Data from: Cryospheric hydrometeorology observation in the Hulu Catchment (CHOICE), Qilian Mountains, China

Understanding cryospheric hydrology and the effects of cryospheric changes on river runoff is critical for sustainable water management, especially in arid inland river basins, such as those in Northwest China, where water resources mainly come from alpine areas. A cryospheric hydrometeorology observation system (CHOICE) has been established since 2008 in the Hulu Catchment, which is a well instrumented experimental and representative catchment in the upper reaches of the inland Hei River, Qilian Mountains, Northwest China. The CHOICE includes dense meteorological measurements from 2,980 to 4,800 m a.s.l., such as glacier, snow and permafrost hydrology; water and heat balance in the vertical landscape zones, including alpine grassland, meadow, shrub, coniferous forest, marshy meadow and moraine-talus zones. The comprehensive of long-term observations available for the CHOICE provides the basis for model development and application in cryospheric hydrological research. We try to study on cryospheric hydrometeorological process of precipitation, freeze-thaw cycle, energy balance, soil-vegetation-atmosphere-transfer (SVAT), runoff, groundwater reservoir and hydrological resiliency within vertical altitude in CHIOCE. In addition, the CHOICE of data sharing are mainly through website (http://hhsy.casnw.net/) and WestDC database (http://westdc.westgis.ac.cn/). The CHOICE, as implied by as its name, is an open cryospheric hydrology observation and research system.