Kaskawulsh River headwaters: reference model ensemble-mean outputs

This dataset contains outputs from the distributed mass-balance model originally developed by Young et al. (2021) and adapted by Robinson et al. (2024). Model outputs span 1980–2022 and include 13 different mass balance and runoff variables for the Kaskawulsh River headwaters, a highly-glacierized catchment in Southwest Yukon. 

These are the outputs for the “reference model”, a 100-simulation ensemble tailored to the catchment with site-specific observations of accumulation, the debris-ablation relationship, the geodetic mass balance, and transient snowlines. For more details, see:

Robinson, K. M., Flowers, G. E., & Rounce, D. R. (2024). Sensitivity of modelled mass balance and runoff to representations of debris and accumulation on the Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon, Canada.

Robinson, K. (2024). Reconstructing a multi-decadal runoff record for a highly-glacierized catchment in Yukon, Canada. MSc Thesis. https://summit.sfu.ca/item/38185

Output variables (all in units of m w.e.)  include:

Mass balance

Glacier ice melt

Snowmelt

Superimposed ice melt

Refreezing 

Net snow melt (total snowmelt minus refreezing)

Accumulation 

Rainfall

Refrozen rainfall

Rain runoff (rainfall minus refrozen rain)

Superimposed-ice layer thickness (‘SI’)

Snow depth

Potential retention mass (‘Ptau’)

Three types of output files are included in this dataset:

The raw netcdf file outputs from the model (NETCDF_FILES)

2 files per year per variable (the ensemble mean and ensemble standard deviation) (see Robinson et al. 2024)

File dimensions are t,x,y, = (365 days, 230 gridcells x 329 grid cells). Grid Cells are 200m x 200m. 

Units are m w.e. day-1, except for the variables snow depth, superimposed ice, and potential retention mass, which have units of m w.e. and reflect the total depth/thickness on each day.

Distributed outputs ({variable}_distributed)

1 text file per year per variable..

Each file contains the distributed  annual total for a given variable (units = m w.e. a-1).

Annual totals are summed over the hydrological year (Oct 1-Sept 30). (e.g. accumulation_distributed_2000.txt is the total accumulation summed over Oct 1 2000 to Sept 30 2001). 

File dimensions are x,y = 230 gridcells x 329 grid cells.

Glacier-wide mean timeseries (timeseries_1979-2022)

Files are labeled by: REF_MODEL_{variable}_{domain}_{years}.txt 

Variables are averaged over:

Catchment-wide (domain = ‘krh’)

Kaskawulsh Glacier only (domain = ‘kw’)

All glacierized areas (domain = ‘allgl’)

File dimensions are 43 x 366 (year x DOY). NaN replaces the Feb 29th value on a non-leap year. Each row spans one hydrological year (Oct 1-Sept 30).

Units are (m w.e. day-1), except for the variables snow depth, superimposed ice, and potential retention mass, which have units of m w.e. and reflect the total depth/thickness on each day.