THE ESTIMATE OF THE SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT IN THE DAM BASIN CONSIDERED ASPECT OF SLOPE IN THE SNOWIEST SEASON

Abstract

For better estimation of snow water equivalents for dam basins in cold snowy regions, snow depth distribution was investigated in relation to both elevation and aspect of slope using a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) created from an airborne laser scanning survey conducted on a certain day in the snowy period and another one in the snow-free period. Based on the results, a snow water equivalent estimation model was developed.The model was used to estimate snow water equivalents in six dams, and resulted in estimates with a higher level of accuracy than those based on snow surveys and existing models.