Back to news
8 Oct 2018 | CryoHub

CryoBrain interaction with Norwegian cryosphere expert

To promote knowledge sharing on cryosphere research regarding the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Cryosphere Initiative regularly organizes CryoBrain events, welcoming members of international scientific communities to discuss their work and share their findings with ICIMOD’s team of glaciologists and cryosphere researchers.

1 min Read

70% Complete
Kjetil Melvold, researcher at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), presents his ongoing research on sub-grid snow distribution (Photo: Chimi Seldon/ICIMOD)

Kjetil Melvold, researcher at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), presented his ongoing research on sub-grid snow distribution (i.e., a part of the grid covered by snow) and methods of parameterizing this in large-scale snow models. Melvold was visiting ICIMOD as one of the major contributors to the Snow Accumulation and Melt Process (SnowAMP) project, a collaboration between ICIMOD and NVE that aims to increase scientific knowledge on snow accumulation and melt processes in the Himalayas.

Snowmelt is an important source of water in Norway as well as in the HKH. Factors such as snow depth, terrains, and solar radiation are studied to establish the extent of their influence on the melt process. The land surface of the research area is often presented as a grid of flat, uniform cells in remote-sensing and modelling products. These products can indicate, for example, whether the cell is snow free or covered by snow. The reality, however, is much more complex than that.

Melvold highlighted the importance of sub-grid snow distribution for large-scale hydrological models: “Sub-grid snow distribution is needed, for example, to more accurately validate modelled snow depth with observations and remote-sensing products. It is also important for obtaining accurate snow melt discharge from the snowpack during snowmelt season.”

Research works such as Melvold’s provide evidence-based knowledge for implementing effective water resource management and predicting future water availability.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

RELATED CONTENTS

Continue exploring this topic

13 Aug 2018 News
ICIMOD’s Eklabya Sharma delivers Sikkim University Foundation Day Lecture

By sharing relevant data from the HKH on increasing temperature trends, glacier area loss, and changing precipitation patterns, Sharma explained ...

20 Nov 2018 Atmosphere Initiative
Valley Mayors Commit to Clean Valley Air

The two-hour event included experts’ briefings on the current scientific understanding of air pollution, on the possible solutions that municipalities ...

25 Jan 2016 News
Recharging Springs and Ponds in the Mid-hills

Officials from Dapcha Kashikhanda Municipality in Kavre District have integrated the construction of recharge ponds into next year’s ward and ...

13 Jan 2020 Cryosphere
Long-term cryosphere monitoring programme in Pakistan seeks to understand and protect glaciers

ICIMOD’s Cryosphere Initiative – supported by the Government of Norway and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – has ...

31 Jan 2023 Cryosphere
Monitoring and understanding permafrost in Humla, Nepal

“Do you know that the ground can be frozen?”, asks Miriam Jackson, our Senior Cryosphere Expert, to a group of ...

19 May 2015 News
International Conference on Ecotourism in Protected Areas opens in Myanmar

The International Conference on Ecotourism in Protected Areas in Myanmar opened today afternoon at the Myanmar International Convention Centre (II), ...

20 Jun 2018 HICAP
Government of Nepal allocates public investment to Shardu Khola as a priority national urban watershed

In 2018, the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM) under Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment listed Shardu ...

29 Apr 2016 News
Pakistan Celebrates World Meteorological Day (WMO)

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), organized World Meteorological Day (WMD) ...