ; Institutions / Asia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H045908)
(1.75MB)
This paper presents a comprehensive assessment of the water storage properties of glaciers and seasonal snow, carried out for the first time at a major river basin scale, for the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Mekong basins. It analyzes the changes of glaciers and snow under recent climate change, i.e., between the baseline (1961-1990) and current (2001-2010) periods. The paper also addresses climate change sensitivity of glacier systems and the changes that might be expected under a warming scenario for the end of the twenty-first century.
8 Savoskul, Oxana S.; Smakhtin, Vladimir. 2013. Glacier systems and seasonal snow cover in six major Asian river basins: hydrological role under changing climate. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 45p. (IWMI Research Report 150) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2013.204]
Glaciers ; Runoff ; Snowmelt ; Snow cover ; Melt water ; Assessment ; Seasonal variation ; Water resources ; Groundwater recharge ; Aquifers ; River basins ; Catchment areas ; Flow discharge ; Hydrological cycle ; Climate change ; Precipitation ; Simulation models / Asia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H045909)
(1.12MB)
The hydrological roles of glaciers and seasonal snow in the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Amu Darya, Syr Darya and Mekong basins are, for the first time, assessed comprehensively at a major river basin scale in this paper. Contribution of glacier runoff, subdivided into renewable and nonrenewable components, and seasonal snowmelt to mean annual flow is evaluated for two time slices: 1961-1990 and 2001-2010. The recent changes of the hydrological roles of glaciers and snow, and the most likely changes of those under future climate change are analyzed.
9 Immerzeel, W. W.; Pellicciotti, F.; Bierkens, M. F. P. 2013. Rising river flows throughout the twenty-first century in two Himalayan glacierized watersheds. Nature Geoscience, 6:742-745. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO1896]
River basins ; Flow discharge ; Runoff ; Glaciers ; Watersheds ; Climate change ; Precipitation ; Temperature ; Snow cover / Asia / Himalayan Watersheds
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046051)
(1.86 MB)
Greater Himalayan glaciers are retreating and losing mass at rates comparable to glaciers in other regions of the world 1–5. Assessments of future changes and their associated hydrological impacts are scarce, oversimplify glacier dynamics or include a limited number of climate models6–9. Here, we use results from the latest ensemble of climate models in combination with a high-resolution glacio-hydrological model to assess the hydrological impact of climate change on two climatically contrasting watersheds in the Greater Himalaya, the Baltoro and Langtang watersheds that drain into the Indus and Ganges rivers, respectively. We show that the largest uncertainty in future runoff is a result of variations in projected precipitation between climate models. In both watersheds, strong, but highly variable, increases in future runoff are projected and, despite the different characteristics of the watersheds, their responses are surprisingly similar. In both cases, glaciers will recede but net glacier melt runoff is on a rising limb at least until 2050. In combination with a positive change in precipitation, water availability during this century is not likely to decline.We conclude that river basins that depend on monsoon rains and glacier melt will continue to sustain the increasing water demands expected in these areas.
10 Kogan, F.; Powell, A. M. Jr.; Fedorov, O. (Eds.) 2009. Use of satellite and In-Situ data to improve sustainability: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Using Satellite Data and In-Situ Data to Improve Sustainability, Kiev, Ukraine, 9-12 June 2009. 313p. (NATO Science for Peace and Security Series - C: Environmental Security)
Meteorological satellites ; Satellite surveys ; Data collection ; Sustainability ; Agrometeorology ; Monitoring ; Environmental effects ; Climate change ; Natural disasters ; Drought ; Flooding ; Rain ; Temperature ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Earthquakes ; Ecosystems ; Magnetic field ; Land cover ; Pastures ; Crop production ; Grain crops ; Food security ; Health ; Vegetation ; Remote sensing ; GIS ; Models ; Energy balance ; Biomass ; Precipitation ; Evapotranspiration ; Coastal area ; Air pollution ; Nitrogen oxides ; Emission / Ukraine / Russia / Mongolia / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 384.51 G000 KOG Record No: H046311)
(0.46 MB)
11 Sheffield, J.; Wood, E. F. 2011. Drought: past problems and future scenarios. London, UK: Earthscan. 210p.
Drought ; Monitoring ; Hydrology ; Models ; Climate change ; Soil moisture ; Sediment ; Precipitation ; Evapotranspiration ; Snow cover ; Lakes ; Rivers ; Stream flow ; Water storage / North America / South America / Europe / Africa / Asia / Middle East / Mongolia / China / India
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 363.34929 G000 SHE Record No: H046319)
(0.46 MB)
12 Tahir, A. A.; Chevallier, P.; Arnaud, Y.; Ashraf, M.; Bhatti, Muhammad Tousif. 2015. Snow cover trend and hydrological characteristics of the Astore River basin (Western Himalayas) and its comparison to the Hunza basin (Karakoram region) Science of the Total Environment, 505:748-761. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.10.065]
Snow cover ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Hydrological regime ; River basins ; Climatic data ; Meteorological stations ; Satellite observation ; Water resources ; Catchment areas / Pakistan / India / Western Himalayas / Karakoram Region / Indus River Basin / Astore River Basin / Hunza Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046709)
(4.13 MB)
A large proportion of Pakistan's irrigation water supply is taken from the Upper Indus River Basin (UIB) in the Himalaya–Karakoram–Hindukush range. More than half of the annual flow in the UIB is contributed by five of its snow and glacier-fed sub-basins including the Astore (Western Himalaya — south latitude of the UIB) and Hunza (Central Karakoram — north latitude of the UIB) River basins. Studying the snow cover, its spatiotemporal change and the hydrological response of these sub-basins is important so as to better managewater resources. This paper compares new data from the Astore River basin (mean catchment elevation, 4100 m above sea level; m asl afterwards), obtained using MODIS satellite snow cover images, with data from a previouslystudied high-altitude basin, the Hunza (mean catchment elevation, 4650 m asl). The hydrological regime of this sub-catchment was analyzed using the hydrological and climate data available at different altitudes from the basin area. The results suggest that the UIB is a region undergoing a stable or slightly increasing trend of snow cover in the southern (Western Himalayas) and northern (Central Karakoram) parts. Discharge from the UIB is a combination of snow and glacier melt with rainfall-runoff at southern part, but snow and glacier melt are dominant at the northern part of the catchment. Similar snow cover trends (stable or slightly increasing) but different river flow trends (increasing in Astore and decreasing in Hunza) suggest a sub-catchment level study of the UIB to understand thoroughly its hydrological behavior for better flood forecasting and water resources management.
13 Savean, M.; Delclaux, F.; Chevallier, P.; Wagnon, P.; Gonga-Saholiariliva, N.; Sharma, R.; Neppel, L.; Arnaud, Y. 2015. Water budget on the Dudh Koshi River (Nepal): uncertainties on precipitation. Journal of Hydrology, 531(Part 3):850-862. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.10.040]
Water budget ; Water resources ; River basins ; Precipitation ; Uncertainty ; Snow cover ; Glaciers ; Hydrology ; Models ; Satellite observation ; Air temperature ; Evapotranspiration ; Discharges ; Hydrometeorology ; Mountains / Nepal / Central Himalaya / Dudh Koshi River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047603)
(1.47 MB)
Although vital for millions of inhabitants, Himalayan water resources remain currently poorly known, mainly because of uncertainties on hydro-meteorological measurements. In this study, the authors propose a new assessment of the water budget components of the Dudh Koshi River basin (3720 km2 , Eastern Nepal), taking into account the associated uncertainties. The water budget is studied through a cross analysis of field observations with the result of a daily hydrological conceptual distributed snow model. Both observed datasets of spatialized precipitations, interpolated with a co-kriging method, and of discharge, provided by the hydrological agency of Nepal, are completed by reanalysis data (NCEP/NCAR) for air temperature and potential evapotranspiration, as well as satellite snow products (MOD10A2) giving the dynamics of the snow cover area. According to the observation, the water budget on the basin is significantly unbalanced; it is attributed to a large underestimation of precipitation, typical of high mountain areas. By contrast, the water budget simulated by the modeling approach is well balanced; it is due to an unrealistic overestimation of the glacier melt volume. A reversing method led to assess the precipitation underestimation at around 80% of the annual amount. After the correction of the daily precipitation by this ratio, the simulated fluxes of rainfall, icemelt, and snowmelt gave 63%, 29%, and 8% of the annual discharge, respectively. This basin-wide precipitation correction is likely to change in respect to topographic or geographic parameters, or in respect to seasons, but due to an insufficient knowledge of the precipitation spatial variability, this could not be investigated here, although this may significantly change the respective proportions for rain, ice or snow melt.
14 Jeelani, G.; Shah, R. A.; Deshpande, R. D.; Fryar, A. E.; Perrin, J.; Mukherjee, A. 2017. Distinguishing and estimating recharge to karst springs in snow and glacier dominated mountainous basins of the western Himalaya, India. Journal of Hydrology, 550:239-252. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.05.001]
Water springs ; Recharge ; Karst ; Highlands ; Precipitation ; Snow cover ; Glaciers ; Snowmelt ; Flow discharge ; Temperature ; Rain ; Hydrogeology ; Hydrography ; Isotope analysis ; Elements ; Ions ; Chlorides ; Uncertainty / India / Western Himalaya / Liddar Basin / Kuthar Basin / Bringi Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048190)
(4.76 MB)
Recharge assessment is a challenge in snow and glacier dominated Himalayan basins. Quantification of recharge to karst springs in these complex geological environments is important both for hydrologic understanding and for effective water resource management. We used spring hydrographs and environmental tracers (isotopes and solutes) to distinguish and estimate the sources of spring water and to identify the flow paths of the recharging waters in three mountainous basins of the western Himalaya. The karst springs are perennial with high discharge amplitudes. The results indicate that ambient temperature has a strong influence on the hydrological behavior of the springs. Although the spring flow is dominantly controlled by the melting of snow and/or glaciers, rain events produce sharp spikes in spring hydrographs. The facies patterns in springs within the Bringi basin (Ca-HCO3) and the Liddar basin (Ca-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3) suggest flow dominantly through limestone and dolomite. Higher concentrations of SO4 2 and Na+ in warm springs of the Kuthar basin indicate flow through carbonate, silicate and other rocks. The isotopic composition (d18O, d2 H) of precipitation, snowpacks, glacier melt and karst springs show wide variation both in space and time, and are strongly influenced by the basin relief and meteorology. The tracer-based two- and three-component mixing models suggest that the snowmelt dominantly contributes to the spring flow (55–96%), followed by glacier melt (5–36%) and rain (4–34%). Based on tracer tests with good recovery rates, springs are dominantly recharged through point sources rather than by diffuse infiltration. Changes in the timing, form, and amount of winter precipitation substantially affect the timing and magnitude of spring discharge during the rest of the year.
15 Arfanuzzaman, Md. 2018. Economics of transboundary water: an evaluation of a glacier and snowpack-dependent river basin of the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Water Policy, 20(1):90-108. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2017.071]
International waters ; River basins ; International cooperation ; Conflict ; Economic aspects ; International agreements ; Water demand ; Hydropower ; Dams ; Flow discharge ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Natural resources management ; Ecosystem services ; Ecological factors / India / Bangladesh / Hindu Kush Himalayan Region / Teesta River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048714)
(0.37 MB)
The Himalayan rivers are recognized as a reliable source of water supply in the countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region. Increasing need for food and energy for the growing population of the HKH region has stimulated water harvesting from the transboundary rivers and triggered water conflict, environmental degradation and socio-economic turmoil among the riparian nations. Teesta is one such mighty trans-Himalayan river flowing through India and Bangladesh and is recognized as a basin where there is increasing tension between these two nations. Due to upstream interventions including barrage, dam and hydropower construction, the lower riparian region of Bangladesh faces acute water stresses, which hamper the agricultural, fisheries and livelihood activities of the river-dependent communities and impede the economic prosperity of the greater north-west region. The study provides a robust outline of the transboundary nexus between India and Bangladesh, and identifies upstream intervention-induced economic loss and ecological deterioration in the lower Teesta basin. To encourage water collaboration between the riparian states, the study estimates the benefit of transboundary co-operation for the larger socio-economic prosperity and environmental sustainability in the Teesta basin of the Himalayan region, which is decidedly applicable to similar basins in the HKH region and the rest of the world.
16 Chamine, H. I.; Barbieri, M.; Kisi, O.; Chen, M.; Merkel, B. J. (Eds.) 2019. Advances in sustainable and environmental hydrology, hydrogeology, hydrochemistry and water resources. Proceedings of the 1st Springer Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG-1), Hammamet, Tunisia, 12-15 November 2018. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 449p. (Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation: IEREK Interdisciplinary Series for Sustainable Development) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01572-5]
Hydrology ; Hydrogeology ; Water resources ; Water management ; Sustainable development ; Water reuse ; Wastewater irrigation ; Wastewater treatment ; Water balance ; Water footprint ; Water governance ; Groundwater table ; Water levels ; Groundwater recharge ; Alluvial aquifers ; Water quality ; Water pollution ; Contamination ; Surface water ; Evapotranspiration ; Soil water content ; Drinking water ; Chemicophysical properties ; Climate change ; Drought ; Flooding ; Precipitation ; Forecasting ; Rainfall-runoff relationships ; Snow cover ; Geographical information systems ; Remote sensing ; Satellite observation ; Landsat ; Stream flow ; Saltwater intrusion ; Coastal area ; Salinity ; Farmers ; Fertilizers ; Dams ; Malaria ; Sediment ; Catchment areas ; Wetlands ; Rivers ; Watersheds ; Semiarid zones ; Urbanization ; Reservoirs ; Environment ; Case studies ; Models / Mediterranean region / Russian Federation / Spain / Portugal / France / Cambodia / Indonesia / Tunisia / Algeria / Iraq / Vietnam / Nigeria / Turkey / Morocco / Sudan / Kuwait / Ethiopia / Malaysia / Senegal / Ghana / Oman / Iran Islamic Republic / Egypt / Palestine / South Africa / Bangladesh / India / Pakistan / Baribo Basin / Medjerda River / Sebaou River / Seyhan Basin / Great Kabylia / Boukadir Wadi / Sidi Bel Abbes Basin / Gilgit River Basin / Moscow / Chennai / Telangana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy SF Record No: H049482)
17 Ali, S.; Cheema, M. J. M.; Waqas, M. M.; Waseem, M.; Awan, Usman Khalid; Khaliq, T. 2020. Changes in snow cover dynamics over the Indus Basin: evidences from 2008 to 2018 MODIS NDSI trends analysis. Remote Sensing, 12(17):2782. (Special issue: Interactive Deep Learning for Hyperspectral Images) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12172782]
Snow cover ; Estimation ; Mapping ; Trends ; River basins ; Catchment areas ; Temperature ; Clouds ; Landsat ; Satellite imagery ; Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer ; Uncertainty / Pakistan / Indus Basin / Himalayas / Chenab River Catchment / Jhelum River Catchment / Indus River Catchment / Eastern Rivers Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050209)
(4.20 MB) (4.20 MB)
The frozen water reserves on the Earth are not only very dynamic in their nature, but also have significant effects on hydrological response of complex and dynamic river basins. The Indus basin is one of the most complex river basins in the world and receives most of its share from the Asian Water Tower (Himalayas). In such a huge river basin with high-altitude mountains, the regular quantification of snow cover is a great challenge to researchers for the management of downstream ecosystems. In this study, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily (MOD09GA) and 8-day (MOD09A1) products were used for the spatiotemporal quantification of snow cover over the Indus basin and the western rivers’ catchments from 2008 to 2018. The high-resolution Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) was used as a standard product with a minimum Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) threshold (0.4) to delineate the snow cover for 120 scenes over the Indus basin on different days. All types of errors of commission/omission were masked out using water, sand, cloud, and forest masks at different spatiotemporal resolutions. The snow cover comparison of MODIS products with Landsat ETM+, in situ snow data and Google Earth imagery indicated that the minimum NDSI threshold of 0.34 fits well compared to the globally accepted threshold of 0.4 due to the coarser resolution of MODIS products. The intercomparison of the time series snow cover area of MODIS products indicated R2 values of 0.96, 0.95, 0.97, 0.96 and 0.98, for the Chenab, Jhelum, Indus and eastern rivers’ catchments and Indus basin, respectively. A linear least squares regression analysis of the snow cover area of the Indus basin indicated a declining trend of about 3358 and 2459 km2 per year for MOD09A1 and MOD09GA products, respectively. The results also revealed a decrease in snow cover area over all the parts of the Indus basin and its sub-catchments. Our results suggest that MODIS time series NDSI analysis is a useful technique to estimate snow cover over the mountainous areas of complex river basins.
18 Khanal, S.; Lutz, A. F.; Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A.; van den Hurk, B.; Yao, T.; Immerzeel, W. W. 2021. Variable 21st century climate change response for rivers in high mountain Asia at seasonal to decadal time scales. Water Resources Research, 57(5):e2020WR029266. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR029266]
Climate change ; River basins ; Mountains ; Hydrology ; Models ; Time series analysis ; Water availability ; Precipitation ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Rainfall-runoff relationships ; Temperature ; Monsoons ; Discharges / Asia / Amu Darya Basin / Balkash Basin / Brahmaputra Basin / Ganges Basin / Helmand Basin / Indus Basin / Irrawaddy Basin / Mekong Basin / Salween Basin / Syr Darya Basin / Tarim Basin / Yangtze Basin / Yellow River / Tibetan Plateau
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050398)
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2020WR029266
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050398.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050398.pdf
(4.00 MB) (4.00 MB)
The hydrological response to climate change in mountainous basins manifests itself at varying spatial and temporal scales, ranging from catchment to large river basin scale and from sub-daily to decade and century scale. To robustly assess the 21st century climate change impact for hydrology in entire High Mountain Asia (HMA) at a wide range of scales, we use a high resolution cryospheric-hydrological model covering 15 upstream HMA basins to quantify the compound effects of future changes in precipitation and temperature based on the range of climate change projections in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 climate model ensemble. Our analysis reveals contrasting responses for HMA's rivers, dictated by their hydrological regimes. At the seasonal scale, the earlier onset of melting causes a shift in the magnitude and peak of water availability, to earlier in the year. At the decade to century scale, after an initial increase, the glacier melt declines by the mid or end of the century except for the Tarim river basin, where it continues to increase. Despite a large variability in hydrological regimes across HMA's rivers, our results indicate relatively consistent climate change responses across HMA in terms of total water availability at decadal time scales. Although total water availability increases for the headwaters, changes in seasonality and magnitude may diverge widely between basins and need to be addressed while adapting to future changes in a region where food security, energy security as well as biodiversity, and the livelihoods of many depend on water from HMA.
19 Steiner, J. F.; Gurung, T. R.; Joshi, S. P.; Koch, I.; Saloranta, T.; Shea, J.; Shrestha, A. B.; Stigter, E.; Immerzeel, W. W. 2021. Multi-year observations of the high mountain water cycle in the Langtang Catchment, Central Himalaya. Hydrological Processes, 35(5):e14189. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14189]
Hydrological cycle ; Mountains ; Catchment areas ; Observation ; Precipitation ; Snow cover ; Glaciers ; Temperature ; Meteorological stations / Nepal / Langtang Catchment / Central Himalaya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050411)
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/hyp.14189
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050411.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050411.pdf
(1.22 MB) (1.22 MB)
The Langtang catchment is a high mountain, third order catchment in the Gandaki basin in the Central Himalaya (28.2°N, 85.5°E), that eventually drains into the Ganges. The catchment spans an elevation range from 1400 to 7234 m a.s.l. and approximately one quarter of the area is glacierized. Numerous research projects have been conducted in the valley during the last four decades, with a strong focus on the cryospheric components of the catchment water balance. Since 2012 multiple weather stations and discharge stations provide measurements of atmospheric and hydrologic variables. Full weather stations are used to monitor at an hourly resolution all four radiation components (incoming and outgoing shortwave and longwave radiation; SWin/out and LWin/out), air temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation, and cover an elevational range of 3862–5330 m a.s.l. Air temperature and precipitation are monitored along elevation gradients for investigations of the spatial variability of the high mountain meteorology. Dedicated point-scale observations of snow cover, depth and water equivalent as well as ice loss have been carried out over multiple years and complement the observations of the water cycle. All data presented is openly available in a database and will be updated annually.
20 Shrestha, M.; Nepal, Santosh. 2022. Quantifying water-related ecosystem services potential of the Kangchenjunga Landscape in the eastern Himalaya: a modeling approach. Hydrology Research, 53(6):892-907. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/nh.2022.012]
Water availability ; Ecosystem services ; Water yield ; Hydrological modelling ; Regulating services ; Precipitation ; Glaciers ; Snow cover ; Snowmelt ; Rivers ; Discharge ; Indicators / Nepal / Bhutan / Himalaya / Kangchenjunga Landscape
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051235)
https://iwaponline.com/hr/article-pdf/53/6/892/1065586/nh0530892.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051235.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051235.pdf
(1.25 MB) (1.25 MB)
Quantifying water-related ecosystem services (WES) helps to secure limited and valuable water resources sustainably. Mainstreaming these ecosystem services into policy and decision-making requires accurate information at the local level. This paper aims to quantify provisioning and regulating freshwater ecosystem services potential in the Kangchenjunga Landscape using a hydro-ecological model. This study is the first to use the J2000 hydrological model to estimate annual and seasonal WES. The model output was validated against snow-cover and river discharge, after conducting a sensitivity analysis of the input parameter. High precipitation and low evapotranspiration resulted in rich water availability in the landscape. It was found that the precipitation amount in the landscape is highly seasonal, resulting in high variation in water availability. Snowfall, accounting for 4% of the total precipitation still plays an important role in regulating water resources. Nearly 100% of the discharge during the dry period originates from groundwater and melt runoff. This study highlights the importance of the presence of snow and glacier to sustain the ecosystem in the landscape. This model-derived information could further be used for decision-making and evaluating the impact of climatic and land use changes.
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