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Seasonal evolution of meltwater generation, storage and discharge at a non-temperate glacier in Svalbard
In glacierized catchments, meteorological inputs driving surface melting are translated into runoff outputs mediated by
the glacier hydrological system: analysis of the relationship between meteorology and diurnal and seasonal patterns
of runoff should reflect the functioning of that system, with the role of meltwater storage likely to be of particular
importance. Daily meltwater storage is determined for a glacier at 78 °N in the Svalbard archipelago, by comparing
inputs calculated from a surface energy balance model with measured outputs (proglacial discharge). Solar radiation,
air temperature, wind speed and proglacial discharge are then analysed by regression and time-series methods, in order
to assess the meteorology–discharge relationship and its variation at diurnal and seasonal time-scales. The recorded
discharge time-series can be divided into two contrasting intervals: up to early August, proglacial discharge was high
and variable, mean hydrographs showed little indication of diurnal cycling, ARIMA models of discharge indicated
a non-seasonal, moving-average generating process, and there was a net loss of meltwater from storage; from early
August, proglacial discharge was low and relatively invariable, but with clearer diurnal cycles, regression models
of discharge showed substantially improved correlations with air temperature and solar radiation, ARIMA models
indicated a non-seasonal, autoregressive generating process, and eventually a seasonal component, and there was a
net gain in meltwater storage. The transition between the two periods is brief compared with the duration of the melt
season. The runoff response to meteorology therefore lacks the strongly progressive element previously identified in
mid-latitude glacierized catchments. In particular, the glacier hydrological system only appears responsive to diurnal
forcing following the depletion of the seasonal snowpack meltwater store.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Geography and Environment
Citation
HODGKINS, R., 2001. Seasonal evolution of meltwater generation, storage and discharge at a non-temperate glacier in Svalbard. Hydrological Processes, 15(3), pp. 441-460Publisher
© John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Publication date
2001Notes
This article is Restricted Access. It was published in the journal Hydrological Processes [© John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.] and is available at: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/issn?DESCRIPTOR=PRINTISSN&VALUE=0885-6087ISSN
0885-6087Language
- en