INFLUENCE OF GEOMORPHOMETRIC FACTORS ON SATELLITE SNOW COVERED AREA VS SNOWMELT RUNOFF RELATIONSHIP IN THE PUNJAB-HIMALAYA

In the Himalayas, snowmelt runoff makes a dominant contribution to the total annual stream flow. An early prediction of the amount of runoff to be derived from the snow pack is, therefore, of great importance f or proper management of water resources. The area selected for the pre sent investigation is the Punjab Himalayas comprising three major catc hments of the Beas, Ravi, and Chenab rivers. Landsat imageries have be en used to map snow cover in these three catchments. Data from a numbe r of discharge gauging stations on the Beas, Ravi and Chenab rivers ha ve been used to yield snowmelt runoff. Unique relationships between sa tellite snow cover and snowmelt runoff have been obtained for each of the sub-catchments. The studies show that geomorphometric parameters h ave a systematic influence on the relationship between snow cover area and subsequent runoff. The relationships are interpreted for their ph ysical implications.