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| Titel |
Early 21st century snow cover state over the western river basins of the Indus River system |
| VerfasserIn |
S. Hasson, V. Lucarini, M. R. Khan, M. Petitta, T. Bolch, G. Gioli |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1027-5606
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ; 18, no. 10 ; Nr. 18, no. 10 (2014-10-15), S.4077-4100 |
| Datensatznummer |
250120498
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/hess-18-4077-2014.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| In this paper we assess the snow cover and its dynamics for the western river
basins of the Indus River system (IRS) and their sub-basins located in
Afghanistan, China, India and Pakistan for the period 2001–2012. First, we
validate the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily snow
products from Terra (MOD10A1) and Aqua (MYD10A1) against the Landsat Thematic
Mapper/Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus (TM/ETM+) data set, and then improve
them for clouds by applying a validated non-spectral cloud removal technique.
The improved snow product has been analysed on a seasonal and annual basis
against different topographic parameters (aspect, elevation and slope). Our
results show a decreasing tendency for the annual average snow cover for the
westerlies-influenced basins (upper Indus basin (UIB), Astore, Hunza, Shigar
and Shyok) and an increasing tendency for the monsoon-influenced basins
(Jhelum, Kabul, Swat and Gilgit). Seasonal average snow cover decreases
during winter and autumn, and increases during spring and summer, which is
consistent with the observed cooling and warming trends during the respective
seasons. Sub-basins at relatively higher latitudes/altitudes show higher
variability than basins at lower latitudes/middle altitudes. Northeastern and
northwestern aspects feature greater snow cover. The mean end-of-summer
regional snow line altitude (SLA) zones range from 3000 to
5000 m a.s.l. for all basins. Our analysis provides an indication of a
descending end-of-summer regional SLA zone for most of the studied basins,
which is significant for the Shyok and Kabul basins, thus indicating a change
in their water resources. Such results are consistent with the observed
hydro-climatic data, recently collected local perceptions and glacier mass
balances for the investigated period within the UIB. Moreover, our analysis
shows a significant correlation between winter season snow cover and the
North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index of the previous autumn. Similarly, the
inter-annual variability of spring season snow cover and spring season
precipitation explains well the inter-annual variability of the summer season
discharge from most of the basins. These findings indicate some potential for
the seasonal stream flow forecast in the region, suggesting snow cover as a
possible predictor. |
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