Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records
Abstract Alpine glaciers and perennial snow fields are important hydrologic elements in many mountain environments providing runoff during the late summer and during periods of drought. Because relatively long records of glacier mass–balance data are absent from many glacierized catchments, it remai...
Published in: | Hydrological Processes |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Other Authors: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley
2017
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11128 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.11128 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.11128 |
id |
crwiley:10.1002/hyp.11128 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crwiley:10.1002/hyp.11128 2024-06-02T08:07:08+00:00 Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records Brahney, Janice Menounos, Brian Wei, Xiaohua Curtis, Paul Jefferson Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11128 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.11128 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.11128 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Hydrological Processes volume 31, issue 8, page 1590-1601 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 journal-article 2017 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11128 2024-05-03T12:03:42Z Abstract Alpine glaciers and perennial snow fields are important hydrologic elements in many mountain environments providing runoff during the late summer and during periods of drought. Because relatively long records of glacier mass–balance data are absent from many glacierized catchments, it remains unclear to what extent shrinking perennial snow and glaciers have affected runoff trends from these watersheds. Here, we employ a hydrograph separation technique that uses a double mass curve in an attempt to isolate changes in runoff due to glacier retreat and disappearance of perennial snow. The method is tested using hydrometric data from 20 glacierized and 16 nonglacierized catchments in the Columbia Basin of Canada. The resulting estimates on cryosphere storage contribution to streamflow were well correlated to other regional estimates on the basis of measurements as well as empirical and mechanistic models. Annual cryosphere runoff changed from +19 to −55% during the period 1975–2012, with an average decline of 26%. For August runoff, these changes ranged from +17 to −66%, with an average decrease of 24%. Reduction of cryosphere contributions to annual and late summer flows is expected to continue in the coming decades as glaciers and the perennial snow patches shrink. Our method to isolate changes in late summer cryospheric storage contributions can be used as a first order estimate on changes in glacier contributions to flow and may help researchers and water managers target watersheds for further analysis. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier* Wiley Online Library Canada Hydrological Processes 31 8 1590 1601 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Wiley Online Library |
op_collection_id |
crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Alpine glaciers and perennial snow fields are important hydrologic elements in many mountain environments providing runoff during the late summer and during periods of drought. Because relatively long records of glacier mass–balance data are absent from many glacierized catchments, it remains unclear to what extent shrinking perennial snow and glaciers have affected runoff trends from these watersheds. Here, we employ a hydrograph separation technique that uses a double mass curve in an attempt to isolate changes in runoff due to glacier retreat and disappearance of perennial snow. The method is tested using hydrometric data from 20 glacierized and 16 nonglacierized catchments in the Columbia Basin of Canada. The resulting estimates on cryosphere storage contribution to streamflow were well correlated to other regional estimates on the basis of measurements as well as empirical and mechanistic models. Annual cryosphere runoff changed from +19 to −55% during the period 1975–2012, with an average decline of 26%. For August runoff, these changes ranged from +17 to −66%, with an average decrease of 24%. Reduction of cryosphere contributions to annual and late summer flows is expected to continue in the coming decades as glaciers and the perennial snow patches shrink. Our method to isolate changes in late summer cryospheric storage contributions can be used as a first order estimate on changes in glacier contributions to flow and may help researchers and water managers target watersheds for further analysis. |
author2 |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Brahney, Janice Menounos, Brian Wei, Xiaohua Curtis, Paul Jefferson |
spellingShingle |
Brahney, Janice Menounos, Brian Wei, Xiaohua Curtis, Paul Jefferson Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
author_facet |
Brahney, Janice Menounos, Brian Wei, Xiaohua Curtis, Paul Jefferson |
author_sort |
Brahney, Janice |
title |
Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
title_short |
Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
title_full |
Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
title_fullStr |
Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
title_full_unstemmed |
Determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
title_sort |
determining annual cryosphere storage contributions to streamflow using historical hydrometric records |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11128 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.11128 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.11128 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
glacier* |
genre_facet |
glacier* |
op_source |
Hydrological Processes volume 31, issue 8, page 1590-1601 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.11128 |
container_title |
Hydrological Processes |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1590 |
op_container_end_page |
1601 |
_version_ |
1800752148810563584 |