POINT SNOWMELT MODELS WITH DIFFERENT DEGREES OF COMPLEXITY - INTERNAL-PROCESSES

Two point snowmelt models are compared under different weather and snowpack conditions. The research-oriented simulation model describes the coupled heat and mass flow distributed with depth whereas the operational model treats the snowpack as one piece and uses heat and liquid water storage factors. An identical approach to energy input is used in both cases. Parameters are derived externally from the literature. The distributed model gives satisfactory results for all periods analysed. The performance of the bulk model depends on snowpack conditions. Particularly during freeze-thaw cycles, proper calibration of parameters appears to be essential. An analysis of the state variables cold content and liquid water content indicates that the bulk model is not suited to a detailed simulation of internal processes.