scholarly journals Using geochemical and isotopic chemistry to evaluate glacier melt contributions to the Chamkar Chhu (river), Bhutan

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (71) ◽  
pp. 339-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W. Williams ◽  
Alana Wilson ◽  
Dendup Tshering ◽  
Pankaj Thapa ◽  
Rijan B. Kayastha
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Mixing Model ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Geochemical Tracers ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Synoptic Sampling ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
High Elevations

AbstractWater stored as ice and snow at high elevations is a resource that plays an important role in the hydrologic cycle, particularly in the timing and volume of downstream discharge. Here we use geochemical and isotopic values of water samples to evaluate relative contributions of melting glacier ice and groundwater to discharge in Bhutan. River water samples were collected between 3100 and 4500 m in the Chamkar Chhu (river) watershed of central Bhutan's Himalaya. Glacier ice and snow were sampled in the ablation zone of Thanagang glacier. Groundwater was parameterized from spring water at elevations of 3100 and 3600 m. Synoptic sampling was carried out in separate expeditions in July, August and late September 2014, to characterize monsoon and post-monsoon conditions. Results from a two-component hydrologic mixing model using isotopic and geochemical (sulphate) values show that the glacier outflow contributions decrease from ∼76% at 4500 m to 31% at 3100 m. A four-component hydrologic mixing model using end-member mixing analysis shows glacier ice melt increasing as a proportion of discharge over the 3 month sampling period, and consistently decreasing with distance downstream of Thanagang glacier terminus. These results indicate that isotopic and geochemical tracers can provide a quantitative evaluation of the source water contributions to streamflow in Bhutan.

scholarly journals Snow Distribution and Melt Modeling for Mittivakkat Glacier, Ammassalik Island, Southeast Greenland

2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 808-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian H. Mernild ◽  
Glen E. Liston ◽  
Bent Hasholt ◽  
Niels T. Knudsen
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Solid Precipitation ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Winter Snow ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Surface Melt

Abstract A physically based snow-evolution modeling system (SnowModel) that includes four submodels—the Micrometeorological Model (MicroMet), EnBal, SnowPack, and SnowTran-3D—was used to simulate five full-year evolutions of snow accumulation, distribution, sublimation, and surface melt on the Mittivakkat Glacier, in southeast Greenland. Model modifications were implemented and used 1) to adjust underestimated observed meteorological station solid precipitation until the model matched the observed Mittivakkat Glacier winter mass balance, and 2) to simulate glacier-ice melt after the winter snow accumulation had ablated. Meteorological observations from two meteorological stations were used as model inputs, and glaciological mass balance observations were used for model calibration and testing of solid precipitation observations. The modeled end-of-winter snow-water equivalent (w.eq.) accumulation increased with elevation from 200 to 700 m above sea level (ASL) in response to both elevation and topographic influences, and the simulated end-of-summer location of the glacier equilibrium line altitude was confirmed by glaciological observations and digital images. The modeled test-period-averaged annual mass balance was 150 mm w.eq. yr−1, or ∼15%, less than the observed. Approximately 12% of the precipitation was returned to the atmosphere by sublimation. Glacier-averaged mean annual modeled surface melt ranged from 1272 to 2221 mm w.eq. yr−1, of which snowmelt contributed from 610 to 1040 mm w.eq. yr−1. The surface-melt period started between mid-May and the beginning of June, and lasted until mid-September; there were as many as 120 melt days at the glacier terminus. The model simulated a Mittivakkat Glacier recession averaging −616 mm w.eq. yr−1, almost equal to the observed −600 mm w.eq. yr−1.

Campylobacter in waterborne epidemics in Finland

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.-L. Hänninen ◽  
R. Kärenlampi
Keyword(s):  
Campylobacter Jejuni ◽  
Causative Agent ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Fecal Coliforms ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Indicator Organisms ◽  
Faecal Contamination ◽  
E Coli ◽  
July August September

The sources for drinking water in Finland are surface water, groundwater or artificially recharged groundwater. There are approximately 1400 groundwater plants in Finland that are microbiologically at a high risk level because in most cases they do not use any disinfection treatment. Campylobacter jejuni has caused waterborne epidemics in several countries. Since the middle of the 1980s, C. jejuni has been identified as the causative agent in several waterborne outbreaks in Finland. Between 1998 and 2001, C. jejuni or C. upsaliensis caused seven reported waterborne epidemics. In these epidemics approximately 4000 people acquired the illness. Most of the outbreaks occurred in July, August , September or October. In four of them source water and net water samples were analysed for total coliforms or fecal coliforms, E. coli and campylobacters. We showed that large volumes of water samples in studies of indicator organisms (up to 5000 ml) and campylobacters (4000–20,000 ml) increased the possibility to identify faecal contamination and to detect the causative agent from suspected sources.

scholarly journals QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF SURFACE WATERS AT ASPROLAKKAS RIVER BASIN, N.E. CHALKIDIKI, GREECE

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 1737
Author(s):  
E. Kelepertzis ◽  
A. Argyraki ◽  
E. Daftsis ◽  
D. Ballas
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Major Ions ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Quality Characteristics ◽  
Sampling Point ◽  
The Past ◽  
Surface Water Samples

The present study reports on a four sampling period (April 2008-July 2008-November 2008-February 2009) study of water quality in streams of NE Chalkidiki. A total of 80 surface water samples were collected and analysed for the major ions Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Cl- , HCO3 - , SO4 2-, NO3 - and the trace elements Pb, Fe, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Mn and As. Also pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Temperature, as well as the stream water discharge at each sampling point, were determined in the field. The treatment and the subsequent evaluation of the data showed that the water samples are divided into three separate groups, reflecting the chemistry of water in the three sub-basins of the area i.e., Kokkinolakkas, Kerasia and Piavitsa. The water of the first one is possibly affected by the past mining activities of the area, whereas samples from the other two reflect the influence of sulphide mineralization on the hydrogeochemistry of the corresponding streams. No effect of the seasonal differentiation of stream water discharge was observed.

scholarly journals Supraglacial Re-Sedimentation from Melt-Water Streams on to Snow Overlying Glacier Ice, Sylgjujökull, West Vatnajökull, Iceland

1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (99) ◽  
pp. 365-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian A. Dowdeswell
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Marginal Zone ◽  
Suspended Load ◽  
Sediment Deposition ◽  
Stream Discharge ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Melt Water ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractSediment deposition on to snow overlying glacier ice occurs in a marginal zone extending 200–300 m up-glacier from the terminus of Sylgjujökull. Debris on ice above the marginal snow zone comes from debris-rich layers, and 85% of this debris falls between 1 and 4ϕ, the characteristic grain-size of volcanic ash within Icelandic glaciers. The ash is transported down-glacier as suspended load in melt-water streams at concentrations between 61 and 430 mg l−1, and loads from 0.2 to 32.7 g s−1. A diurnal hysteretic loop is present in the relationship between suspended sediment and discharge for one stream.Supraglacial streams flow from relatively impermeable ice on to more permeable snow near the glacier terminus. As they move across the snow, stream discharge (up to 0.1 m3s−1on ice) is reduced and debris is re-sedimented as linear debris trains 1–3 cm thick and orientated orthogonal to the glacier margin. Since sediment deposition reduces the permeability of the snow substrate, the debris trains are successively extended across the snow cover at rates of up to 36.5 m d−1. If the debris is then let down on to glacier ice, linear dirt-cone assemblages may be produced. Re-sedimented debris trains are of little stratigraphic significance if deposited pro-glacially.

The attribute rating test for sensory analysis

2004 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Dietrich ◽  
A.J. Whelton ◽  
R.C. Hoehn ◽  
R. Anderson ◽  
M. Wille
Keyword(s):  
Activated Carbon ◽  
Water Treatment ◽  
Sensory Analysis ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Paired Comparison ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Treatment Facility ◽  
Customer Complaints ◽  
Standard Solution

This new sensory method evaluates the intensity of an odorant by using a modified “paired-comparison” format. It can be applied to any situation for which the odor-causing agent is known and a purified standard is available. The attribute rating test requires that a standard solution of the odorant be prepared at a concentration that is both readily recognized by most individuals and likely to evoke customer complaints. Within an hour individuals can be trained to compare the odor type and intensity of the standard to water samples, then rate the odor in the sample as “not detected,” “less than the standard,” “equal to standard,” or “greater than the standard.” The attribute rating test was successfully used by a full-scale water treatment facility to monitor the intensity of geosmin in the source water and to determine the effectiveness of powdered activated carbon for controlling its earthy-odor in treated water.

scholarly journals Field pH Determinations in Glacial Melt Waters

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (104) ◽  
pp. 106-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard C. Metcalf
Keyword(s):  
Colloidal Particles ◽  
Ph Value ◽  
Ph Measurements ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Stream Waters ◽  
Made In ◽  
Solute Enrichment

AbstractLaboratory pH analyses of glacial melt waters are unrepresentative ofin situvalues, due primarily to CO2gas exchange between the sample and the atmosphere, and solute enrichment from chemical reaction with sediment and colloidal particles. A method is presented which enables field pH measurements that are reproducible within ±0.04 pH units to be made in glacial melt waters, using commonly available digital pH meters with combination electrodes.During initial spring snow melt in May 1981 at Gornergletscher, Switzerland, melt waters in the proglacial stream leaving the glacier terminus were oversaturated with respect to atmosphericp(CO2), and rapidly increased pH during CO2outgassing atin situtemperature and pressure. Summer ice melt from glaciers which are temperate in the ablation zone are usually undersaturated by about ten times with respect to atmosphericp(CO2), and rapidly lower their pH values to achieve equilibrium upon encountering the atmosphere, as observed at Gornergletscher during July and August 1981. Gornergletscher summer proglacial stream waters, sometimes show pH increases from rock weathering, with the rate limited by the transfer rate of CO2across the air-water interface to drive the weathering reactions. Throughout the year, any water parcel at equilibrium with atmospheric CO2is generally at an equilibrium pH value, if filtration prohibits solute enrichment. For these reasons, laboratory pH measurements are unacceptable for quantitative studies of melt-water chemistry and should be discontinued.

scholarly journals Artificially Induced Thermokarst in Active Glacier Ice: An Example from North-West British Columbia, Canada

1977 ◽  
Vol 18 (80) ◽  
pp. 437-444
Author(s):  
N. Eyles ◽  
R. J. Rogerson
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
North West ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Basal Ice ◽  
Glacier Ice

AbstractWarm waste water, at 30°C, has been discharged from a copper concentrater on to the active terminal ice of Berendon Glacier, British Columbia, since 1970. As a result, rapid basal ice melt causes the formation of caverns and subsequent collapse features referred to as glacier thermokarst. A review of the literature reveals that such features have been described elsewhere from active ice, and the usual conditions assumed for the development of glacier thermokarst (stagnant, heavily debris-covered ice) should be redefined to include these examples.

The debris cover surface of Ponkar glacier: a laboratory for learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adina E. Racoviteanu ◽  
Neil F. Glasser ◽  
Smriti Basnett ◽  
Rakesh Kayastha ◽  
Stephan Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Surface Features ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Supraglacial Lakes ◽  
High Asia ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Building Activities ◽  
Remote Sensing Methods

<p>Understanding the evolution of debris-covered glaciers, including their evolution over time, the distribution of surface features such as exposed ice walls and supraglacial lakes, and their contributions to glacier ice melt and to glacier-related hazards such as Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) events requires an interdisciplinary approach, with a combination of remote sensing methods and collaborative fieldwork.</p><p>Since 2017, the IGCP 672 /UNESCO project led has been focussing on the transfer of scientific knowledge on monitoring debris-covered glaciers to local partner institutions in high Asia through trainings, workshops and field collaborations. Our long-term goal is to disseminate methodologies developed under this project to local institutions in high Asia and to embed scientific knowledge into local communities. Here we report on recent capacity building activities held within the context of this new project involved local participants from universities in Nepal and Sikkim. The training included remote sensing/GIS modules, temperature measurements, sediment logging and drone surveys of the ablation zone, which will allow us to better quantify the surface features and their evolution.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Runoff Variability in the Scott River (SW Spitsbergen) in Summer Seasons 2012–2013 in Comparison with the Period 1986–2009

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Franczak ◽  
Waldemar Kociuba ◽  
Grzegorz Gajek
Keyword(s):  
River Runoff ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Runoff Variability ◽  
Daily Discharge ◽  
The Mean

Abstract River runoff variability in the Scott River catchment in the summer seasons 2012 and 2013 has been presented in comparison to the multiannual river runoff in 1986–2009. Both in particular seasons and in the analysed multiannual, high variability of discharge rate was recorded. In the research periods 2012–2013, a total of 11 952 water stages and 20 flow rates were measured in the analysed cross-section for the determination of 83 daylong discharges. The mean multiannual discharge of the Scott River amounted to 0.96 m3·s−1. The value corresponds to a specific runoff of 94.6 dm3·s−1·km2, and the runoff layer 937 mm. The maximum values of daily discharge amounted to 5.07 m3·s−1, and the minimum values to 0.002 m3·s−1. The highest runoff occurs in the second and third decade of July, and in the first and second decade of August. The regime of the river is determined by a group of factors, and particularly meteorological conditions affecting the intensity of ablation, and consequently river runoff volume. We found a significant correlation (0.60 in 2012 and 0.67 in 2013) between the air temperature and the Scott River discharge related to the Scott Glacier ice melt.

scholarly journals Freshwater flux to Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1195-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Mernild ◽  
G. E. Liston ◽  
I. M. Howat ◽  
Y. Ahn ◽  
K. Steffen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Freshwater Flux ◽  
Terrestrial Runoff ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Total Runoff ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Frictional Melting ◽  
Catchment Runoff

Abstract. Fluctuations in terrestrial surface freshwater flux to Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland, were simulated and analyzed. SnowModel, a state-of-the-art snow-evolution, snow and ice melt, and runoff modeling system, was used to simulate the temporal and spatial terrestrial runoff distribution to the fjord based on observed meteorological data (1999–2008) from stations located on and around the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). Simulated runoff was compared and verified against independent glacier catchment runoff observations (1999–2005). Modeled runoff to Sermilik Fjord was highly variable, ranging from 2.9×109 m3 y−1 in 1999 to 5.9×109 m3 y−1 in 2005. The uneven spatial runoff distribution produced an areally-averaged annual maximum runoff at the Helheim glacier terminus of more than 3.8 m w.eq. The sub-catchment runoff of the Helheim glacier region accounted for 25% of the total runoff to Sermilik Fjord. The runoff distribution from the different sub-catchments suggested a strong influence from the spatial variation in glacier coverage. To assess the Sermilik Fjord freshwater flux, simulated terrestrial runoff and net precipitation (precipitation minus evaporation and sublimation) for the fjord area were combined with satellite-derived ice discharge and subglacial geothermal and frictional melting due to basal ice motion. A terrestrial freshwater flux of ~40.4×109 m3 y−1 was found for Sermilik Fjord, with an 11% contribution originated from surface runoff. For the Helheim glacier sub-catchment only 4% of the flux originated from terrestrial surface runoff.

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