Changes to streamflow variability observed in continuous permafrost watersheds in remote Arctic location
Abstract
Ongoing streamflow changes in four small to midsize watersheds underlain by continuous permafrost in Arctic Alaska are explored based on historic discharge measurements in Imnavait Creek (1985-2017), Upper Kuparuk River (1993-2017), Putuligayuk River (1999-2017), and Fish Creek (2009-2019). Streamflow response to snowmelt and rainfall in these watersheds is strongly affected by energy balance, active layer dynamics, and permafrost landforms. Our measurements highlight increased range of annual discharge variability; that is high annual discharges (Q) measured in recent decade were not present in earlier records. We observed that combination of precipitation changes coupled with permafrost dynamics triggered much wider Q range than previously measured. This change is especially pronounced at the Putuligayuk River and Fish Creek watersheds located on the Alaska Arctic Coastal Plain, where permafrost landforms such as reticulated-patterned ground, strangmoor ridges, pingos, thermokarst lakes and drained thermokarst lake basins strongly affect hydrologic connectivity and surface storage.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFM.C13E1364S
- Keywords:
-
- 0702 Permafrost;
- CRYOSPHERE;
- 0708 Thermokarst;
- CRYOSPHERE;
- 0768 Thermal regime;
- CRYOSPHERE;
- 0774 Dynamics;
- CRYOSPHERE