Attempting Flow Forecasts of the Indus River, Pakistan Using Remotely Sensed Snow Cover Data

Recent developments in collection and interpretation of remotely sensed back radiation data from the earth surface obtained by satellites has made it possible to readily delineate areas covered by snow on the earth surface. In view of this, attempts have been intensified during the last decade to generate statistical relationships between the snow covered area in a basin and the corresponding runoff during the snow-melt period. However, examination of such relationships developed specifically for forecasting purposes in the Indus River basin in Pakistan indicates that, given the current data and operational constraints, their usefulness is very limited. The need for improving collection of remotely sensed data on snow to obtain information on snow density and other auxiliary information is emphasized.