Simulation of snowmelt runoff in lowland and lower Alpine regions of Switzerland (original) (raw)
This study investigates the influence of snowmelt model structure on the overall performance of runoff modelling in basins ranging from 3.2 to 1696 km 2 . For a given basin, melt rates as calculated by various snowmelt models of different complexity are used as input to the same runoff model, and the performance is assessed by linear scale plots of measured and simulated discharge and by a numerical efficiency criterion. In small to medium basins (<1000 km 2 ) there is a noticeable improvement in model performance when moving from a temperature index method to any other method investigated. During advection-melt conditions an energy balance method yields the best results, while during radiation-melt conditions index methods are sufficient. In larger basins (>1000 km ), a noticeable change in model performance is observed only in individual years characterized by an above-normal snow pack. For operational purposes, the combination method according to seems to be the most suitable approach of the methods investigated.
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