Snowmelt can be strongly influenced by energy exchange between the atmosphere and the snow surface, but these exchanges are difficult to estimate in mountain regions. Using measurements from twelve sites across the European Alps, we assessed the effects of measurement errors and common modeling assumptions. We found that uncertainties can be large and that widely used assumptions do not always hold, highlighting the need for caution when applying these methods in complex terrain.

Hydrological models projecting the impact of changing climate carry a lot of uncertainty. Thus, these models usually have a multitude of simulations using different future climate data. This study used the subjective opinion of experts to assess which climate and hydrological models are the most likely to correctly predict climate impacts, thereby easing the computational burden. The experts could select more likely hydrological models, while the climate models were deemed equally probable.