INFLUENCE OF SUBARCTIC VEGETATION COVER ON SNOWMELT

Abstract

An examination of the three major components of the energy balance has shown that subarctic vegetation cover markedly alters the relative importance of these components for the snowmelt. It has been found that the contribution of net radiation decreases as forest cover decreases while sensible and latent heat contributions to the snowmelt increase with decreasing forest cover. The decrease in the importance of net radiation with decreasing forest cover is due to the effect of the forest cover on albedo and the effects of the forest cover on the long-wave radiation component of the radiation balance. This situation seems to be typical for open canopy forests. The increase in importance of sensible and latent heat in the open is due to the increase in wind speed from the forest to open sites.