Snowmelt and its importance for catchment storage and runoff in mountain areas of central Europe in the context of climate changes

• Thesis title in Czech: Tání sněhu a jeho vliv na zásoby vody a odtok v horských oblastech střední Evropy v kontextu změn klimatu
• Thesis title in English: Snowmelt and its importance for catchment storage and runoff in mountain areas of central Europe in the context of climate changes
• Academic year of topic announcement: 2021/2022
• Thesis type: dissertation
• Thesis language: angličtina
• Department: Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology (31-330)
• Supervisor: doc. RNDr. Michal Jeníček, Ph.D.
• Author: hidden - assigned by the advisor
• Date of registration: 06.10.2021
• Date of assignment: 06.10.2021

Preliminary scope of work

Mountain catchments are largely influenced by snow, which affects seasonality in runoff. However, snow storages have been decreasing in many mountain regions over the last decades. This suggests that snow and snowmelt dynamics respond to climate changes. Consequently, the snow storages decrease, and snowmelt starts earlier in the year which also affect catchment storage, seasonal runoff distribution and thus water availability. Higher snowpack generates higher groundwater recharge driven by snowmelt rates and thus contributes more to streamflow. Therefore, higher elevations are important for catchment storage and crucial to stabilize streamflow at lower elevations especially during drought periods.
Changes in snow and their impact on catchment storage and runoff are in the centre of the current research. However, the physical process of snowmelt runoff contribution related to catchment storage is still poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this phd project is 1) to investigate mechanism of snowmelt runoff generation and quantify how long snowmelt affects runoff during warm period, 2) to couple the measured field data with a hydrological model and 3) to simulate the effect of predicted decrease in snow storages on catchment storage and runoff. The project solution will combine field investigations of the mechanism of snowmelt runoff generation (using e.g. water isotopes data) with hydrological models to transfer the field information to a catchment scale. The modelling approaches will be used to simulate the effect of predicted climate change on snow and catchment storage and consequent runoff. This enables to identify areas potentially affected by the mentioned future hydrological change.

Preliminary scope of work in English

Mountain catchments are largely influenced by snow, which affects seasonality in runoff. However, snow storages have been decreasing in many mountain regions over the last decades. This suggests that snow and snowmelt dynamics respond to climate changes. Consequently, the snow storages decrease, and snowmelt starts earlier in the year which also affect catchment storage, seasonal runoff distribution and thus water availability. Higher snowpack generates higher groundwater recharge driven by snowmelt rates and thus contributes more to streamflow. Therefore, higher elevations are important for catchment storage and crucial to stabilize streamflow at lower elevations especially during drought periods.
Changes in snow and their impact on catchment storage and runoff are in the centre of the current research. However, the physical process of snowmelt runoff contribution related to catchment storage is still poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this phd project is 1) to investigate mechanism of snowmelt runoff generation and quantify how long snowmelt affects runoff during warm period, 2) to couple the measured field data with a hydrological model and 3) to simulate the effect of predicted decrease in snow storages on catchment storage and runoff. The project solution will combine field investigations of the mechanism of snowmelt runoff generation (using e.g. water isotopes data) with hydrological models to transfer the field information to a catchment scale. The modelling approaches will be used to simulate the effect of predicted climate change on snow and catchment storage and consequent runoff. This enables to identify areas potentially affected by the mentioned future hydrological change.