Articles | Volume 15, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1423-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1423-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 Mar 2021
Research article |
| 19 Mar 2021
| 19 Mar 2021
Two-dimensional liquid water flow through snow at the plot scale in continental snowpacks: simulations and field data comparisons
Department of Civil, Construction, & Environmental Engineering,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
Center for Water and the Environment, University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado
Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
Keith Jennings
Lynker, Boulder, CO 80301, USA
Department of Geography, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV 89512, USA
Stefan Finsterle
Finsterle GeoConsulting, Kensington, CA 94708, USA
Steven R. Fassnacht
Ecosystem Science and Sustainability – Watershed Science, Colorado
State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Coopertive Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State
University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort
Collins, CO 80523, USA
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Short summary
We simulate the flow of liquid water through snow and compare results to field experiments. This process is important because it controls how much and how quickly water will reach our streams and rivers in snowy regions. We found that water can flow large distances downslope through the snow even after the snow has stopped melting. Improved modeling of snowmelt processes will allow us to more accurately estimate available water resources, especially under changing climate conditions.
We simulate the flow of liquid water through snow and compare results to field experiments. This...
