Operational Management: Pyrenean Institute of Ecology-CSIC
Purpose/Scientific Focus: Snow hydrology, snow-ecology interactions, site for testing meteorological and snow measurement techniques and sensors.
Characteristics
Location (Physiographic Region): Central Spanish Pyrenees, headwater of Gállego River, near the Spain–France border.
Area: 0.33 km2
Elevation: Min. 2,056 m to Max. 2,340 m
Description (Physical–Ecological–Climatic Characteristics): Small subalpine catchment dominated by alpine meadows and small bare ground zones. Gentle slopes and lithology dominated by slates and sandstones with very reduced role of groundwater.
Drainage/River System: Gállego River, which is one of the main tributaries of the Ebro River.
Site History/Historical Context: It was created in 1986 with meteorological information of varying quality since 1996. Much better information after 2011 but reliable precipitation and runoff data is still an issue.
Main Land Cover(s):Subalpine meadows.
Lithology/Soils: Sandstones and slates.
Mean Annual Temperature: 3°C
Mean Total Annual Precipitation: 2000 mm
Snow Characteristics: Deep snowpack mostly in isothermal conditions.
Years of Data: 12 (the most reliable)
Stations & Observations
Observational Stations and Sites
Type
Station Name
Latitude
Longitude
Elevation
Notes/Details
Meteorological
Izas
42.74268°N
0.41912°W
2113 m
Temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation, broadband albedometer, ultrasonic snowdepth, ground heat flux, soil temperature
Hydrometric
Izas
°N
°W
2056 m
Water level, water temperature and electric conductivity
Field Observation Campaigns and Other Measurements
Measurement
Instrument Description
Spatial/Temporal Resolution and Coverage
Notes/Details
Terrestrial Laser Scanner
Riegl LPM 321
7 per snow season 2012-2018
UAV Sensors
Ebee, Inspire 300
7 per snow season 2019-2023
Time-lapse Photographs
Campbel 1mpx
3 daily, 2010-2023
Data Availability
Geospatial Data
Elevation
Landcover and Soils
Soil and vegetation maps avaialble
Stream/River Network
Basin Delineation/Shapefile
Basin shapefile is available
Notes
very rich catalog of snow maps from TLS and UAV
Observational Data Availability
Revuelto, J., Azorin-Molina, C., Alonso-González, E., Sanmiguel-Vallelado, A., Navarro-Serrano, F., Rico, I., and López-Moreno, J. I.: Meteorological and snow distribution data in the Izas Experimental Catchment (Spanish Pyrenees) from 2011 to 2017, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 993–1005, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-993-2017, 2017.
Modelling Activities
The CRHM model has been applied several times to investigate snow processes and their sensitivity to environmental change.
López-Moreno, J.I., Pomeroy, J.W., Revuelto, J. and Vicente-Serrano, S.M. (2013), Response of snow processes to climate change: spatial variability in a small basin in the Spanish Pyrenees. Hydrol. Process., 27: 2637-2650. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9408
Contact & Further Information
Additional Information (Key Papers)
Revuelto, J., López-Moreno, J. I., Azorin-Molina, C., and Vicente-Serrano, S. M.: Topographic control of snowpack distribution in a small catchment in the central Spanish Pyrenees: intra- and inter-annual persistence, The Cryosphere, 8, 1989–2006, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1989-2014, 2014.
López-Moreno, J. I., Revuelto, J., Fassnacht, S. R., Azorín-Molina, C., Vicente-Serrano, S. M., Morán-Tejeda, E., and Sexstone, G. A. (2015), Snowpack variability across various spatio-temporal resolutions, Hydrol. Process., 29, 1213–1224, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10245
Revuelto, J., López-Moreno, J. I., & Alonso-González, E. (2021). Light and shadow in mapping alpine snowpack with unmanned aerial vehicles in the absence of ground control points. Water Resources Research, 57, e2020WR028980. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020WR028980
Revuelto, J., Gómez, D., Alonso-González, E. et al. Intermediate snowpack melt-out dates guarantee the highest seasonal grasslands greening in the Pyrenees. Sci Rep12, 18328 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22391-x
Contacts
Dr. Juan Ignacio López Moreno, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology-CSIC, (nlopez@ipe.csic.es)
Dr. Jesús Revuelto Benedí, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology-CSIC, (jrevuelto@ipe.csic.es)