---
_id: '12646'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Assessment of water resources from remote mountainous catchments plays a crucial
role for the development of rural areas in or in the vicinity of mountain ranges.
The scarcity of data, however, prevents the application of standard approaches
that are based on data-driven models. The Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalaya mountain
range is a crucial area in terms of water resources, but our understanding of
the response of its high-elevation catchments to a changing climate is hindered
by lack of hydro-meteorological and cryospheric data. Hydrological modeling is
challenging here because internal inconsistencies—such as an underestimation of
precipitation input that can be compensated for by an overestimation of meltwater—might
be hidden due to the complexity of feedback mechanisms that govern melt and runoff
generation in such basins. Data scarcity adds to this difficulty by preventing
the application of systematic calibration procedures that would allow identification
of the parameter set that could guarantee internal consistency in the simulation
of the single hydrological components. In this work, we use simulations from the
Hunza River Basin in the Karakoram region obtained with the hydrological model
TOPKAPI to quantify the predictive power of discharge and snow-cover data sets,
as well as the combination of both. We also show that short-term measurements
of meteorological variables such as radiative fluxes, wind speed, relative humidity,
and air temperature from glacio-meteorological experiments are crucial for a correct
parameterization of surface melt processes. They enable detailed simulations of
the energy fluxes governing glacier–atmosphere interaction and the resulting ablation
through energy-balance modeling. These simulations are used to derive calibrated
parameters for the simplified snow and glacier routines in TOPKAPI. We demonstrate
that such parameters are stable in space and time in similar climatic regions,
thus reducing the number of parameters requiring calibration.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Francesca
full_name: Pellicciotti, Francesca
id: b28f055a-81ea-11ed-b70c-a9fe7f7b0e70
last_name: Pellicciotti
- first_name: Cyrill
full_name: Buergi, Cyrill
last_name: Buergi
- first_name: Walter Willem
full_name: Immerzeel, Walter Willem
last_name: Immerzeel
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Konz, Markus
last_name: Konz
- first_name: Arun B.
full_name: Shrestha, Arun B.
last_name: Shrestha
citation:
ama: 'Pellicciotti F, Buergi C, Immerzeel WW, Konz M, Shrestha AB. Challenges and
uncertainties in hydrological modeling of remote Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan
(HKH) basins: Suggestions for calibration strategies. Mountain Research and
Development. 2012;32(1):39-50. doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00092.1'
apa: 'Pellicciotti, F., Buergi, C., Immerzeel, W. W., Konz, M., & Shrestha,
A. B. (2012). Challenges and uncertainties in hydrological modeling of remote
Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan (HKH) basins: Suggestions for calibration strategies.
Mountain Research and Development. International Mountain Society. https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00092.1'
chicago: 'Pellicciotti, Francesca, Cyrill Buergi, Walter Willem Immerzeel, Markus
Konz, and Arun B. Shrestha. “Challenges and Uncertainties in Hydrological Modeling
of Remote Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan (HKH) Basins: Suggestions for Calibration
Strategies.” Mountain Research and Development. International Mountain
Society, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00092.1.'
ieee: 'F. Pellicciotti, C. Buergi, W. W. Immerzeel, M. Konz, and A. B. Shrestha,
“Challenges and uncertainties in hydrological modeling of remote Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan
(HKH) basins: Suggestions for calibration strategies,” Mountain Research and
Development, vol. 32, no. 1. International Mountain Society, pp. 39–50, 2012.'
ista: 'Pellicciotti F, Buergi C, Immerzeel WW, Konz M, Shrestha AB. 2012. Challenges
and uncertainties in hydrological modeling of remote Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan
(HKH) basins: Suggestions for calibration strategies. Mountain Research and Development.
32(1), 39–50.'
mla: 'Pellicciotti, Francesca, et al. “Challenges and Uncertainties in Hydrological
Modeling of Remote Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan (HKH) Basins: Suggestions for
Calibration Strategies.” Mountain Research and Development, vol. 32, no.
1, International Mountain Society, 2012, pp. 39–50, doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00092.1.'
short: F. Pellicciotti, C. Buergi, W.W. Immerzeel, M. Konz, A.B. Shrestha, Mountain
Research and Development 32 (2012) 39–50.
date_created: 2023-02-20T08:17:47Z
date_published: 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-02-21T09:31:54Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00092.1
extern: '1'
intvolume: ' 32'
issue: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-11-00092.1
month: '02'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 39-50
publication: Mountain Research and Development
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1994-7151
issn:
- 0276-4741
publication_status: published
publisher: International Mountain Society
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Challenges and uncertainties in hydrological modeling of remote Hindu Kush–Karakoram–Himalayan
(HKH) basins: Suggestions for calibration strategies'
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 32
year: '2012'
...
---
_id: '12647'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Accurate quantification of the spatial distribution of precipitation in mountain
regions is crucial for assessments of water resources and for the understanding
of high-altitude hydrology, yet it is one of the largest unknowns due to the lack
of high-altitude observations. The Hunza basin in Pakistan contains very large
glacier systems, which, given the melt, cannot persist unless precipitation (snow
input) is much higher than what is observed at the meteorological stations, mostly
located in mountain valleys. Several studies, therefore, suggest strong positive
vertical precipitation lapse rates; in the present study, we quantify this lapse
rate by using glaciers as a proxy. We assume a neutral mass balance for the glaciers
for the period from 2001 to 2003, and we inversely model the precipitation lapse
by balancing the total accumulation in the catchment area and the ablation over
the glacier area for the 50 largest glacier systems in the Hunza basin in the
Karakoram. Our results reveal a vertical precipitation lapse rate that equals
0.21 ± 0.12% m−1, with a maximum precipitation at an elevation of 5500 masl. We
showed that the total annual basin precipitation (828 mm) is 260% higher than
what is estimated based on interpolated observations (319 mm); this has major
consequences for hydrological modeling and water resource assessments in general.
Our results were validated by using previously published studies on individual
glaciers as well as the water balance of the Hunza basin. The approach is more
widely applicable in mountain ranges where precipitation measurements at high
altitude are lacking.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Walter Willem
full_name: Immerzeel, Walter Willem
last_name: Immerzeel
- first_name: Francesca
full_name: Pellicciotti, Francesca
id: b28f055a-81ea-11ed-b70c-a9fe7f7b0e70
last_name: Pellicciotti
- first_name: Arun B.
full_name: Shrestha, Arun B.
last_name: Shrestha
citation:
ama: Immerzeel WW, Pellicciotti F, Shrestha AB. Glaciers as a proxy to quantify
the spatial distribution of precipitation in the Hunza basin. Mountain Research
and Development. 2012;32(1):30-38. doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00097.1
apa: Immerzeel, W. W., Pellicciotti, F., & Shrestha, A. B. (2012). Glaciers
as a proxy to quantify the spatial distribution of precipitation in the Hunza
basin. Mountain Research and Development. International Mountain Society.
https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00097.1
chicago: Immerzeel, Walter Willem, Francesca Pellicciotti, and Arun B. Shrestha.
“Glaciers as a Proxy to Quantify the Spatial Distribution of Precipitation in
the Hunza Basin.” Mountain Research and Development. International Mountain
Society, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00097.1.
ieee: W. W. Immerzeel, F. Pellicciotti, and A. B. Shrestha, “Glaciers as a proxy
to quantify the spatial distribution of precipitation in the Hunza basin,” Mountain
Research and Development, vol. 32, no. 1. International Mountain Society,
pp. 30–38, 2012.
ista: Immerzeel WW, Pellicciotti F, Shrestha AB. 2012. Glaciers as a proxy to quantify
the spatial distribution of precipitation in the Hunza basin. Mountain Research
and Development. 32(1), 30–38.
mla: Immerzeel, Walter Willem, et al. “Glaciers as a Proxy to Quantify the Spatial
Distribution of Precipitation in the Hunza Basin.” Mountain Research and Development,
vol. 32, no. 1, International Mountain Society, 2012, pp. 30–38, doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00097.1.
short: W.W. Immerzeel, F. Pellicciotti, A.B. Shrestha, Mountain Research and Development
32 (2012) 30–38.
date_created: 2023-02-20T08:17:52Z
date_published: 2012-02-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-02-21T08:56:29Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1659/mrd-journal-d-11-00097.1
extern: '1'
intvolume: ' 32'
issue: '1'
keyword:
- General Environmental Science
- Development
- Environmental Chemistry
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-11-00097.1
month: '02'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 30-38
publication: Mountain Research and Development
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1994-7151
issn:
- 0276-4741
publication_status: published
publisher: International Mountain Society
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Glaciers as a proxy to quantify the spatial distribution of precipitation in
the Hunza basin
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 32
year: '2012'
...