Using stable isotopes to estimate the time since disconnection of pools in temporary rivers 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Llorens ◽  
Sebastián González ◽  
Jérôme Latron ◽  
Cesc Múrria ◽  
Núria Bonada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Ecological Quality ◽  
Temporary Rivers ◽  
Hydrological Variable

<p>Temporary rivers, characterized by shifts between flowing water, disconnected pools and dry periods, represent over 50% of the world’s river network and future climatic projections suggest their increase. These rivers are understudied, especially when only disconnected pools remain, because gauging stations or hydrological models do not inform of what happens after the cessation of flow. In addition, most of biological indicators for water quality are designed for flowing waters and their adequacy for temporary rivers is uncertain.</p><p>The development of biological metrics adequate for the assessment of disconnected pools is difficult, because the high species replacement during and following flow cessation. For this reason, one hydrological variable of paramount importance for the assessment of ecological quality of disconected pools is the time since disconnection from the river flow.</p><p>The objective of our work is to present a methodology to estimate the time since disconnection of pools from the river flow. This methodology, following the Gonfiantini (1986) model, is based on the sampling of water stable isotopes in disconnected pools. For pools disconnected from the groundwater, knowing the isotopic modification of the water in time due to evaporation, allows to estimate the relative volume of water evaporated since the pool has been disconnected. However, this approach gets complicated when pools have relevant rainfall inputs or exchanges with groundwater.</p><p>Within the Vallcebre research area (42º12’N and 1º49’E), two artificial pools, one covered with a transparent lid to prevent the input of rainfall and another uncovered, were installed to validate this methodology in controlled conditions. From July to November 2020, water volume of these pools were weekly measured and sampled for isotopic analysis. In parallel, meteorological variables were monitored and rainfall was also sampled for water stable isotopes.</p><p>To develop and validate an operational methodology for estimating the time since disconnection, we first calculated the relative amount of evaporated water based on the variations of isotopic composition of the covered pool samples, and estimated the time since disconnection (for a given natural pool) using the potential evaporation calculated from the meteorological data. For the uncovered pool, the information of amount and isotopic composition of rainfall was added in a mass balance model. Additionally, the same estimations were calculated with standard information (i.e. the meteorological data obtained from the National Meteorological Service and precipitation isotopes data from the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) of the International Atomic Energy Agency). Finally, measured volumes changes in pools, were used to assess the limitations of the operational methodology and the sensitivity of the results to meteorological conditions.</p><p>Our approach suggests that changes in isotopic composition can be a reliable method to estimate time since disconnection of pools in temporary rivers to better assess their ecological quality.</p>

scholarly journals A near 90-year record of the evolution of El Morado Glacier and its proglacial lake, Central Chilean Andes

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (259) ◽  
pp. 846-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Farías-Barahona ◽  
Ryan Wilson ◽  
Claudio Bravo ◽  
Sebastián Vivero ◽  
Alexis Caro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Central Andes ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Water Volume ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Area Loss ◽  
Proglacial Lake

AbstractUsing an ensemble of close- and long-range remote sensing, lake bathymetry and regional meteorological data, we present a detailed assessment of the geometric changes of El Morado Glacier in the Central Andes of Chile and its adjacent proglacial lake between 1932 and 2019. Overall, the results revealed a period of marked glacier down wasting, with a mean geodetic glacier mass balance of −0.39 ± 0.15 m w.e.a−1 observed for the entire glacier between 1955 and 2015 with an area loss of 40% between 1955 and 2019. We estimate an ice elevation change of −1.00 ± 0.17 m a−1 for the glacier tongue between 1932 and 2019. The increase in the ice thinning rates and area loss during the last decade is coincident with the severe drought in this region (2010–present), which our minimal surface mass-balance model is able to reproduce. As a result of the glacier changes observed, the proglacial lake increased in area substantially between 1955 and 2019, with bathymetry data suggesting a water volume of 3.6 million m3 in 2017. This study highlights the need for further monitoring of glacierised areas in the Central Andes. Such efforts would facilitate a better understanding of the downstream impacts of glacier downwasting.

scholarly journals Assessing glacier melt contribution to streamflow at Universidad Glacier, central Andes of Chile

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 3249-3266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Bravo ◽  
Thomas Loriaux ◽  
Andrés Rivera ◽  
Ben W. Brock
Keyword(s):  
River Flow ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Central Andes ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Temperature Index ◽  
Glacier Melt ◽  
Monthly Streamflow

Abstract. Glacier melt is an important source of water for high Andean rivers in central Chile, especially in dry years, when it can be an important contributor to flows during late summer and autumn. However, few studies have quantified glacier melt contribution to streamflow in this region. To address this shortcoming, we present an analysis of meteorological conditions and ablation for Universidad Glacier, one of the largest valley glaciers in the central Andes of Chile at the head of the Tinguiririca River, for the 2009–2010 ablation season. We used meteorological measurements from two automatic weather stations installed on the glacier to drive a distributed temperature-index and runoff routing model. The temperature-index model was calibrated at the lower weather station site and showed good agreement with melt estimates from an ablation stake and sonic ranger, and with a physically based energy balance model. Total modelled glacier melt is compared with river flow measurements at three sites located between 0.5 and 50 km downstream. Universidad Glacier shows extremely high melt rates over the ablation season which may exceed 10 m water equivalent in the lower ablation area, representing between 10 and 13 % of the mean monthly streamflow at the outlet of the Tinguiririca River Basin between December 2009 and March 2010. This contribution rises to a monthly maximum of almost 20 % in March 2010, demonstrating the importance of glacier runoff to streamflow, particularly in dry years such as 2009–2010. The temperature-index approach benefits from the availability of on-glacier meteorological data, enabling the calculation of the local hourly variable lapse rate, and is suited to high melt regimes, but would not be easily applicable to glaciers further north in Chile where sublimation is more significant.

scholarly journals Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Stewart ◽  
Matthew Westoby ◽  
Francesca Pellicciotti ◽  
Ann Rowan ◽  
Darrel Swift ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Surface Energy Balance ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Thermal Imagery ◽  
Thickness Estimation ◽  
Miage Glacier

Abstract Surface energy-balance models are commonly used in conjunction with satellite thermal imagery to estimate supraglacial debris thickness. Removing the need for local meteorological data in the debris thickness estimation workflow could improve the versatility and spatiotemporal application of debris thickness estimation. We evaluate the use of regional reanalysis data to derive debris thickness for two mountain glaciers using a surface energy-balance model. Results forced using ERA-5 agree with AWS-derived estimates to within 0.01 ± 0.05 m for Miage Glacier, Italy, and 0.01 ± 0.02 m for Khumbu Glacier, Nepal. ERA-5 data were then used to estimate spatiotemporal changes in debris thickness over a ~20-year period for Miage Glacier, Khumbu Glacier and Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland. We observe significant increases in debris thickness at the terminus for Haut Glacier d'Arolla and at the margins of the expanding debris cover at all glaciers. While simulated debris thickness was underestimated compared to point measurements in areas of thick debris, our approach can reconstruct glacier-scale debris thickness distribution and its temporal evolution over multiple decades. We find significant changes in debris thickness over areas of thin debris, areas susceptible to high ablation rates, where current knowledge of debris evolution is limited.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of the annual balance of Vadret da Morteratsch, Switzerland, since 1865

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (50) ◽  
pp. 126-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Nemec ◽  
Philippe Huybrechts ◽  
Oleg Rybak ◽  
Johannes Oerlemans
Keyword(s):  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Surface Energy Fluxes ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Continuous Mass ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
Precipitation Records ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Annual Balance ◽  
Almost Continuous

AbstractWe have reconstructed the annual balance of Vadret da Morteratsch, Engadine, Switzerland, with a two-dimensional energy-balance model for the period 1865–2005. The model takes into account a parameterization of the surface energy fluxes, an albedo that decreases exponentially with snow depth as well as the shading effect of the surrounding mountains. The model was first calibrated with a 5 year record of annual balance measurements made at 20 different sites on the glacier between 2001 and 2006 using meteorological data from surrounding weather stations as input. To force the model for the period starting in 1865, we employed monthly temperature and precipitation records from nearby valley stations. The model reproduces the observed annual balance reasonably well, except for the lower part during the warmest years. Most crucial to the results is the altitudinal precipitation gradient, but this factor is hard to quantify from the limited precipitation data at high elevations. The simulation shows an almost continuous mass loss since 1865, with short interruptions around 1920, 1935 and 1980. A trend towards a more negative annual balance can be observed since the beginning of the 1980s. The simulated cumulative mass balance for the entire period 1865–2005 was found to be –46mw.e.

Ecological and isotopic discrimination of syntopic rodents in a neotropical rain forest of French Guiana

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-François Mauffrey ◽  
François Catzeflis
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Isotopic Composition ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Carbon Isotope Ratios ◽  
Photosynthetic Pathways ◽  
Feeding Process ◽  
Neotropical Rain Forest

Stable isotopes are commonly used in ecological studies to infer food resources (Ambrose & DeNiro 1986, Bocherens et al. 1990,1991,1994;Yoshinaga et al. 1991) since isotopic composition is conserved during the feeding process. Moreover,for herbivorous (sensu lato) species, it is often possible to identify the main resource because different photosynthetic pathways generate different values of carbon isotope ratios (Park & Epstein 1961, Sternberg et al. 1984). This allows the characterization of broad biota such as savannas or forest and discrimination of grazers from sympatric folivorous species (DeNiro & Epstein 1978).

scholarly journals The human heat balance in the city of Novi Sad (Serbia)

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 99-112
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Krajic
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchange ◽  
Heat Balance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Human Organism ◽  
Health Resource ◽  
Weather Variables ◽  
Climatological Station ◽  
Novi Sad ◽  
The City

This analysis is based on the human heat balance according to the bioclimatic man-environment heat exchange model created by Krzysztof B?a?ejczyk. The final result of the human heat balance model points to biothermal weather situations for the outdoor recreational needs. In this analysis, middles daily meteorological data (of climatological station of Novi Sad) were used for two extreme months, January and July. In this work, it is analyzed two periods, the first is for 1992-2010. and the second is for year 2010. The aim is to show how weather can be evaluated for recreational needs which the health resource of Novi Sad and to point out the shortcomings when it comes to multi-year analysis. The objective of this article has been to present a bioclimatic analysis of city Novi Sad and how weather variables come together in order to give a climate meaning on human organism.

scholarly journals River Flows are a Reliable Index of Forest Fire Risk in the Temperate Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David MJS Bowman ◽  
Grant J Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fire ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
River Flows ◽  
World Heritage Area ◽  
Heritage Area ◽  
Forest Fire Risk

Fire risk can be defined as the probability that a fire will spread. Reliable monitoring of fire risk is essential for effective landscape management. Compilation of fire risk records enable identification of seasonal and inter-annual patterns and provide a baseline to evaluate the trajectories in response to climate change. Typically, fire risk is estimated from meteorological data. In regions with sparse meteorological station coverage environmental proxies provide important additional data stream for estimating past and current fire risk. Here we use a 60-year record of daily flows from two rivers (Franklin and Davey) in the remote Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) to characterize seasonal patterns in fire risk in temperate Eucalyptus and rainforests. We show that river flows are strongly related to landscape soil moisture estimates derived from down-scaled re-analysis of meteorological data available since 1990. To identify river flow thresholds where forests are likely to burn, we relate river flows to known forest fires that have occurred in the previously defined ecohydrological domains that surround the Franklin and Davey catchments. Our analysis shows that the fire season in the TWWHA is centered on February (70% of all years below the median threshold), with shoulders on December-January and March. Since 1954 forest fire can occur in at least one month for all but four summers in the ecohydrological domain that includes the Franklin catchment, and since 1964 fire fires could occur in at least one month in every summer in the ecohydrological domain that includes the Davey catchment. Our analysis shows that mangers can use river flows as a simple index that provide a landscape-scale forest fire risk in the TWWHA.

scholarly journals Is snow sublimation important in the alpine water balance?

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Strasser ◽  
M. Bernhardt ◽  
M. Weber ◽  
G. E. Liston ◽  
W. Mauser
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Snow Water Equivalent ◽  
Distributed Simulation ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Detailed Model ◽  
Physically Based ◽  
Snow Transport

Abstract. In alpine terrain, snow sublimation as a component of the winter moisture budget represents a proportion of precipitation which does not contribute to melt. To quantify its amount we analyze the spatial pattern of snow sublimation at the ground, from a canopy and from turbulent suspension during wind-induced snow transport for a high alpine area in the Berchtesgaden National Park (Germany), and we discuss the efficiency of these processes with respect to seasonal snowfall. Therefore, we utilized hourly meteorological recordings from a network of automatic stations, and a distributed simulation framework comprising validated, physically based models. Meteorological data records were spatially distributed over the simulation domain by means of a quasi-physically based interpolation scheme that accounts for topographic influences on the distributed fields. The applied simulation tools were: a detailed model for shortwave and longwave radiative fluxes, a mass and energy balance model for the ground snow cover, a model for the microclimatic conditions within a forest canopy and related snow-vegetation interactions including snow sublimation from the surface of the trees, and a model for the simulation of wind-induced snow transport and related sublimation from suspended snow particles. For each of the sublimation processes, mass rates were quantified and aggregated over an entire winter season. Sublimation from the ground and from most canopy types are spatially relatively homogeneous and sum up to about 100 mm of snow water equivalent (SWE) over the winter period. Accumulated seasonal sublimation due to turbulent suspension is small in the valley areas, but can locally, at very wind-exposed mountain ridges, add up to more than 1000 mm of SWE. The fraction of these sublimation losses of winter snowfall is between 10 and 90%.

scholarly journals Dampak Perubahan Iklim Terhadap Debit Andalan Sungai Krueng Aceh

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-61
Author(s):  
Teuku Ferijal ◽  
Mustafril Mustafril ◽  
Dewi Sri Jayanti
Keyword(s):  
Climate Changes ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Daily Precipitation ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Variable Infiltration Capacity ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Infiltration Capacity ◽  
Hydrological Data ◽  
Daily Streamflow

Abstrak. Perubahan iklim yang menyebabkan perubahan karakteristik curah hujan berdampak pada aliran sungai. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa dampak perubahan iklim terhadap debit andalan. Data-data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data klimatologi dan hidrologi yang semuanya dikumpulkan dari stasiun-stasiun yang ada dalam wilayah penelitian yaitu DAS Krueng Aceh. Model kesetimbangan air variable infiltration capacity digunakan dalam penelitian ini untuk menghitung debit sungai harian berdasarkan data curah hujan dan evapotranspirasi harian. Hasil analisa menunjukkan bahwa suhu udara tahunan rata-rata DAS Krueng Aceh telah mengalami peningkatan yang drastis sebesar 0,6°C sejak tahun 2001. Perubahan tersebut juga diikuti dengan adanya tren peningkatan curah hujan (22%) pada bulan-bulan basah (November-Januari) serta penurunan curah hujan (26%) pada bulan-bulan kering (Mei-Agustus). Dampak dari perubahan iklim tersebut adalah terjadinya penurunan debit sungai Krueng Aceh yang ditandai semakin meningkatnya kemungkinan debit aliran lebih kecil dari 18,77 m3/s dan menurunkan debit andalan terutama pada periode April-Desember sebesar 23,5%.  Impact of Climate Change on Dependable Discharge in the Krueng Aceh River Abstract. Climate changes altering precipitation characteristic bring impact on streamflow. This research aims to analyze impact of climate changes on dependable discharge. Climatological and hydrological data were collected from stations within Krueng Aceh Watershed. Variable infiltration capacity water balance model was applied to calculate daily streamflow base on daily precipitation and evapotranspiration. The results suggested that annual air temperature of Krueng Aceh Watershed has been squally increasing 0.6°C since 2001. The changes were also detected on monthly precipitation i.e. a 22% increase in wet period (November-January) and a 26% decrease in dry period (Mei-August). The changes have impacted the Krueng Aceh River flow by increasing possibility of flow lower than 18.77m3/s and decreasing dependable discharge by 23.5% for period of April-December.

scholarly journals Giant dust particles at Nevado Illimani: a proxy of summertime deep convection over the Bolivian Altiplano

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1383-1397
Author(s):  
Filipe G. L. Lindau ◽  
Jefferson C. Simões ◽  
Barbara Delmonte ◽  
Patrick Ginot ◽  
Giovanni Baccolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Dust Particles ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Convective Activity

Abstract. A deeper understanding of past atmospheric circulation variability in the Central Andes is a high-priority topic in paleoclimatology mainly because of the necessity to validate climate models used to predict future precipitation trends and to develop mitigation and/or adaptation strategies for future climate change scenarios in this region. Within this context, we here investigate an 18-year firn core drilled at Nevado Illimani in order to interpret its mineral dust record in relation to seasonal processes, in particular atmospheric circulation and deep convection. The core was dated by annual layer counting based on seasonal oscillations of dust, calcium, and stable isotopes. Geochemical and mineralogical data show that dust is regionally sourced in winter and summer. During austral summer (wet season), an increase in the relative proportion of giant dust particles (∅>20 µm) is observed, in association with oscillations of stable isotope records (δD, δ18O). It seems that at Nevado Illimani both the deposition of dust and the isotopic signature of precipitation are influenced by atmospheric deep convection, which is also related to the total amount of precipitation in the area. This hypothesis is corroborated by regional meteorological data. The interpretation of giant particle and stable isotope records suggests that downdrafts due to convective activity promote turbulent conditions capable of suspending giant particles in the vicinity of Nevado Illimani. Giant particles and stable isotopes, when considered together, can be therefore used as a new proxy for obtaining information about deep convective activity in the past.

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