After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems
Human-accelerated climate change is quickly leading to glacier-free mountains, with consequences for the ecology and hydrology of alpine river systems. Water origin (i.e. glacier, snowmelt, precipitation, groundwater) is a key control on multiple facets of alpine stream ecosystems, since it drives t...
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10449/56288 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13533 |
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ftiasma:oai:openpub.fmach.it:10449/56288 2024-04-21T08:10:18+00:00 After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems Brighenti, Stefano Tolotti, Monica Bruno, Maria Cristina Engel, Michael Wharton, Geraldene Cerasino, Leonardo Mair, Volkmar Bertoldi, Walter Brighenti, S. Tolotti, M. Bruno, M.C. Engel, M. Wharton, G. Cerasino, L. Mair, V. Bertoldi, W. 2019 Elettronico/Electronic http://hdl.handle.net/10449/56288 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13533 eng eng country:GB info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000477391800001 volume:33 issue:21 firstpage:2804 lastpage:2823 journal:HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES http://hdl.handle.net/10449/56288 doi:10.1002/hyp.13533 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85069918914 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Climate change European Alps Glacier retreat Hydroecology Permafrost thaw Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2019 ftiasma https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13533 2024-03-27T17:49:32Z Human-accelerated climate change is quickly leading to glacier-free mountains, with consequences for the ecology and hydrology of alpine river systems. Water origin (i.e. glacier, snowmelt, precipitation, groundwater) is a key control on multiple facets of alpine stream ecosystems, since it drives the physico-chemical template of the habitat in which ecological communities reside and interact, and ecosystem processes occur. Accordingly, distinct alpine stream types and associated communities have been identified. However, unlike streams fed by glaciers (i.e. kryal), groundwater (i.e. krenal), and snowmelt-precipitation (i.e. rhithral), those fed by rock glaciers are still poorly documented. We characterized the physical and chemical features of these streams and investigated the influence of rock glaciers on the habitat template of alpine river networks. We analysed two subcatchments in a deglaciating area of the Central European Alps, where rock glacier-fed, groundwater-fed, and glacier-fed streams are all present. We monitored the spatial, seasonal, and diel variability of physical conditions (i.e. water temperature, turbidity, channel stability, discharge) and chemical variables (electrical conductivity, major ions and trace element concentrations) during the snowmelt, glacier ablation, and flow recession periods of two consecutive years. We observed distinct physical and chemical conditions and seasonal responses for the different stream types. Rock glacial streams were characterized by very low and constant water temperatures, stable channels, clear waters, and high concentrations of ions and trace elements that increased as summer progressed. Furthermore, one rock glacier strongly influenced the habitat template of downstream waters due to high solute export, especially in late summer under increased permafrost thaw. Given their unique set of environmental conditions, we suggest that streams fed by thawing rock glaciers are distinct river habitats that differ from those normally classified for alpine ... Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost Fondazione Edmund Mach: IRIS-OpenPub Hydrological Processes 33 21 2804 2823 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Fondazione Edmund Mach: IRIS-OpenPub |
op_collection_id |
ftiasma |
language |
English |
topic |
Climate change European Alps Glacier retreat Hydroecology Permafrost thaw Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA |
spellingShingle |
Climate change European Alps Glacier retreat Hydroecology Permafrost thaw Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA Brighenti, Stefano Tolotti, Monica Bruno, Maria Cristina Engel, Michael Wharton, Geraldene Cerasino, Leonardo Mair, Volkmar Bertoldi, Walter After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems |
topic_facet |
Climate change European Alps Glacier retreat Hydroecology Permafrost thaw Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA |
description |
Human-accelerated climate change is quickly leading to glacier-free mountains, with consequences for the ecology and hydrology of alpine river systems. Water origin (i.e. glacier, snowmelt, precipitation, groundwater) is a key control on multiple facets of alpine stream ecosystems, since it drives the physico-chemical template of the habitat in which ecological communities reside and interact, and ecosystem processes occur. Accordingly, distinct alpine stream types and associated communities have been identified. However, unlike streams fed by glaciers (i.e. kryal), groundwater (i.e. krenal), and snowmelt-precipitation (i.e. rhithral), those fed by rock glaciers are still poorly documented. We characterized the physical and chemical features of these streams and investigated the influence of rock glaciers on the habitat template of alpine river networks. We analysed two subcatchments in a deglaciating area of the Central European Alps, where rock glacier-fed, groundwater-fed, and glacier-fed streams are all present. We monitored the spatial, seasonal, and diel variability of physical conditions (i.e. water temperature, turbidity, channel stability, discharge) and chemical variables (electrical conductivity, major ions and trace element concentrations) during the snowmelt, glacier ablation, and flow recession periods of two consecutive years. We observed distinct physical and chemical conditions and seasonal responses for the different stream types. Rock glacial streams were characterized by very low and constant water temperatures, stable channels, clear waters, and high concentrations of ions and trace elements that increased as summer progressed. Furthermore, one rock glacier strongly influenced the habitat template of downstream waters due to high solute export, especially in late summer under increased permafrost thaw. Given their unique set of environmental conditions, we suggest that streams fed by thawing rock glaciers are distinct river habitats that differ from those normally classified for alpine ... |
author2 |
Brighenti, S. Tolotti, M. Bruno, M.C. Engel, M. Wharton, G. Cerasino, L. Mair, V. Bertoldi, W. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Brighenti, Stefano Tolotti, Monica Bruno, Maria Cristina Engel, Michael Wharton, Geraldene Cerasino, Leonardo Mair, Volkmar Bertoldi, Walter |
author_facet |
Brighenti, Stefano Tolotti, Monica Bruno, Maria Cristina Engel, Michael Wharton, Geraldene Cerasino, Leonardo Mair, Volkmar Bertoldi, Walter |
author_sort |
Brighenti, Stefano |
title |
After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems |
title_short |
After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems |
title_full |
After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems |
title_fullStr |
After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems |
title_full_unstemmed |
After the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on Alpine river systems |
title_sort |
after the peak water: the increasing influence of rock glaciers on alpine river systems |
publisher |
country:GB |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10449/56288 https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13533 |
genre |
permafrost |
genre_facet |
permafrost |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:000477391800001 volume:33 issue:21 firstpage:2804 lastpage:2823 journal:HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES http://hdl.handle.net/10449/56288 doi:10.1002/hyp.13533 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85069918914 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13533 |
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Hydrological Processes |
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33 |
container_issue |
21 |
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2804 |
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2823 |
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1796951691318263808 |