Snow cover and stream discharge in the Wino River Range,Wyoming, USA, 1970- 2009

摘要

Ten years of Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow -cover maps and 40 years of stream discharge and meteorological station data are studied along with 30 years of snow-water equivalent (SWE) SNOw TELemetry (SNOTEL) data in the Wind River Range (WRR), Wyoming. We found stream discharge to be lower, with earlier snowmelt onset in the decade of the 2000s as compared to the previous three decades, though no trend of either lower streamflow or earlier snowmelt was detected within the decade of the 2000s. SWE on 1 April does not show an expected downward trend since - 1980. The extent of snow cover derived from the lowest-elevation zone of the WRR study area is strongly correlated with maximum-monthly discharge on 1 May, where r = 0.91 for the decade of the 2000s. Changes in streamflow may be related to increasing air temperatures during the 40-year study period, possibly contributing to a reduction in snow cover.