Watershed Hydrology Group Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University McMaster University Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities Sean K. Carey School of Geography & Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada http://science.mcmaster.ca/watershed
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University • Hydrologist and dabbler at McMaster University in Canada. • Have been working in Wolf Creek, Yukon Territory Canada since 1995. • Have also worked in British Columbia • Interested in all things ‘watery’. Interested in how ‘cold’ affects water and the environment. Also concerned with human impacts in ‘remote’ areas. A bit about me
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University From a streamflow generation perspective: o High energy o Complex geometry o Cryosphere influences (glaciers, snow, permafrost) Alpine Catchments
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Largely concerned with how water moved from hillslopes to streams Large literature beginning with Runoff (hillslope) processes Hortonian overland flow and moving to throughflow, saturated wedge, transmissivity feedback, etc. From Kirkby (1978)
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Thin soils; gentle Direct precipitation and concave footslopes; return flow dominate wide valley bottoms; hydrograph; subsurface soils of high to low stormflow less important permeability Synthesis of Runoff Processes Horton overland flow Topography and soils dominates hydrograph; contributions from Variable source subsurface stormflow concept are less important Subsurface stormflow dominates hydrograph Steep, straight volumetrically; peaks hillslopes; deep,very produced by return flow permeable soils; and direct precipitation narrow valley bottoms Alpine Catchments Arid to sub-humid climate; Humid climate; dense thin vegetation or disturbed vegetation by humans Climate, vegetation and land use Runoff processes in relation to their major controls. (From Dunne and Leopold, 1978)
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Syntheses of Runoff Process From Jim Buttle (2006), Hydrological Processes
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Relative water yield (RWY) = Mountain runoff (mm/y) Mountains are the world’s water towers Lowland runoff (mm/y) 0 < RWY< 0.5 0.5 < RWY< 1 1 < RWY< 2 2 < RWY< 3 3 < RWY< 5 5 < RWY< 10 RWY > 10 Viviroli et al. (2007, Water Resour. Res ., 43, W07447)
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Steep Catchments – ephemeral linkages Jencso and McGlynn 2009 WRR
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Large thermal gradients o Elevation, aspect Poorly developed ‘soils’ Key Factors for Alpine Watersheds o Large porosity, uncertain geological setting Frozen ground status Glaciers and perennial snowpacks
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Current Paradigms – snow and glaciers Glacier and snow are key contributions to alpine streams Fairly well characterized, lots of healthy research o Focus is on global change
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Example: Peyto Glacier in Canada Streamflow
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Example: Peyto Glacier in Canada AW S 1966 2006 2016 1966: 14.4 km 2 2016: 9.9 km 2
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Groundwater and Surface Waters Material from M. Hayashi
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University hydro. flux (mm/d) 30 Conceptual model of groundwater processes glacier melt snow melt rain < 0.3 mm/d 20 discharge 10 0 4/18 5/8 5/28 6/17 7/7 7/27 8/16 9/5 9/25 10/15 cumulative flux (mm) 1000 total input 800 total output 600 100 mm 400 200 0 Hood & Hayashi (2015, J. Hydrol . 521:482-497) Material from M. Hayashi
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Conceptual model of groundwater processes Langston et al. (2011, Hydrol. Process . 25: 2967)
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Conceptual model of groundwater processes From Glas et al., 2018, Water Wires
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Colder alpine systems
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Colder alpine systems
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University snow The importance of permafrost infiltration organic layer water table mineral layer frozen soil frost table Fall Spring quick flow slow flow Preferential flow (in matrix) (in matrix)
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Largely an issue of characterization and representation Opportunities – Remote Sensing
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University New Data Streams
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Wolf Creek Research Basin Permafrost probability map Lewkowicz & Ednie 2004, PPP
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Wolf Creek Research Basin
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University 0.7 100 90 0.6 80 Specific Conductance ( s cm -1 ) 0.5 70 Runoff (m 3 s -1 ) 60 0.4 High frequency measurements 50 0.3 40 30 0.2 20 0.1 10 0 0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 4000 Nov 0.7 5000 4500 3500 0.6 Oct 4000 3000 0.5 Sep 3500 Runoff (m 3 s -1 ) 2500 3000 0.4 CDOM Aug FDOM CDOM 2500 2000 0.3 Jul 2000 1500 1500 0.2 Jun 1000 1000 0.1 May 500 500 0 0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 0 Apr -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 Runoff (m 3 s -1 )
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University 4000 Nov 3500 Oct General High Frequency Confusion 3000 Sep 2500 Aug CDOM 2000 Jul 1500 Jun 1000 May 500 0 Apr -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 Runoff (m 3 s -1 ) Seasonal trend show gradual shifts in General clockwise ‘flush’ Q-SpC as flow paths decline atop frozen ground and as catchment dries
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Analyze in event responses for Q, SpC and DOC How do patterns change, what does hysteresis tell us about runoff processes and overall watershed connections High frequency data streams Lloyd, C et al. 2016. . Hydrology and Earth System Sciences , 20 , 625 – 632.
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Event analysis - SpC Hysteresis Index Flushing Index
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Event analysis - CDOM
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Salinity 1 Nov Clockwise Diluting Clockwise flushing Clockwise Diluting Clockwise flushing Oct Storm Hysteresis Index 0.5 Summary Indices Sep 0 Aug Jul -0.5 Jun Anti-clockwise diluting Anti-clockwise flushing Anti-clockwise diluting Anti-clockwise flushing -1 May -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 Storm Flushing Index
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Q and SpC from July 1 to Sept 30 Q (m 3 s -1 ) Diel signatures SpC (uS cm -1 )
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Part II – Diel variation over time Water Temp Discharge (Q) SpC DOC Diel signatures
Watershed Hydrology Group Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities McMaster University Part II – Peak timing and lags Water temp out of phase means Normalized Q Possible mechanisms of diel variability Water Temp Normalized viscosity is not a driver Diel signatures Normalized DOC Normalized SpC
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