Authors: Thomas DiPietro, Christina Chow, Katherine Hale, Beverley Wemple, Anna Grunes – Universtiy of Vermont
Title: Modeling of Snowpack in The Northeast Using iSnobal
Abstract: Applications of process-based snow models draw extensively on cases from the western US and other montane regions worldwide, with fewer model cases in the northern US, where limited snow studies have been conducted. While the Northeast is not heavily reliant on snow-dependent water resources, snowpack accumulation and ablation in the area impacts seasonal to annual water partitioning between evapotranspiration and runoff, water quality, flooding, and drought. Leveraging a recently established meteorological and snowpack observation network in the Green Mountains of Vermont, we implemented a foundational snow modeling framework for cold regions in the Northeast. We use iSnobal, a coupled snowpack energy and mass-balance model used often for water forecasting in the western United States, to evaluate spatial and temporal snowpack variability in a forested alpine watershed, Ranch Brook in Stowe, Vermont (9.6 km2). Validated against observations, results from this modeling effort provide an updated, high-resolution (50 m) characterization of northeastern snowpack evolution and snowmelt water resources. This information will ultimately contribute to improving snowmelt and runoff forecasting in the Northeast for the NextGen National Water Model (NWM), a primary objective of the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH). As an initial step to expanding the modeling domain across the larger Northeast, this comprehensive dataset provides a more-holistic representation of the regional snowpack – than had previously existed – and its effect on downstream water availability. The Western Snow Conference presents an opportunity for regional collaboration that could lead to model intercomparisons to leverage our work for broader insights into changing dynamics in cold regions.