Laserfiche WebLink
<br />This approach suggested that April through July total runoff would increase at least 10 gct in most <br />watersheds for a 10 pet increase in the mean snowpack. However, some basins indicated increased on <br />only 6-8 pet. Closer examination suggested that snow courses in or near some watersheds, though well <br />correlated with runoff, poorly represented actual snowpack conditic:ms throughout the watershed. These <br />snow courses tended to be low elevation courses for which the calculated linear regression equations <br />predicted substantial flow even with zero SWE on April 1. In general, the higher the snow course <br />elevation, the greater was the prediction of percentage increase in runoff. <br /> <br />About 20 pet runoff enhancements were predicted for 2 of the basins in Table 2 and for I small <br />experimental watershed with representative SWE observations and limited slope. Two of these 3 basins <br />are known to have relatively impervious base material. Only 8 pct runoff enhancement was predicted for <br />a second small experimental watershed with very permeable base material. It seems probable that <br />subsurface flow reduced the measured runoff in that drainage. <br /> <br />Other important factors believed to influence the snowpack-runoff relationships are those that cause <br />variability in sublimation and evapotranspiration losses (slope, aspect, vegetation). All five drainages <br />listed in Tables 1 and 2 with predicted runoff increases less than 10 pet had steep south-facing or <br />southwest-facing slopes which would maximize such losses. The geology of at least two of these <br />drainages could reduce runoff. <br /> <br />A given percentage snowpack increase at higher elevations probably will result in a larger runoff <br />increment than the same percentage increase in the lower elevation snowpack of the basin. The evidence <br />in this paper supports that concept, and higher elevations usually have greater SWE, which suggests that a <br />cloud seeding projects should emphasize targeting of the higher elevations in mountain watersheds. <br />However, slopes exposed to strong solar radiation and/or sustained winds may lose much of their windfall. <br />As the technology of winter weather modification improves, more attention should be given to targeting <br />areas which maximize runoff. <br /> <br />,-" <br /> <br />The conversion of snowpack to runoff is a complex, nonlinear process. Observations from well- <br />instrumented watersheds, coupled with physically-based numerical models, could be used to provide <br />accurate and reliable estimates of runoff responses to enhanced snowpack. In the meantime, the estimates <br />made by this simpler approach are probably reasonable, conservative first approximations. These <br />estimates indicated that in most mountain locations in the Upper Colorado River Basin, a 10 pet increase <br />in SWE should result in at least a 10 pet increase in spring and summer runoff. Runoff increases up to <br />20 pet may be expected from some drainages. Conversely, drainages with high evapotranspiration losses <br />or very permeable soils may produce less than 10 pet runoff increases. <br /> <br />1994 articles and papers: <br /> <br />10. Heimbach, J. A., Jr., and w: D. Hall, 1994: Applications of the Clark model to winter storms over <br />the Wasatch Plateau. J. Weather M()dification,26, 1-11. ( <br /> <br />ABSTRACT <br /> <br />The configuration of the Clark mesoscale model to a field experiment conducted over the central Utah <br />Wasatch Plateau experimental area is briefly described. Its application is demonstrated using one case <br />from the early winter 1991 UtahlNOAA Cooperativt;: Atmospheric Modification Research Program. <br />Observations of sulfur hexaflouride and ice nuclei were used to test the model. The results were in <br /> <br />50 <br />