Spatial and temporal variations in snowmelt runoff chemistry, Northwest Territories, Canada
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In order to demonstrate the spatial and temporal variations in meltwater chemistry at both the lysimeter (0.25 m 2 ) and basin scale, field measurements of snowmelt were conducted in northern Canada. These observations show that microscale variations in flow volume are accompanied by variations in meltwater chemistry. For example, the solute concentrations were largest in areas with low flow, while the largest mass flux occurred in the areas with highest flow. The observed variations in both concentration and mass flux can be quantitatively described by the relationships described by Hibberd [1984). The field measurements clearly demonstrate that in order to estimate the average meltwater chemistry, it is necessary to sample the flow field at a scale similar to that required to average the lateral variations in meltwater volume. Variations in meltwater runoff chemistry also occur at the basin scale due to changes in snowcover depth and the resulting differences in the timing of meltwater release. For example, at this site, meltwater release occurs up to a week earlier from the shallow snow covers than for the deeper snow covers. It would be expected that this asynchronous meltwater runoff would result in a smoothing of the ionic pulse at the basin scale, with lower peak values and a more gradual decline in concentration when compared with meltwater at a point.Keywords:
Meltwater
Snowmelt
Lysimeter
Not withstanding the seasonal vagaries of both rainfall amount and snowcover extent, the Himalayan rivers retain their basic perennial character. However, it is the component of snowmelt yield that accounts for some 60 to 70 percent of the total annual flow volumes from Hamilayan watersheds. On this large hydropotential predominantly depends the temporal performance of hydropower generation and major irrigation projects. The large scale effects of Himalayan snowcover on the hydrologic responses of a few selected catchments in western Himalayas was studied. The antecedent effects of snowcover area on long and short term meltwater yields can best be analyzed by developing appropriate hydrologic models forecasting the pattern of snowmelt as a function of variations in snowcover area. It is hoped that these models would be of practical value in the management of water resources. The predictability of meltwater for the entire snowmelt season was studied, as was the concurrent flow variation in adjacent watersheds, and their hydrologic significance. And the applicability of the Snowmelt-Runoff Model for real time forecast of daily discharges during the major part of the snowmelt season is examined.
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Snowpack
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In order to investigate the quantitative and qualitative properties of leachate with different composition of MSW in solid waste landfill, three lysimeters filled with bottom ash only (Lysimeter A), bottom ash 70%+municipal solid waste 30% (Lysimeter B), and municipal solid waste only (Lysimeter C) respectively were operated under actual meteorological conditions. From the results, Lysimeter A and Lysimeter B were much higher than Lysimeter C in terms of cumulative generation rates of leachate. The pH in leachate from Lysimeter A are in the range of pH 9 to 11, however, the pH of the leachate was gradually changed to the neutral with time. In the case of CI?, leachates from Lysimeter A and B with bottom ash have high Cl? concentration whereas leachate produced from Lysimeter C has low Cl? concentration. In the Lysimeter C with municipal solid waste only, concentration of organic materials in the leachate was much higher than that of leachate produced from the other Lysimeters.
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Abstract The contribution of snow meltwater to catchment streamflow can be quantified through hydrograph separation analyses for which stable water isotopes (18O, 2H) are used as environmental tracers. For this, the spatial and temporal variability of the isotopic composition of meltwater needs to be captured by the sampling method. This study compares an optimized snowmelt lysimeter system and an unheated precipitation collector with focus on their ability to capture snowmelt rates and the isotopic composition of snowmelt. The snowmelt lysimeter system consists of three individual unenclosed lysimeters at ground level with a surface of 0.14 m2 each. The unheated precipitation collector consists of a 30 cm-long, extended funnel with its orifice at 2.3 m above ground. Daily snowmelt samples were collected with both systems during two snowfall-snowmelt periods in 2016. The snowmelt lysimeter system provided more accurate measurements of natural melt rates and allowed for capturing the small-scale variability of snowmelt process at the plot scale, such as lateral meltwater flow from the surrounding snowpack. Because of the restricted volume of the extended funnel, daily melt rates from the unheated precipitation collector were up to 43% smaller compared to the snowmelt lysimeter system. Overall, both snowmelt collection methods captured the general temporal evolution of the isotopic signature in snowmelt.
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Seasonal snowmelt water from mountainous areas is critical for water supply in arid regions. Snowmelt profoundly affects the parameterization of the Budyko framework, which describes the long-term relationship between precipitation and runoff. This is true in Xinjiang, a representative arid region in Northwest China. However, the effects of snowmelt water on the water balance in this region remain unclear. Based on observed runoff data in 64 catchments of Xinjiang during 2000–2010, we analyzed the effects of meltwater in the local water balance both spatially and temporally through the Budyko curve and redundancy analysis (RDA) methods, and then investigated the influences of changing meltwater on runoff. Inclusion of snowmelt water into the item of the water availability significantly improved the performance of the Budyko equation for predicting runoff. The results of RDA showed that snowmelt water, potential evaporation (PET), and rainfall combined explained 66% of the spatial variations in runoff, while the individual effects of snowmelt water, PET, and rainfall were 19%, 13%, and 1%, respectively, with the interactions among the three variables being 16%. These results suggest that the accelerating changes of meltwater due to climate warming will significantly alter the regimes of runoff in these regions.
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Snowmelt in early spring is one cause of slope failure and landslides in snowy regions. The infiltration of meltwater into a cut slope along an expressway plays a critical role in reducing resistance to sliding. Despite its significant impact on snowmelt-induced slope failure, snowmelt runoff process has not been addressed in most specifications. This paper examines the case of a recent cut slope failure in the Hokkaido Expressway in the snowmelt season, and describes how snow melts and how meltwater infiltrates the ground to destabilize the cut slope. Snowmelt runoff tests were conducted both inside and outside of the laboratory and these tests focused on the fact that when a small snow block melts, meltwater drips only from the lowest part of the block. As part of the tests, snow blocks were placed on two slopes made of sandy soil. While one slope was completely covered with snow blocks, the other slope was covered on the upper part. As the result of the tests in the former case, meltwater moved downslope and flowed out from the snow layer, leaving the soil slope in a sound condition. In the latter case, meltwater flowing out of the lowest part of the snow layer infiltrated into sandy soil, resulting in a failure. The paper discusses how snowmelt processes similar to those observed in the laboratory tests can be seen on natural slopes. Since the site of the expressway cut-slope failure is located at the lower end of a snow-covered area of an expressway cut slope, it can be inferred that phenomena similar to those observed in the laboratory occurred at the slope failure site.
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In order to investigate the concentration levels and chemodynamic behaviour of organic micropollutants and heavy metals in snowmelt runoff from urban sealed surfaces, meltwater was sampled from one street :and four different roof catchments. Apart from peak concentrations of suspended solids during short intense street runoff from rain, concentrations of suspended solids in snowmelt runoff are two to fivefold higher than in rain runoff. However, the specific metal concentrations in suspended solids of snowmelt (except Zn) are lower than in suspended solids of rainwater runoff. This partly compensates the higher concentration of suspended solids. There are no distinct differences in concentrations of heavy metals between rain and meltwater runoff willi the exception of dissolved Cd; its concentrations are increased when high concentrations of macro ions are present. We explain high concentrations of PAH with a molecular weight of 202 or less in snowmelt with longer equilibration times available during melting than during rain runoff. An enhancement of solubility by DOC seems to be likely. The physical and chemical properties of various roof surfaces greatly influence the temporal variation of PAH concentrations during snowmelt runoff.
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<p>Meltwater from seasonal snow provides a substantial amount of runoff to many of the rivers that originate in the high mountains of Asia, yet the importance of snow in the region as streamflow component, its changes over the past decades, and its sensitivity to future climatic changes are relatively unknown. To understand future changes in the water supply to the millions of people living downstream, a better understanding of snow dynamics at large scale is key. Using a novel snow model, forced by ERA5 climate reanalysis and calibrated by MODIS remote sensing observations, we generate daily snow water equivalent output at 0.05&#176; resolution covering all major river basins in Asia. We show that between 1979 and 2018 significant and spatially variable changes have occurred in snow meltwater availability and its timing, with melt peaks attenuating and/or advancing in time, and snowmelt seasons shortening. Additionally, our results reveal that snowmelt is a much more important contributor to streamflow than glacier melt in many of Asia's large river basins. In a bottom-up elasticity analysis we project strong changes in snowmelt in the future under changing temperature and precipitation. Sensitivity of snowmelt to climate change varies among basins, however, and actual losses are strongly dependent on the degree of future climate change. Limiting climate change in the current century is therefore crucial in order to sustain the role of seasonal snow packs in Asia&#8217;s water supply.</p>
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The pathways and mass balance of selected pollutants, released during the snowmelt process, were investigated for urban bulk snow placed in small, intermediate, and large-scale lysimeters. The results showed that low percentages of TSS (total suspended solids) and heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Pb) loads contained in snow were transported with snowmelt, the rest remained in situ with the particulate residue. The TSS loads transported with snowmelt were 3, 3.4, and 4.8% of the initial TSS mass in the small, intermediate and large lysimeters, respectively. Particulate heavy metal loads transported with snowmelt, during the whole melting process, were measured in the intermediate lysimeter for copper and zinc, and for lead in the large lysimeter. The measured mass loads in snowmelt leaving the intermediate lysimeter were 7.5 and 7.2% for copper and zinc, respectively, and 1.7% for lead leaving the large lysimeter. The remainder of the loads stayed in situ with the particulate residue. The loads transported with snowmelt were independent of the initial TSS and metal concentrations in bulk snow. These findings have implications for siting and operating snow disposal facilities; most of the initial TSS and particulate heavy metal loads can be retained on site, rather than released with snowmelt into the receiving environments.
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