Satellite Derived Snow and Runoff Dynamics in the Upper Indus River Basin

Abstract

Various remote sensing products are used to identify spatial-temporal trends in snow cover in the upper Indus basin from 1999 to 2008. It is shown that remote sensing allows detection of spatial-temporal patterns of snow cover across large areas in inaccessible terrain, providing useful information on a critical component of the hydrological cycle. The upper Indus basin is, for its water resources, most dependent on snow and ice melt and large parts are snow covered for prolonged periods of the year. A signifi cant negative winter snow cover trend was identifi ed for the upper Indus basin. A hydrological model is used and forced with remotely sensed derived precipitation and snow cover. The model is calibrated using daily discharges from 2000 to 2005 and stream fl ow in the upper Indus basin can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy. From the analysis it is concluded that there are indications that climate change is affecting the hydrology of the upper Indus basin due to accelerated glacial melting. This conclusion is primarily based on the observation that the average annual precipitation over a fi ve year period is less than the observed stream flow.