Snow Hydrology

Principles of Snow Hydrology describes the factors that control the accumulation, melting and runoff of water from seasonal snowpacks over the surface of the earth. The book addresses not only the basic principles governing snow in the hydrologic cycle, but also the latest applications of remote sensing, and techniques for modeling streamflow from snowmelt across large mixed land-use river basins. Individual chapters are devoted to climatology and distribution of snow, snowpack energy exchange, snow chemistry, ground-based measurements and remote sensing of snowpack characteristics, snowpack management, and modeling snowmelt runoff. Many chapters have review questions and problems with solutions available online. This book is a reference book for practicing water resources managers and a text for advanced hydrology and water resources courses which span fields such as engineering, earth sciences, meteorology, biogeochemistry, forestry and range management, and water resources planning.

This book provides an updated discussion of snow and glacier hydrology, drawing on the results of recent investigations. It serves as a source of reference at the senior undergraduate or beginning graduate level and stimulates further interest in this important part of the hydrologic cycle.

The authors of this monograph initially provide an assessment of the role of snow and ice in the global water balance, and methods of snow measurements are detailed. Periodical satellite snow-cover mapping enabling the regional distribution of snow and water equivalent is evaluated, enhancing runoff forecasts.

The scientific field of hydrology that is concerned with the composition, dispersion and movement of snow and ice is referred to as snow hydrology. Important hydrological processes include snowfall, accumulation and melt in watershed at high altitudes and latitudes. Snow melt is useful in many areas as it supplies water to reservoirs and populations, and is also used for agricultural activities. Snow hydrology provides knowledge which is used in weather forecasting. Information of snow composition and movement is gathered through density, depth and composition readings and by using various remote sensing techniques. This book outlines the processes and applications of snow hydrology in detail. It strives to provide a fair idea about this discipline and to help develop a better understanding of the latest advances within this field. It will serve as a valuable source of reference for graduate and post graduate students.

This book is a collection of seven in-depth and detailed research papers authored by Dr. Raman K Attri between 1996 to 2005. The book presents early-career scientific work by the author as a scientist at a research organization. The book provides the conceptual background and key electronics and mechanical design principles used in designing sensors and instrumentation systems to measure snow hydrological parameters. The systems discussed in this book can be used to measure snow depth, layer temperature, temperature distribution profile, surface porosity, etc. The snow parameters measured from instruments and sensors discussed in this book are integrated into larger systems and are used in computer-driven models for snow avalanche predictions. The book presents the design challenges and design methods from electronics and instrumentation design point of view. While the book provides essential understanding of analog electronics design and associated mechanical design for snow hydrological sensors, the book also presents the background theoretical and mathematical models from snow hydrology physics that governs this electronics design. The first research paper discusses the design control techniques used to the design a remote surface detector to detect objects with porous, uneven, irregular surfaces like snow using ultrasonic beams. The second research paper describes signal processing techniques and electronics design approaches to design a snow depth sensor with improved sensitivity and directional response using Ultrasonic Pulse-Transit Method. The third research paper explains theoretical and mathematical model that governs the physical, mechanical, and electronics design to implement the theory of Arrayed Ultrasonic transducers to shape up the directional response and beam width of an ultrasonic beam to improve the chances of receiving sufficient reflection from the non-smooth, highly porous, uneven, non-planar, irregular snow surface. The fourth paper presents the design considerations and performance characteristics of Snow Temperature Profile Sensing System used to measure the temperature gradient and temperature distributions within and outside the snowpack at different depths. The fifth research paper focuses on describing the design of Snow Temperature Profile Sensing System in details and discusses the theoretical and mathematical model that outline important temperature parameters. Then the paper describes how the system is implemented to record or measure those parameters. The sixth paper presents the design considerations, constraints and design techniques used to use RTD temperature sensors for snow temperature measurement applications. The paper also presents the performance evaluation and suitability of such sensors. The seventh paper focuses design techniques for front-end analog signal conditioning module and the design challenges faced when interfacing analog unit to a data acquisition system. The eighth paper describes the design of snow air temperature sensing probe and methods to ensure that it measures true air temperature over a snow cover and is not influenced by solar radiations and winds. The book may be read as an applied text-book in conjunction with standard electronics and instrumentation design textbooks. The book will guide students on how to apply basic principles of instrumentation systems design, integrate concepts of physical sciences and measurement sciences for the field applications.

Snow hydrology is a specialized field of hydrology that is of particular importance to study the composition, dispersion and movement of snow and ice. Accumulation and melting of snow in watersheds at high altitude and mountain terrain is an important hydrological process and includes mass and energy balance calculations of snow packs over a time. This field is influenced by the location, morphology, vegetation, and redistribution of wind during watershed. Terrestrial measurements, remote sensing, thermatic mapping, radiometer, spectrometer and scanners are used to understand the movements of glaciers and snow. The field aims to understand the density, depth, composition and possible runoff of snow. This book outlines the principles and applications of snow hydrology in detail. It studies, analyses and upholds the pillars of snow hydrology and its utmost significance in modern times. As this field is emerging at a rapid pace, the contents of this book will help the readers understand the modern concepts and applications of the subject.