Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes
Climate change is expected to reduce water security in arid mountain regions around the world. Vulnerable water supplies in semi-arid zones, such as the Dry Andes, are projected to be further stressed through changes in air temperature, precipitation patterns, sublimation, and evapotranspiration. To...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d7184c5a36674ff3acb035d77dd286e4 2023-05-15T16:36:37+02:00 Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes Lukas U. Arenson Jordan S. Harrington Cassandra E. M. Koenig Pablo A. Wainstein 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12020048 https://doaj.org/article/d7184c5a36674ff3acb035d77dd286e4 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/2/48 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3263 doi:10.3390/geosciences12020048 2076-3263 https://doaj.org/article/d7184c5a36674ff3acb035d77dd286e4 Geosciences, Vol 12, Iss 48, p 48 (2022) permafrost rock glacier hydrology climate change runoff arid mountains Geology QE1-996.5 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12020048 2022-12-31T16:01:54Z Climate change is expected to reduce water security in arid mountain regions around the world. Vulnerable water supplies in semi-arid zones, such as the Dry Andes, are projected to be further stressed through changes in air temperature, precipitation patterns, sublimation, and evapotranspiration. Together with glacier recession this will negatively impact water availability. While glacier hydrology has been the focus of scientific research for a long time, relatively little is known about the hydrology of mountain permafrost. In contrast to glaciers, where ice is at the surface and directly affected by atmospheric conditions, the behaviour of permafrost and ground ice is more complex, as other factors, such as variable surficial sediments, vegetation cover, or shallow groundwater flow, influence heat transfer and time scales over which changes occur. The effects of permafrost on water flow paths have been studied in lowland areas, with limited research in the mountains. An understanding of how permafrost degradation and associated melt of ground ice (where present) contribute to streamflow in mountain regions is still lacking. Mountain permafrost, particularly rock glaciers, is often conceptualized as a (frozen) water reservoir; however, rates of permafrost ground ice melt and the contribution to water budgets are rarely considered. Additionally, ground ice and permafrost are not directly visible at the surface; hence, uncertainties related to their three-dimensional extent are orders of magnitude higher than those for glaciers. Ground ice volume within permafrost must always be approximated, further complicating estimations of its response to climate change. This review summarizes current understanding of mountain permafrost hydrology, discusses challenges and limitations, and provides suggestions for areas of future research, using the Dry Andes as a basis. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice permafrost Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Geosciences 12 2 48 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
permafrost rock glacier hydrology climate change runoff arid mountains Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
permafrost rock glacier hydrology climate change runoff arid mountains Geology QE1-996.5 Lukas U. Arenson Jordan S. Harrington Cassandra E. M. Koenig Pablo A. Wainstein Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes |
topic_facet |
permafrost rock glacier hydrology climate change runoff arid mountains Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Climate change is expected to reduce water security in arid mountain regions around the world. Vulnerable water supplies in semi-arid zones, such as the Dry Andes, are projected to be further stressed through changes in air temperature, precipitation patterns, sublimation, and evapotranspiration. Together with glacier recession this will negatively impact water availability. While glacier hydrology has been the focus of scientific research for a long time, relatively little is known about the hydrology of mountain permafrost. In contrast to glaciers, where ice is at the surface and directly affected by atmospheric conditions, the behaviour of permafrost and ground ice is more complex, as other factors, such as variable surficial sediments, vegetation cover, or shallow groundwater flow, influence heat transfer and time scales over which changes occur. The effects of permafrost on water flow paths have been studied in lowland areas, with limited research in the mountains. An understanding of how permafrost degradation and associated melt of ground ice (where present) contribute to streamflow in mountain regions is still lacking. Mountain permafrost, particularly rock glaciers, is often conceptualized as a (frozen) water reservoir; however, rates of permafrost ground ice melt and the contribution to water budgets are rarely considered. Additionally, ground ice and permafrost are not directly visible at the surface; hence, uncertainties related to their three-dimensional extent are orders of magnitude higher than those for glaciers. Ground ice volume within permafrost must always be approximated, further complicating estimations of its response to climate change. This review summarizes current understanding of mountain permafrost hydrology, discusses challenges and limitations, and provides suggestions for areas of future research, using the Dry Andes as a basis. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lukas U. Arenson Jordan S. Harrington Cassandra E. M. Koenig Pablo A. Wainstein |
author_facet |
Lukas U. Arenson Jordan S. Harrington Cassandra E. M. Koenig Pablo A. Wainstein |
author_sort |
Lukas U. Arenson |
title |
Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes |
title_short |
Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes |
title_full |
Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes |
title_fullStr |
Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mountain Permafrost Hydrology—A Practical Review Following Studies from the Andes |
title_sort |
mountain permafrost hydrology—a practical review following studies from the andes |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12020048 https://doaj.org/article/d7184c5a36674ff3acb035d77dd286e4 |
genre |
Ice permafrost |
genre_facet |
Ice permafrost |
op_source |
Geosciences, Vol 12, Iss 48, p 48 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/12/2/48 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-3263 doi:10.3390/geosciences12020048 2076-3263 https://doaj.org/article/d7184c5a36674ff3acb035d77dd286e4 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12020048 |
container_title |
Geosciences |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
48 |
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1766026947964436480 |