Suspended sediment dynamics in a steep, glacier‐fed mountain stream, Place Creek, Canada

• Published in: Hydrological Processes
• Main Authors: Richards, G., Moore, R. D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2003
• Subjects: glacier*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.1208; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.1208; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.1208

Abstract This study examined suspended sediment concentration (SSC) during the ablation seasons of 2000 and 2001 in Place Creek, Canada, a steep, glacier‐fed mountain stream. Comparison of stream flow in Place Creek with that in an adjacent, almost unglacierized catchment provided a rational basis for separating the ablation seasons into nival, nival–glacial, glacial and autumn recession subseasons. Distinct groupings of points in plots of electrical conductivity against discharge supported the validity of the subseasonal divisions in terms of varying hydrological conditions. Relationships between SSC and discharge ( Q ) varied between the two study seasons, and between subseasons. Hysteresis in the SSC–Q relationship was evident at both event and weekly time‐scales. Some suspended sediment released from pro‐glacial Place Lake (the source of Place Creek) appeared to be lost to channel storage at low flows, especially early in the ablation season, with re‐entrainment at higher flows. Multiple regression models were derived for the subseasons using predictor variables including Q , Q 2 , the change in Q over the previous 3 h, cumulative discharge over the ablation season, total precipitation over the previous 24 h and SSC measured at 1500 hours as an index value for each day. The models produced adjusted R 2 values ranging from 0·71 to 0·91, and provided tentative insights into the differences in SSC dynamics amongst subseasons. Introduction of the index value of SSC significantly improved the model fit during the nival–glacial and glacial subseasons for both years, as it adjusts the model to the current condition of sediment supply. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.