Seasonal snow accumulation in the mid-latitude forested catchment

0432283 - ÚH 2015 RIV SK eng J - Journal Article
Šípek, Václav - Tesař, Miroslav
Seasonal snow accumulation in the mid-latitude forested catchment.
Biologia. Roč. 69, č. 11 (2014), s. 1562-1569. ISSN 0006-3088. E-ISSN 1336-9563
R&D Projects: GA TA ČR TA02021451
Institutional support: RVO:67985874
Keywords : snow depth * snow water equivalent * forested catchment
Subject RIV: DA - Hydrology ; Limnology
Impact factor: 0.827, year: 2014

The study deals with the snow cover characteristics (snow depth – SD and snow water equivalent – SWE) concerning the mid-latitude forested catchment. Namely, the influence of the forest canopy (Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Fagus sylvatica L.) and altitude (ranging from 835 m a.s.l. to 1118 m a.s.l.) was investigated. Forest cover was proved to have a significant influence on the snow cover accumulation, reducing SWE by 50 % on average, compared to open sites. The elevation gradient concerning SWE ranged from 30 to 40 mm and from 5 to 20 mm per 100 m in open and forested sites, respectively. Its magnitude was found to be temporarily variable and positively related to the total seasonal snowfall amount. The SWE/SD variability among measurement sites (with different altitude) was higher in open sites compared to forested ones. The catchment SWE/SD variability increases significantly in the snowmelt period (March–April) both in open and forested locations. The differences among snow interception losses, concerning various elevations and the forest canopy, were not statistically significant.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0236701