Supporting commission(s) / organisations: ICSIH, ICCLAS, ICWRS

The storage and release of water from seasonal snowcovers constitutes a critical component of the annual hydrological cycle in many parts of the world. In these regions, monitoring of snow water resources, prediction, and forecasting of snowmelt runoff are vital tools for water managers concerned with floods, droughts, water supply, and/or hydropower generation. Recent climate conditions have led to changes in precipitation, soil moisture, and streamflow that are having an impact on water supplies, ecosystems, and agriculture. Land cover changes driven by human activities, natural disturbances, and species changes are likewise altering snowpack, soil moisture, evaporative flux, and runoff dynamics. Advances in fundamental snow science are essential to understand both the impacts of landcover and climate trends on hydrological systems.

This session will bring together experimental and modeling experts to address a broad range of topics that are important to improve current cold-region hydrological models and its operational applications. We welcome contributions related to topics such as
- Impacts of climatic variability and projected changes on water resources
- Impacts of landcover changes on snow patterns and processes
- Snowcover modeling in vegetated and complex terrain
- Representation of small-scale variations at coarser modeling grid scales
- Assimilation of snow observations
- Operational snowmelt runoff modelling