Current WRP Projects: Project 60
Improving Hydrologic Predictions in Wyoming’s Headwaters Through Detailed Quantification of Snowmelt
- Project Number: 60
- PIs: Fabian Nippgen, Assistant Professor, Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, fnippgen@uwyo.edu; Co-Investigator: Ginger Paige, Professor, Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, gpaige@uwyo.edu
- Period: 07/01/2021 – 06/30/2024
Objectives
This project aimed to improve hydrologic prediction and snowmelt representation in
Wyoming’s mountain headwaters by integrating high-resolution climate forcing data,
field observations, and distributed modeling. The objectives for this work were: 1)
assessing the impact of model resolution on modeled hydrologic response when the same
watersheds are modeled within larger watersheds, 2) evaluating how di$erences among
widely used climate forcing datasets—NLDAS, ERA5, and CONUS404—a$ect hydrologic simulations
of snowmelt, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and streamflow in complex snow-dominated
watersheds, and 3) investigating the accuracy of modeled snow cover and depth at the
small watershed scale by comparing them to UAV-derived snow cover, manually collected
snow courses, and eddy covariance-derived sublimation from snow pack. By focusing
on the Snowy Range in southeastern Wyoming, a critical headwater region for the Laramie
and North Platte River, this project sought to reduce uncertainty in water predictions
and strengthen Wyoming’s ability to anticipate and manage future changes in snow-derived
water supply.
Methodology
Hydrometric Observations
Field activities and modeling e$orts were centered in the Snowy Range of the Medicine
Bow National Forest, encompassing several nested watersheds ranging from small firstorder
headwater basins to fourth-order streams. The study area includes two SNOTEL sites
(Brooklyn Lake and Cinnabar Park), multiple soil moisture monitoring locations, and
nine open-channel gauging stations. The Glacier Lakes Ecosystem Experiments Site (GLEES)
eddy covariance tower provided continuous observations of latent heat flux (i.e.,
evapotranspiration), and meteorological conditions (Figure 1).
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