WWRC 85-06
Prediction of Runoff Patterns In Wyoming Using Landsat Imagery To Measure Snowcover and Estimate Runoff From Snowmelt
Abstract
Snowpack has been traditionally monitored by on-site recording stations
supplemented by periodic sampling for water content. Snowcover estimates
from Landsat imagery can be used to effectively augment these measurements
and improve water forecasts. The method used is to interpret snowcover
area from a sequence of images obtained during several snowmelt seasons.
The snowcover measurements are plotted against measured streamflow summed
over the melt season. As cumulative runoff increases, snowcover decreases
each year. The empirical relationship derived from these data is evaluated
and compared to similar curves for other snowmelt seasons to derive a composite
relationship that represents the "typical" pattern of snowmelt vs.
runoff for each watershed. The curves derived in this fashion can be used
to forecast volume and timing of runoff during the spring snowmelt, using
the current Landsat imagery to assess the condition of the snowpack in a
given watershed. Composite curves were compiled for each Wyoming watershed
where adequate data were available for several seasons. Both the annual
and composite curves are useful for predicting the expected runoff from the
most recent satellite images. Dates for beginning, peak, and end of spring
snowmelt can be predicted.
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