A watershed model using satellite data applied to a mountain basin in Canada

A simple watershed model has been developed which uses Landsat and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data to simulate basin runoff on a daily basis. The paper describes the application of this model to the Kootenay Basin in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and compares the results obtained using satellite data with those obtained using only ground-based data. Snow cover data from NOAA/Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) improved the model performance but cloud cover data were not found to be helpful in improving estimates of precipitation input.