Abstract
The purpose of this study is to appropriately assess the amount of water resource in a dam catchment basin in Hokkaido, where the amount of water resource is dependent on the amount of snowfall, and to assess the influence of climate change on the water resource. The hydrologic cycle of cold, snowy areas depends strongly on snow; therefore, accurate estimation of the snow cover consolidation process is necessary for accurately estimating the water resource. In this study, the authors clarified the consolidation process of a snow cover in a catchment basin of a dam in Sapporo City by using the values obtained in a long-term observation of snow cover in detail. The authors also attempted to improve the process of calculating the density of the total depth of the snow cover by using the Long-term Hydrologic Assessment model considering Snow process (LoHAS). By using the improved technique and the MRI-NHRCM20 regional climate model, which was created based on the Future Climate Scenario RCP8.5, the authors quantified and compared the water resource under the current climate and under the future climate. The technique of this study, which was based on the values obtained from observations of snow cover in detail, allows us to quantitatively and appropriately assess the water resource. This study demonstrates that hydrological variables indispensable in planning measures against future climate changes can be estimated by using the proposed technique.
