A STUDY ON SNOW DEPTH DISTRIBUTION AND SNOWFALL DISTRIBUTION FOR SNOWMELT RUNOFF CALCULATION IN HIGH ELEVATION AREA ABOVE THE FOREST LINE

Abstract

 Better estimation of snow water equivalents for a dam basin and dam inflow is important for dam operation in cold and snowy regions. In this study, the relationship between snow depth and topography was analyzed using airborne laser scanning data. The linear relationship between snow depth in the forest area and elevation and the relationship between snow depth in the non-forest area like the area above the forest line and overground-openness were clarified. Moreover, three types of snowfall distribution were set and the dam inflow was calculated using snowmelt runoff model. The calculation applied snowfall distribution considered snow depth transport by wind at high elevations had the highest accuracy.