Role of Elevation and Aspect in Snow Distribution in Western Himalaya |
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Authors: | Sanjay K Jain Ajanta Goswami A K Saraf |
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Affiliation: | (1) National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, India;(2) Department of Earth Sciences, IIT, Roorkee, India |
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Abstract: | Snow is a dynamic natural element, the distribution of which is largely controlled by latitude and altitude. In the tropical
country like India, snow distribution is mostly controlled by altitude. The present study aims to identify the relationship
between snow accumulation with elevation and aspect in rugged terrain in the Himalayan region. The river basins of four tributaries
of the River Indus i.e. Satluj, Chenab, Ravi and Beas located in the western Himalaya were considered for study. Snow covered
area was estimated for a period of 2 years (01 Jan 2003 to 17 Dec 2004) using MODIS 8 days’ maximum snow cover products. Aspect
and classified relief maps were prepared using the USGS DEM. The inter-relationship between aspect, elevation and snow cover
area was determined for all the four river basins and comparative analysis has been made. A 2 years average shows that Satluj
has the minimum snow covered area 23%, while Chenab has the highest snow covered area i.e. 42%, Ravi and Beas has 33% and
38% respectively. The minimum elevation from where snow covered area appears has been calculated and it has been observed
that in case of Satluj, snow appears at a higher elevation (1,369 m) while in Chenab snow appears at an elevation of 834 m,
followed by Ravi (1,058 m) and Beas (1,264 m). It was found that aspect has a major impact on snow accumulation in the lower
elevations in all the basins as compared to higher elevations. Snow accumulates most in the northwest and northeast aspect.
The rate of change in snow cover with elevation is determined for all the river basins and it has been concluded that Satluj
has the lowest rate of change of snow cover with elevation (1.3% per 100 m), Chenab 1.8% per 100 m, followed by Ravi 2% per
100 m and Beas (2% per 100 m). |
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Keywords: | Snow Elevation Aspect Himalaya DEM Basin |
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