Identification

Title

Impacts of subgrid temperature distribution along elevation bands in snowpack modeling: Insights from a suite of Andean catchments

Abstract

The implementation of elevation bands is a popular strategy to account for topographic heterogeneities in snowpack modeling. Here, we characterize the implications of subgrid temperature distribution along elevation bands through numerical experiments in nine mountainous basins of the Andes Cordillera, central Chile. Specifically, we analyze outputs from the Variable Infiltration Capacity model with six different setups: no elevation bands (i.e., flat grid cells; benchmark model) and elevation bands with vertical discretizations of 1,000, 750, 500, 200, and 100 m. The analyses are conducted in a wet period (April/1982-March/1987), dry period (April/2010-March/2015) and a climatological period (April/1982-March/2015). The results show that adding elevation bands yields little variations in simulated monthly or daily streamflow; however, there are important effects on the partitioning of precipitation between snowfall and rainfall, snowmelt, sublimation, and the spatial variability in 1 September snow water equivalent (SWE), suggesting a form of model-structure equifinality. Vertical temperature distribution generally yields less basin-averaged snowmelt and more (less) catchment-scale sublimation across water-limited (energy-limited) basins. Further, the implications of subgrid temperature distribution vary with the analysis period: fluxes are more affected during the wet period, while variations in 1 September SWE are more noticeable during the dry period. In general, the effects of topographic temperature distribution are reduced with increasing vertical discretization and can differ among catchments. Finally, the grid cells that yield the largest sensitivities to vertical discretization have relatively more humid conditions, large intra-annual variations in the water/energy budget, lower mean altitude, elevation ranges > 1,000 m, and steep slopes (> 15 degrees).

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d74f1vn3

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2022-12-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

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Conformity

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name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact