Characterization of suspended sediment in Meltwater from Glaciers of Garhwal Himalaya

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Stable isotopic composition of precipitation as preserved in continental proxy climate archives (e.g., ice cores, lacustrine sediments, tree rings, groundwater, and organic matter) can sensitively record fluctuations in local meteorological variables. These are important natural climatic tracers to understand the atmospheric circulation patterns and hydrological cycle and to reconstruct past climate from archives. Precipitation was collected at Dokriani Glacier to understand the response of glaciers to climate change in the Garhwal Central Himalaya, Upper Ganga Basin. The local meteoric water line deviates from the global meteoric water line and is useful for the identification of moisture source in the region. The data suggest different clusters of isotopic signals, that is, summer (June–September) and winter (November–April); the mean values of δ18O, δD, and d ‰ during summer are −13.03‰, −84.49‰, and 19.78 ‰, respectively, whereas during winter, the mean values of δ18O, δD, and d ‰ are −7.59‰, −36.28‰, and 24.46 ‰, respectively. Backward wind trajectory analysis ascertains that the major source of precipitation during summer is from the Indian Summer Monsoon and during winter from the westerlies. Regression analysis has been carried out in order to establish interrelationship between the precipitation isotopic signatures and meteorological variables such as air temperature, relative humidity, and precipitation. Temperature and precipitation have good correlation with the isotopic signatures of precipitation with R2 values >.5, suggesting that both temperature and amount effects prevail in the study region. Multiple regression analysis found strong relationships for both the seasons. The relationship of deuterium excess with δ18O, relative humidity, and precipitation are significant for the winter season. No significant relationships of deuterium excess were found with other meteorological variables such as temperature and radiation. The correlation and regression analysis performed are significant and valuable for interpretation of processes in the hydrological cycle as well as for interpretation of palaeoclimate records from the region.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Collection Of Meteorological Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydroclimatic significance of stable isotopes in precipitation from glaciers of Garhwal Himalaya, Upper Ganga Basin (UGB), India

Verma

Kumar

Gupta

et al. 2018

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“…From the previous investigations, the shape of the Discharge–SSC hysteresis loop presents different kinds of patterns (i.e. linear, clockwise, counter‐clockwise and digit‐eight) depending on the mechanisms underlying sediment transport processes (Kumar et al ., ; Singh et al ., ; Srivastava et al ., ; Sun et al ., ). From Singh et al .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Srivastava et al . () collected suspended sediment data near the snout of the Dunagiri glacier at an elevation of 4250 m a.s.l, with a length of 5.5 km and an area of 17.9 km 2 , at a time interval of 4 h for the entire ablation season. Assuming a reasonable flow velocity of 2 m/s, the water needed less than 1 h to run from the furthest end to the outlet of the watershed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discharge‐sediment processes of the Zhadang glacier on the Tibetan Plateau measured with a high frequency data acquisition system

Chen

Qiangguo

Sun

et al. 2016

In high elevation cold regions of the Tibetan Plateau, suspended sediment transfer from glacier meltwater erosion is one of the important hydrological components. The Zhadang glacier is a typical valley-type glacier in the Nyainqentanglha Mountains on the Tibetan Plateau. To make frequent and long period records of meltwater runoff and sediment processes in the very high elevation and isolated regions, an automatic system was installed near the glacier snout (5400 m a.s.l) in August 2013, to measure the transient discharge and sediment processes at 5-min interval, which is shorter than the time span for the water flow to traverse the catchment from the farthest end to the watershed outlet. Diurnal variations of discharge, and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were recorded at high frequency for the Zhadang glacier, before suspended sediment load (SSL) was computed. Hourly SSC varied from the range of 0.2 kg/m 3 to 0.5 kg/m 3 (at 8:00-9:00) to the range of 2.0 kg/m 3 to 4.0 kg/m 3 (at 17:00-18:00). The daily SSL was 32.24 t during the intense ablation period. Hourly SSC was linearly correlated with discharge (r = 0.885**, n = 18, p < 0.01). A digit-eight hysteresis loop was observed for the sediment transport in the glacier area. Air temperature fluctuations influence discharge, and then result in the sediment variations. The results of this study provide insight into the responses of suspended sediment delivery processes with a high frequency data in the high elevation cold regions.

Proglacial river sediment fluxes in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Mingyong Glacier in the Upper Mekong River

Zhang

Hsia

et al. 2022

Glacial and proglacial erosion are important sediment sources in river basins. The retreat of many glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau has important implications on the supply of fresh water and sediment dynamics for downstream river basins. Despite the importance of water and sediment dynamics at these catchments, existing quantification of suspended sediment fluxes from glacial catchments on the Tibetan Plateau is limited due to poor accessibility and challenging environments. This study presents the results of in-situ investigations of water discharge and suspended sediment fluxes from the Mingyong Glacier catchment in Yunnan, Southwest China, between August 2013 and July 2017. The results show that the variation in water discharge and suspended sediment was highly seasonal. The variation of average suspended sediment concentration was large-69 ± 45; 119 ± 104; and 94 ± 97 mg/L in 2013, 2015, and 2016, respectively. We estimate that the sediment yield from the Mingyong catchment was highly variable ranging from 1104 t/km 2 /year in 2013 to 2281 t/km 2 /year in 2016, with 65%-78% of the total annual sediment load occurring during the summer (June to August). These annual variations in sediment yield can be attributed largely to precipitation patterns and extreme melting events. This study has provided a benchmark dataset that can be used for further works that investigate the impact of climate change on sediment dynamics in glacierized catchments in the Tibetan Plateau. Subsequently, the study helps us to better understand the increasing sediment supply to the Upper Mekong River from glacierized headwater catchments.