U-072 - Characterizing the role of snow for liquid water storage and transmission
PI: Dr. Ryan Webb
Project Lead: Keith Williams
Funding Source: NSF/EAR 1824152
Location: Niwot Ridge, CO
Dates: 2018-05-01 to 2021-05-01
Project Summary
The goal of this project is to characterize and constrain the physical mechanisms that control snowmelt delivery to streams in headwater basins. This project leverages new observation and modeling techniques to quantify and simulate the snow distribution, water holding capacity, snowmelt production, and dynamic flowpaths. This is achieved through state-of-the-science observation techniques including ground penetrating radar (GPR), Terrestrial LiDAR Scanning (TLS), global positioning system (GPS) instrumentation, a network of sensor nodes continuously measuring soil moisture and snow depth, and a weir to monitor streamflow. Finally, hydrologic modeling will be conducted with the Structure for Unified Multiple Modeling Alternatives (SUMMA) model to assess the impact of modeling decisions and the ability to simulate snowmelt dynamics. The overarching research question of this project is: How do snowpack liquid water storage and through-snow hydrologic flowpaths affect hillslope-stream connectivity, and how do these processes evolve throughout the snowmelt season? This research question will be investigated in a snow-dominated headwater catchment. This work will observe and simulate the spatially and temporally variable snowmelt season to complete the following project objectives: O1) Map the dynamics of catchment snow water equivalent (SWE) using TLS surveys, GPR surveys, a network of sensor nodes, and manual observations. O2) Monitor the spatial and temporal progression of snowpack liquid water content and transport using combined TLS and GPR surveys, automated GPS signal attenuation, soil moisture sensors, and catchment streamflow response. O3) Evaluate the skill of hydrologic models to simulate the observed dynamics of the snowpack, soil, and streamflow response by systematically analyzing multiple model representations of hydrologic processes and scaling behavior. The work builds upon decades of local research in hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecological processes.