Snowmelt

The snowmelt routine in GeoSWMM is a part of the runoff modeling process. It updates the state of the snow packs associated with each subcatchment by accounting for snow accumulation, snow redistribution by areal depletion and removal operations, and snow melt via heat budget accounting. Any snowmelt coming off the pack is treated as an additional rainfall input onto the subcatchment.

At each runoff time step the following computations are made:

1.     Air temperature and melt coefficients are updated according to the calendar date

2.     Any precipitation that falls as snow is added to the snow pack

3.     Any excess snow depth on the plowable area of the pack is redistributed according to the removal Parameters established for the pack.

4.     Areal coverage of snow on the impervious and pervious areas of the pack is reduced according to the Areal Depletion Curves defined for the study area.

5.     The amount of snow in the pack that melts to liquid water is found using:

a.      A heat budget equation for periods with rainfall, where melt rate increases with increasing air temperature, wind speed, and rainfall intensity

b.     A degree-day equation for periods with no rainfall, where melt rate equals the product of a melt coefficient and the difference between the air temperature and the pack's base melt temperature.

6.     If no melting occurs, the pack temperature is adjusted up or down based on the product of the difference between current and past air temperatures and an adjusted melt coefficient. If melting occurs, the temperature of the pack is increased by the equivalent heat content of the melted snow, up to the base melt temperature. Any remaining melt liquid beyond this is available to runoff from the pack.

7.     The available snowmelt is then reduced by the amount of free water holding capacity remaining in the pack. The remaining melt is treated the same as an additional rainfall input onto the subcatchment.