| Description |
The presence of dust can dramatically alter the energy balance of a snowpack, and therefore influence the timing of snowmelt. Not accounting for dust radiative forcing may be a source of forecasting errors and biases in snowmelt models. This study uses the physically based and spatially distributed snowmelt model iSnobal to evaluate simulation improvements when in situ albedo observations from two different study plots are used to inform the model in the dust-impacted Senator Beck Basin. Results show that modeling errors in the timing of snow depletion decreases from several weeks to several days at the locations of the study plots. Additionally, informing the model with in situ albedo results in earlier snowmelt timings during dust-heavy water years, a similar pattern to stream gauge observations. Comparison of modeled albedo and snow depth to data from ASO gives insight into possible sources of simulation error such as poorly constrained precipitation lapse rates and not accounting for wind redistribution. |
