Verification of a hydrometeorological model of glacierized basins

Abstract

A hydrometcorological model designed for climatological applications with monthly time-steps and 100 m altitude intervals was calibrated with runoff and climate data on five small, glacierized basins in the Silvretta mountains, Austria (46°55′N, 10°10′E). These basins are exposed to similar synoptic weather conditions but differ in their altitude ranges and glacier covers, enabling the model to be tested for a variety of physical conditions. The structure of the model, the data input and the calibration and tuning procedures are described. Sensitivities of the model to temperature and precipitation changes are derived and applied to annual and decadal values of T and P, respectively. Judged by the difference between observed and calculated sums of runoff, simulation of decadal values is satisfactory, while annual simulations and measurements have rms differences of the order of 200 mm.