Journal article

Identification of glacial meltwater runoff in a karstic environment and its implication for present and future water availability

  • Finger, D. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland - Institute of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland
  • Hugentobler, A. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Huss, Matthias Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
  • Voinesco, A. Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Institute of Geography, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland
  • Wernli, Heini Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Fischer, D. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Weber, E. Swiss Institute of Speleology and Karst-Research, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
  • Jeannin, Pierre-Yves Swiss Institute of Speleology and Karst-Research, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
  • Kauzlaric, M. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Wirz, A. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Vennemann, T. Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
  • Hüsler, F. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Schädler, B. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
  • Weingartner, R. Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland
Show more…
    20.08.2013
Published in:
  • Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.. - 2013, vol. 17, no. 8, p. 3261–3277
English Glaciers all over the world are expected to continue to retreat due to the global warming throughout the 21st century. Consequently, future seasonal water availability might become scarce once glacier areas have declined below a certain threshold affecting future water management strategies. Particular attention should be paid to glaciers located in a karstic environment, as parts of the meltwater can be drained by underlying karst systems, making it difficult to assess water availability. In this study tracer experiments, karst modeling and glacier melt modeling are combined in order to identify flow paths in a high alpine, glacierized, karstic environment (Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland) and to investigate current and predict future downstream water availability. Flow paths through the karst underground were determined with natural and fluorescent tracers. Subsequently, geologic information and the findings from tracer experiments were assembled in a karst model. Finally, glacier melt projections driven with a climate scenario were performed to discuss future water availability in the area surrounding the glacier. The results suggest that during late summer glacier meltwater is rapidly drained through well-developed channels at the glacier bottom to the north of the glacier, while during low flow season meltwater enters into the karst and is drained to the south. Climate change projections with the glacier melt model reveal that by the end of the century glacier melt will be significantly reduced in the summer, jeopardizing water availability in glacier-fed karst springs.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Géosciences
Language
  • English
Classification
Hydrology
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/303212
Statistics

Document views: 45 File downloads:
  • huss_igm.pdf: 65