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Topography and climate in the upper Indus Basin: Mapping elevation-snow cover relationships
T Smith1, A Rheinwalt1, B Bookhagen1
1Institute of Geosciences, Universität Potsdam, Germany.
The Science of the Total Environment
|May 11, 2021
Summary
This study analyzes snow cover in the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) using hierarchical clustering. Watersheds group by moisture patterns and elevation, while glaciers cluster based on local topography, revealing distinct snow-topographic regions.
Area of Science:
- Cryospheric science
- Hydrology
- Climatology
Background:
- The Upper Indus Basin (UIB) exhibits diverse climate and topography, ideal for studying snow-climate-topography interactions.
- Snow and glacier distribution in the UIB is heterogeneous, yet distinct elevation-snow relationships exist in certain regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze snow-cover statistics across 3415 watersheds and 7357 glaciers in the UIB.
- To identify and define self-similar snow-topographic regions using a hierarchical clustering approach.
- To investigate the influence of elevation and local topography on snow cover and glacier distribution.
Main Methods:
- Constructed elevation-binned snow-cover statistics for the UIB.
- Applied hierarchical clustering to group watersheds and glaciers.
- Analyzed relationships between cluster characteristics, large-scale moisture transport, watershed elevation, and local topographic parameters.
Main Results:
- Watershed clusters correlate with large-scale moisture transport and median watershed elevation.
- Glacier clusters are spatially heterogeneous, influenced by local topography affecting solar insolation.
- Identified distinct snow-cover-elevation relationships across eastern, central, and western UIB watersheds, highlighting a transition zone.
Conclusions:
- The hierarchical clustering approach effectively defines self-similar snow-topographic regions.
- Watersheds in the identified snow-cover-topographic transition zone likely exhibit unique hydrologic responses.
- This data-driven clustering framework offers a novel method for defining cryospheric climatic zones.
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