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A Mesoscale Analysis of the Impact of Snowpack on Climate Variability in the Sierra Nevada Region

Jiming Jin and Norman L. Miller

Contact: Jiming Jin, 510/486-7551, JimingJin@lbl.gov

Research Objective

Greater than 70% of the annual streamflow in the western United States is derived from snowpack (Cayan, 1996). Hence, accurately forecasting snowpack is essential to this region's economy and well-being, and numerical models are necessary (and powerful) tools for this purpose. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the snow scheme with an advanced mesoscale model, using observational evidence, and to investigate the impact of snowpack on climate variability in the Sierra Nevada region.    

To continue reading more about this project, view the 1-page pdf here.

 

 

 

 

figureComparison of simulations and observations averaged over the Sierra Nevada region for the period of April 2-June 30, 1998: (a) Snow water equivalent (mm); (b) 2 m height air temperature (degrees C); (c) Precipitation (mm). Obs is observations, Simu is the 12 km resolution simulation with no SWE assimilation, and SimuAs is the 12 km resolution simulation with SWE assimilation.