Measuring and Modelling Snow Cover and Melt in a Himalayan Catchment; Instrumentation and model code setup in the Langtang catchment, Nepal - Lessons learned from the SnowAMP project - ICIMOD Working Paper 2016/10

Seasonal snow cover plays an important role in water resources availability in many regions of the world and is a key factor in the weather and climate system, both regionally and globally. Snowmelt can be a source of water for human use, such as irrigation and hydropower production, but can also cause disasters such as floods and slush avalanches. Reliable models must be developed to accurately simulate snow cover and melt, and to obtain reliable forecasts of snow impact on risks and current downstream water availability, and their likely evolution in the context of climate change. In the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH), little is known about snow cover and snowmelt processes as in situ measurements are challenging to undertake in remote, high altitude sites. Snow conditions vary strongly with the time of year, region, elevation, and between years depending on the prevailing weather type. In situ data are needed to improve models and increase our understanding of snow accumulation and melt processes.