SnowModel simulations and supporting observations for the north-central Colorado Rocky Mountains during water years 2011 through 2015

This data release includes simulation output from SnowModel (Liston and Elder, 2006), a well-validated process-based snow modeling system, and supporting snow, meteorological, and streamflow observations from the water years 2011 through 2015 (October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2015) across a 3,600 square kilometer model domain in the north-central Colorado Rocky Mountains. For each water year, SnowModel simulations were completed for a (1) baseline simulation, (2) bark-beetle disturbance condition simulation, (3) 2016 - 2035 future climate condition simulation (S1), and (4) 2046 - 2065 future climate condition simulation (S2). Sexstone and others (2018) provide details and summarize findings from each of the SnowModel simulations. SnowModel simulation output is stored in NetCDF files that have spatial (100-m grid resolution) and temporal (daily) dimensions. Simulated SnowModel outputs in the attached .zip folders include: snow water equivalent (m), snow depth (m), surface sublimation (m/day), canopy sublimation (m/day), blowing sublimation (m/day), cumulative blowing snow transport (m), precipitation (m/day), air temperature (C), surface temperature (C), relative humidity (%), wind speed (m/s), wind direction (degrees from north). Supporting station observations that were collected and used to evaluate SnowModel simulations are also provided in this data release in comma separated value files. Supporting station observations in the attached .zip folders include: daily mean snow sublimation (mm/day), mean daily snow depth (m), mean hourly air temperature (C), mean hourly relative humidity (%), mean hourly wind speed (m/s), and mean daily streamflow normalized to watershed area (mm). An inventory and description of each of the .zip folders attached to the data release are provided below. The purpose of the model simulations and supporting observations provided in this data release are to improve understanding of the importance of snow sublimation to the water balance of this region (Sexstone and others, 2018). 
Inventory of data release: 
Model_Runs_WYxxxx.zip (5 zipped folders): 
Baseline model simulation output (.nc) and associated FGDC-compliant metadata file (.xml) for water years 2011 through 2015. Each of the 5 zipped folders are labeled with the given water year (WY). 
Model_Runs_Beetle_WYxxxx.zip (5 zipped folders): 
Bark-beetle disturbance condition model simulation output (.nc) and associated FGDC-compliant metadata file (.xml) for water years 2011 through 2015. Each of the 5 zipped folders are labeled with the given water year (WY). 
Model_Runs_Climate_WYxxxx_s1.zip (5 zipped folders): 
Future climate condition (2016 – 2035) simulation (S1) output (.nc) and associated FGDC-compliant metadata file (.xml) for water years 2011 through 2015. Each of the 5 zipped folders are labeled with the given water year (WY). 
Model_Runs_Climate_WYxxxx_s2.zip (5 zipped folders): 
Future climate condition (2046 – 2065) simulation (S2) output (.nc) and associated FGDC-compliant metadata file (.xml) for water years 2011 through 2015. Each of the 5 zipped folders are labeled with the given water year (WY). 
Supporting_observations_WY2011-WY2015.zip (1 zipped folder) 
Supporting observations of station observations (.csv) and and associated FGDC-compliant metadata file (.xml) for water years 2011 through 2015. 
References: 
Liston, G.E., and Elder, K., 2006, A distributed snow-evolution modeling system (SnowModel): Journal of Hydrometeorology, v. 7, no. 6, p. 1259-1276. 
Sexstone, G.A., Clow, D.W., Fassnacht, S.R., Liston, G.E., Hiemstra, C.A., Knowles, J.F., and Penn, C.A., 2018, Snow sublimation in mountain environments and its sensitivity to forest disturbance and climate warming, Water Resources Research [URL].

Tags: bark-beetles, climate-warming, colorado-rocky-mountains, eddy-covariance, rocky-mountain-national-park, snow, snowmelt, sublimation, usgs-59f898ebe4b063d5d309efa7
Organization: Department of the Interior