Seasonal geochemistry of an arctic tundra drainage basin
The snow melt food at Imnavait Creek takes place sometime between 12 May and 2 June and constitutes the single most important hydrological and geochemical event. Three years of study indicate this event spans 7 to 10 days and that peak discharge can be expected to be between 0.6 and 0.9 cu. mes. Ion...
| Published in: | Ecography |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1989
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1989.tb00847.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1600-0587.1989.tb00847.x https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1600-0587.1989.tb00847.x |
| Summary: | The snow melt food at Imnavait Creek takes place sometime between 12 May and 2 June and constitutes the single most important hydrological and geochemical event. Three years of study indicate this event spans 7 to 10 days and that peak discharge can be expected to be between 0.6 and 0.9 cu. mes. Ion concentrations peak during the first 15% of the event while pH is at a minimum. In all cases, ion concentrations in the spring runoff are 4 to 9 times those of the snow pack, Precipitaion, including dryfall, contributes significant amounts of Ca, Mg, K, Na, Cl and SO 4 . Postassium is present in surface waters only during melt‐off and for a short time after. Calcium. Mg. suspended solids and electrical conductivity all reach broad, poorly defined peaks in mid‐summer. Only pH shows a significant relationship to discharge. On a seasonal basis a substantial charge imbalance favoring cations occurs. It seems probable that the, as yet, unmeasured negative charge is associated with organic anions. No seasonal trends were recorded for Mg, K or Mn in subsurface flow in the surrounding slopes. Calcium. Fe and Al showed a late season peak, and the concentration of Na and Si decreased as the melt season progressed. |
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