Glacier meltwater flow paths and storage in a geomorphologically complex glacial foreland: The case of the Tapado glacier, dry Andes of Chile (30°S)

• Published in: Journal of Hydrology
• Main Authors: Pourrier, Jonathan, Jourde, Hervé, Kinnard, Christophe, Gascoin, Simon, Monnier, Sébastien
• Other Authors: Hydrosciences Montpellier (HSM), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques (UM2)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère (CESBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2014
• Subjects: Water transfers; Thermokarst; Rock glacier; Cryosphere hydrology; Debris-covered glacier; Semiarid Andes; [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology; [SDU.STU.HY]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Hydrology; [SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01218734; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.08.023

International audience The Tapado catchment is located in the upper Elqui river basin (4000–5550 m) in northern Chile. It comprises the Tapado glacial complex, which is an assemblage of the Tapado glacier and the glacial foreland (debris-covered glacier, rock glacier, and moraines). Although the hydrological functioning of this catchment is poorly known, it is assumed to actively supply water to the lower semi-arid areas of the Elqui river basin. To improve our knowledge of the interactions and water transfers between the cryospheric compartment (glacier, debris-covered glacier, and rock glacier) and the hydrological compartment (aquifers, streams), the results of monitoring of meteorological conditions, as well as discharge, conductivity and temperature of streams and springs located in the Tapado catchment were analyzed. The hydrological results are compared to results inferred from a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the underground structure of the glacial foreland. Water production from the Tapado glacier was shown to be highly correlated with daily and monthly weather conditions, particularly solar radiation and temperature. The resulting daily and monthly streamflow cycles were buffered by the glacial foreland, where underground transfers took place through complex flow paths. However, the development of a thermokarst drainage network in a portion of the glacial foreland enabled rapid concentrated water transfers that reduced the buffer effect. The glacial foreland was shown to act as a reservoir, storing water during high melt periods and supplying water to downstream compartments during low melt periods. GPR observations revealed the heterogeneity of the internal structure of the glacial foreland, which is composed of a mixture of ice and rock debris mixture, with variable spatial ice content, including massive ice lenses. This heterogeneity may explain the abovementioned hydrological behaviors. Finally, calculation of a partial hydrological budget confirmed the importance of the Tapado ...