Sean K. Carey School of Geography & Earth Sciences, McMaster - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Sean K. Carey School of Geography & Earth Sciences, McMaster - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mar 24, 2024 477 likes •955 views

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,

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University Watershed Hydrology Group 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

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

A bit about me

  • 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.
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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Alpine Catchments

  • From a streamflow generation perspective:
  • High energy
  • Complex geometry
  • Cryosphere influences (glaciers, snow, permafrost)
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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Runoff (hillslope) processes

From Kirkby (1978)

  • Largely concerned with how water

moved from hillslopes to streams

  • Large literature beginning with

Hortonian overland flow and moving to throughflow, saturated wedge, transmissivity feedback, etc.

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Horton overland flow dominates hydrograph; contributions from subsurface stormflow are less important Direct precipitation and return flow dominate hydrograph; subsurface stormflow less important Subsurface stormflow dominates hydrograph volumetrically; peaks produced by return flow and direct precipitation Arid to sub-humid climate; thin vegetation or disturbed by humans Humid climate; dense vegetation Steep, straight hillslopes; deep,very permeable soils; narrow valley bottoms Thin soils; gentle concave footslopes; wide valley bottoms; soils of high to low permeability Climate, vegetation and land use Topography and soils Variable source concept

Runoff processes in relation to their major controls.

(From Dunne and Leopold, 1978)

Synthesis of Runoff Processes

Alpine Catchments

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

From Jim Buttle (2006), Hydrological Processes

Syntheses of Runoff Process

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Mountains are the world’s water towers

Viviroli et al. (2007, Water Resour. Res., 43, W07447)

Relative water yield (RWY) = Mountain runoff (mm/y) Lowland runoff (mm/y)

0 < RWY< 0.5 0.5 < RWY< 1 1 < RWY< 2 5 < RWY< 10 2 < RWY< 3 3 < RWY< 5 RWY > 10

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Jencso and McGlynn 2009 WRR

Steep Catchments – ephemeral linkages

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Key Factors for Alpine Watersheds

  • Large thermal gradients
  • Elevation, aspect
  • Poorly developed ‘soils’
  • Large porosity, uncertain geological setting
  • Frozen ground status
  • Glaciers and perennial snowpacks
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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Current Paradigms – snow and glaciers

  • Glacier and snow are key contributions to alpine streams
  • Fairly well characterized, lots of healthy research
  • Focus is on global change
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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Example: Peyto Glacier in Canada

Streamflow

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Example: Peyto Glacier in Canada

1966: 14.4 km2 2016: 9.9 km2 AW S 1966 2006 2016

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Groundwater and Surface Waters

Material from M. Hayashi

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

10 20 30 4/18 5/8 5/28 6/17 7/7 7/27 8/16 9/5 9/25 10/15 snow melt rain discharge glacier melt < 0.3 mm/d

  • hydro. flux (mm/d)

100 mm

Hood & Hayashi (2015, J. Hydrol. 521:482-497)

200 400 600 800 1000 total input total output

cumulative flux (mm)

Material from M. Hayashi

Conceptual model of groundwater processes

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Conceptual model of groundwater processes Langston et al. (2011, Hydrol. Process. 25: 2967)

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Conceptual model of groundwater processes

From Glas et al., 2018, Water Wires

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Colder alpine systems

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Colder alpine systems

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

The importance of permafrost

snow frozen soil mineral layer

  • rganic layer

frost table water table

infiltration

Preferential flow quick flow (in matrix) slow flow (in matrix)

Spring Fall

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Opportunities – Remote Sensing

Largely an issue of characterization and representation

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

New Data Streams

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Wolf Creek Research Basin

Permafrost probability map

Lewkowicz & Ednie 2004, PPP

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Wolf Creek Research Basin

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

High frequency measurements

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Runoff (m3s-1)

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Specific Conductance ( s cm-1)

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7

Runoff (m3s-1)

500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000

FDOM

CDOM

  • 0.1

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

Runoff (m3s-1)

500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 CDOM Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

  • 0.1

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

Runoff (m3s-1)

500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 CDOM

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

General High Frequency Confusion

  • General clockwise ‘flush’
  • Seasonal trend show gradual shifts in

Q-SpC as flow paths decline atop frozen ground and as catchment dries

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

High frequency data streams

  • 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

Lloyd, C et al. 2016. .Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 20, 625–632.

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Event analysis - SpC Hysteresis Index Flushing Index

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Event analysis - CDOM

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Summary Indices

  • 1
  • 0.5

0.5 1

Storm Flushing Index

  • 1
  • 0.5

0.5 1

Storm Hysteresis Index Salinity

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Clockwise Diluting Anti-clockwise diluting Clockwise flushing Anti-clockwise flushing Clockwise Diluting Anti-clockwise diluting Clockwise flushing Anti-clockwise flushing

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Q (m3 s-1)

  • Q and SpC from July 1 to Sept 30

SpC (uS cm-1)

Diel signatures

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Diel signatures

Part II – Diel variation over time

Water Temp Discharge (Q) SpC DOC

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Diel signatures

  • Possible mechanisms of diel variability

Part II – Peak timing and lags

Normalized Q Normalized DOC Normalized Water Temp Normalized SpC

  • Water temp out of

phase means viscosity is not a driver

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stream temperature to understand groundwater

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Isotopes and the dark arts

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stable Isotopes

  • 30
  • 25
  • 20
  • 15
  • 10
  • 5

d18O

20 10 10 20 30

Frequency d18O Snow d18O Rain

  • 250 -225 -200 -175 -150 -125 -100
  • 75
  • 50

d2H

20 10 10 20 30

Frequency d2H Snow d2H Rain

⥤ LMWL similar to Calgary ⥤ Distribution of snow and rain

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

West Line and Dry Creek

N50˚02.016’ W114˚48.867'

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stable Isotopes

⥤ Dry Creek (reference) – little variation seasonally in streamflow signal

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stable Isotopes

⥤ Dry Creek (reference) – little variation seasonally in streamflow signal ⥤ West Line Creek (mine) – signal even more dampened, heavier

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stable Isotopes

⥤ Dry Creek (reference) – little variation seasonally in streamflow signal ⥤ West Line Creek (mine) – signal even more dampened, heavier ⥤ Signal more representative of snow, particularly at Dry Creek

Core figures provided by Lee Barbour, U of Saskatchewan

Reference Core Waste Rock Core

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stable Isotopes

⥤ Box percentiles of d18O from reference and mine-influenced watersheds ⥤ Greater distribution of isotopes commonly inferred as a proxy for decreased transit times and reduced storage

  • 20.5
  • 20.0
  • 19.5
  • 19.0
  • 18.5
  • 18.0
  • 17.5
  • 17.0

Range of 18O D r y C r e e k E W I N G r a c e K i l m a r n

  • c

k T

  • d

h u n t e r U p p e r N

  • r

t h T h

  • m

p s

  • n

W e s t L i n e C r e e k

Reference Mine

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Results – Context with other watersheds

Comparison of transit times with literature values from alpine watersheds Tetzlaff et al., (2009). Hydrological Processes, 23, 945-953

Reference Mine Influence

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Stable isotopes of water

  • VEWA – International inter-comparison project with common methodologies to

trace water and isotopes through the soil-plant-stream continuum.

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Isotope-aided models

STARR - Ala-aho et a. (2017)

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Isotope-aided models

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Isotope-aided models

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Watershed Hydrology Group McMaster University

Runoff Processes in Alpine Catchments: Challenges and Opportunities

Thank you!