Understanding the Influences of Large-scale Atmospheric and Oceanic Circulations on the Snow -cover of a Himalayan Basin

Himalayan basins have great hydropower potential. In recent years, several of Himalayan basins have experienced flood conditions attributed to anthropogenic climate change and changes in land use. Therefore, there is a growing interest in issuing season -ahead flow forecasts based on atmospheric and oceanic teleconnections. The current study is a preliminary step towards developing a sub -seasonal -to-seasonal flow forecast model. The study investigates potential drivers of river flow at different time-lags. It is noted that an efficient prediction of the snow cover would lead to a skillful flow forecast. Therefore, the study estimates the correlation coefficients between ten climate indices and snow cover, and subsequently snow cover and river discharge at a downstream outlet of the Upper Bias River basin. Results confirm that a statistically significant correlation exists between climate indices and snow cover. Additionally, a linear regression model between snow cover and river discharge is developed to understand the linear dependence between the two variables.