A Changing Hydrological Regime: Trends in Magnitude and Timing of Glacier Ice Melt and Glacier Runoff in a High Latitude Coastal Watershed

Young, J. M.; Pettit, E. C.; Arendt, A. A.; Hood, Eran; Liston, Glen E.; Beamer, J. P.

doi:10.1029/2020wr027404

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 116 publications

(299 reference statements)

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“…as observed in Alaska (Hugonnet et al, 2021;Young et al, 2021). Poleward expansions were comparable between the three types of vegetation, with rates up to 20.8 km decade −1 .…”

Section: Biomesupporting

confidence: 58%

Major Expansion of Marine Forests in a Warmer Arctic

et al. 2022

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Accelerating warming and associated loss of sea ice are expected to promote the expansion of coastal marine forests (macrophytes) along the massive Arctic coastlines. Yet, this region has received much less attention compared to other global oceans. The available future projections of Arctic macrophytes are still limited to few species and regions, and mostly focused at lower latitude ranges, thus precluding well-informed IPCC impact assessments, conservation and management. Here we aim to quantify potential distributional changes of Arctic intertidal and subtidal brown macroalgae and eelgrass by the year 2100, relative to present. We estimate habitat suitability by means of species distribution modeling, considering changes in seawater temperature, salinity, nutrients and sea ice cover under two greenhouse gas emission scenarios, one consistent with the Paris Agreement (RCP 2.6) and the other representing limited mitigation strategies (RCP 8.5). As data on substrate conditions do not exist, the models were restricted to the depth range supporting Arctic macrophytes (down to 5 m for eelgrass and 30 m for brown macroalgae). Models projected major expansions of Arctic macrophytes between 69,940 and 123,360 km2, depending on the climate scenario, with polar distribution limits shifting northwards by up to 1.5 latitude degrees at 21.81 km per decade. Such expansions in response to changing climate will likely elicit major changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functions in the future Arctic. Expansions are, however, less intense than those already realized over the past century, indicating an overall slowing down despite accelerated warming as habitats become increasingly occupied.

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“…as observed in Alaska (Hugonnet et al, 2021;Young et al, 2021). Poleward expansions were comparable between the three types of vegetation, with rates up to 20.8 km decade −1 .…”

Section: Biomesupporting

confidence: 58%

Major Expansion of Marine Forests in a Warmer Arctic

et al. 2022

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“…Generally, the specific discharge in heavily glacierized watersheds was greater than those of non‐glacierized watersheds, which is consistent with other temperate glacierized watersheds (e.g., Fleming, 2005). Based on regional glacier mass balance studies and modeling, most of the glaciers within the KB and LC region are losing mass leading to increased freshwater yields to coastal environments (Deb et al., 2015; Larsen et al., 2015; Neal et al., 2010; Radić et al., 2014; Valentin et al., 2018; Yang et al., 2020; Young et al., 2021). As glaciers recede different runoff regimes will emerge altering the timing of freshwater inputs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, within Southeast Alaska stream discharge has yet to reach peak water from glacier melt (Young et al., 2021). As watersheds lose glacial ice they evolve and develop vegetative cover and soils and increase storage of organic carbon (Buma & Barrett, 2015; Chandler, 1943).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydroclimate Drives Seasonal Riverine Export Across a Gradient of Glacierized High‐Latitude Coastal Catchments

Jenckes

Munk

Ibarra

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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“…This supports previous research across a similar gradient in glacier coverage (0%–48%) that suggested the impact of glacier‐derived sediment on POC bio burial should peak at intermediate catchment glacierization since sediment production and export decrease with lower glacier coverage but the production of POC bio increases as soil carbon stocks develop following glacier loss (Hood et al., 2020). Since glacial loss decreases summertime runoff over the long term (O'Neel et al., 2015; Young et al., 2021), future glacier shrinkage in the coastal mountain watersheds that ring the Gulf of Alaska may eventually lower POC bio concentration and export (a function of concentration and discharge) to coastal waters during the main glacial runoff season.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Glacier Erosion in Riverine Particulate Organic Carbon Export

Behnke,

Fellman,

Nagorski

et al. 2023

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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Biospheric particulate organic carbon (POCbio) burial and rock petrogenic particulate organic carbon (POCpetro) oxidation are opposing long‐term controls on the global carbon cycle, sequestering and releasing carbon, respectively. Here, we examine how watershed glacierization impacts the POC source by assessing the concentration and isotopic composition (δ13C and Δ14C) of POC exported from four watersheds with 0%–49% glacier coverage across a melt season in Southeast Alaska. We used two mixing models (age‐weight percent and dual carbon isotope) to calculate concentrations of POCbio and POCpetro within the bulk POC pool. The fraction POCpetro contribution was highest in the heavily glacierized watershed (age‐weight percent: 0.39 ± 0.05; dual isotope: 0.42 (0.37–0.47)), demonstrating a glacial source of POCpetro to fjords. POCpetro was mobilized via glacier melt and subglacial flow, while POCbio was largely flushed from the non‐glacierized landscape by rain. Flow normalized POCbio concentrations exceeded POCpetro concentrations for all streams, but surprisingly were highest in the heavily glacierized watershed (mean: 0.70 mgL−1; range 0.16–1.41 mgL−1), suggesting that glacier rivers can contribute substantial POCbio to coastal waters. Further, the most heavily glacierized watershed had the highest sediment concentration (207 mgL−1; 7–708 mgL−1), and thus may facilitate long‐term POCbio protection via sediment burial in glacier‐dominated fjords. Our results suggest that continuing glacial retreat will decrease POC concentrations and increase POCbio:POCpetro exported from currently glacierized watersheds. Glacier retreat may thus decrease carbon storage in marine sediments and provide a positive feedback mechanism to climate change that is sensitive to future changes in POCpetro oxidation.

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A Changing Hydrological Regime: Trends in Magnitude and Timing of Glacier Ice Melt and Glacier Runoff in a High Latitude Coastal Watershed

Cited by 11 publications

References 116 publications

Major Expansion of Marine Forests in a Warmer Arctic

Major Expansion of Marine Forests in a Warmer Arctic

Hydroclimate Drives Seasonal Riverine Export Across a Gradient of Glacierized High‐Latitude Coastal Catchments

The Role of Glacier Erosion in Riverine Particulate Organic Carbon Export

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