Impact of Ice Layers on Storage Characteristics
of a Snowpack
Pratap Singh1, Gerhard Spitzbart2, H. Huebl2, and H.W. Weinmeister
For various countries of the world, streamflow generated from the melting of seasonal snow cov-
er is an important source of water for irrigation, hydropower, water supply, and various other
applications. Accurate information on both timing of seasonal rise in snowmelt runoff and vol-
ume of snowmelt runoff is important for the management of water resources. There are several
factors affecting the initial time of runoff generated as a result of melting of snowpack. The tim-
ing of initial rise in streamflow depends on a variety of processes that control the release of melt-
water to streams. Energy balance on snow surface, snow depth, cold content of snowpack and un-
derlying soil surface, internal accumulation of meltwater, topography of underlying surface, and
clogging of channels are the important factors influencing the release of meltwater from snow-
pack. This combination of processes can prevent the small quantities of initial snowmelt runoff
from flowing downstream, thereby adding a delay to the lags caused by the snowpack. For exam-
ple, in the Alaska range of North America, internal accumulation alone can delay release of water
for two to four weeks at an average melt rate of 10 mm/day. Obviously, a knowledge of the im-
pact of physical characteristics of snowpack on the onset of snowmelt runoff is needed to model
snowmelt runoff.
In the present study, the impact of the existence of ice layers in the snowpack on the release of
meltwater has been investigated. Artificial rain was simulated over a snow block of known di-
mensions (2.30 m 1.30 m 1.08 m) prepared in the Glatzbach basin in the Austrian Alps, very
near to the Grossglockner, the highest peak in Austria. The experiment was made in the month of
May at an altitude of 2640 m just before onset of snowmelt runoff from the snowpack at that alti-
tude. Stratigraphic studies were made before and after the experiment. The snowpack contained
five ice layers ranging from about 2 to 8 mm in thickness and was in an isothermal state before
the experiment. The average liquid water content of the snow plot was observed to be about 4%
by volume. It was found that an amount equivalent to 103 mm was absorbed by the snow block
before appearance of runoff from the block. Results indicate that storage capacity of a snowpack
is enhanced to more than double because of the presence of ice layers in the snowpack. Keeping
in view the energy patterns of that region, it is estimated that ice layers may delay the generation
of runoff for several days.
1
National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee-247 667 (U.P.), India
2
Institute for Torrent and Avalanche Control, BOKU, A1190, 82 Peter Jordan Strasse, Vienna, Austria
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