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| Titel |
Meltwater run-off from Haig Glacier, Canadian Rocky Mountains, 2002-2013 |
| VerfasserIn |
S. J. Marshall |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1027-5606
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ; 18, no. 12 ; Nr. 18, no. 12 (2014-12-12), S.5181-5200 |
| Datensatznummer |
250120564
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/hess-18-5181-2014.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Observations of high-elevation meteorological conditions,
glacier mass balance, and glacier run-off are sparse in western Canada and
the Canadian Rocky Mountains, leading to uncertainty about the importance of
glaciers to regional water resources. This needs to be quantified so that
the impacts of ongoing glacier recession can be evaluated with respect to
alpine ecology, hydroelectric operations, and water resource management. In
this manuscript the seasonal evolution of glacier run-off is assessed for an
alpine watershed on the continental divide in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
The study area is a headwaters catchment of the Bow River, which flows
eastward to provide an important supply of water to the Canadian prairies.
Meteorological, snowpack, and surface energy balance data collected at Haig
Glacier from 2002 to 2013 were analysed to evaluate glacier mass balance and
run-off. Annual specific discharge from snow- and ice-melt on Haig Glacier
averaged 2350 mm water equivalent from 2002 to 2013, with 42% of the
run-off derived from melting of glacier ice and firn, i.e. water stored in
the glacier reservoir. This is an order of magnitude greater than the annual
specific discharge from non-glacierized parts of the Bow River basin. From
2002 to 2013, meltwater derived from the glacier storage was equivalent to
5–6% of the flow of the Bow River in Calgary in late summer and 2–3%
of annual discharge. The basin is typical of most glacier-fed mountain
rivers, where the modest and declining extent of glacierized area in the
catchment limits the glacier contribution to annual run-off. |
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