Geographical information system model for the evaluation of snowmelt effect on soil moisture

The snowmelt process has an important role in the runoff mechanism, because the quantity of water resulted has a significant impact on both soil coverage and surface runoff. The surpass of soil saturation limit during the snowmelt period depends on the physical characteristics of the soil and on the snowmelt rate. The study purpose is to develop by GIS techniques an algorithm that would make possible the daily analysis of spatial distribution of both the water depth and the soil water content caused by the snowmelt. For indirect estimating of soil moisture a balance model will be used, which is based on some physico-geographical parameters: water depth resulted from snowmelt, evapotranspiration, soil texture, landuse, and slope. The study area is the Apuseni Mountains region (Romania).