Hydrology of hillslope‐wetland streams, Polar Bear Pass, Nunavut, Canada

Young, Kathy L.; Assini, Jane; Abnizova, Anna; Miranda, Nelson De

doi:10.1002/hyp.7751

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(104 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A Leica Geosystems total survey station was used to map water wells and estimate the elevation of their tops (±5 mm). Elevations of both water and frost tables are reported in metres above an arbitrary datum (Young et al, ). Equation can be applied if the Dupuit–Farchleimer approximation of horizontal flow is achieved (Chin, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Normally this term is not determined separately, but is often lumped in with the storage term (Δ S ) instead (e.g. Kane and Hinzman, ; Young et al, ). The storage term unfortunately incorporates the measurement error, which can include problems with instrumentation, note‐taking and precipitation measurements, including logistical restraints, i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Manual rain gauges (±1 mm) were used to supplement and verify rainfall estimates at the main weather stations. Details about instrumentation at this weather station and a main plateau site near the PBP cabin, including estimates of radiation, temperature, relative humidity, ground heat flux and wind speed/direction, are detailed by Young and Labine () and Young et al (, ). Methods used to track the melt rate and the retreat of the late‐lying snowbed adjacent to the wet meadow study area are given by Young et al ().…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evaporation (including transpiration) for the wet meadow area was estimated hourly using the Priestley–Taylor approach, with α = 1.26 (Young et al, ). Hourly estimates were summed to arrive at daily totals.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater flow across a wet meadow, Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst island, Nunavut

Young

Scheffel

Abnizova

et al. 2016

Permafrost and Periglac. Process.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Interest is growing about how groundwater supplies will shift in warming northern terrains. We evaluated the seasonal and spatial pattern of groundwater flow in a wet meadow bordered by a late‐lying snowbed and tundra ponds at Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island (75.7°N, 98.7°W). A water budget approach signalled the relative importance of groundwater inflow to tundra ponds. Groundwater flow across the wet meadow was estimated using a modified Darcy's equation, which requires information on both water and frost tables, and hydraulic conductivity. These data were obtained from 2007 to 2009 along a series of water wells extending from a late‐lying snowbed across the wet meadow to a nearby study pond. Groundwater fluxes across the wet meadow were limited in magnitude and duration in a warm/dry year (2007), when the late‐lying snowbed was the main external water source, a response differing from rainy/cool years (2008 and 2009). Overall, seasonal water budgets indicate that groundwater fluxes were minimal in the wet meadow and an adjacent tundra pond. Late‐lying snowbeds play a limited role in sustaining wet meadows and ponds here. Summer precipitation and evaporation continue to drive wet meadow and tundra pond hydrological response in low‐gradient wetlands, especially in the post‐snowmelt season. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater flow across a wet meadow, Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst island, Nunavut

Young

Scheffel

Abnizova

et al. 2016

Permafrost and Periglac. Process.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Polar Bear Pass (PBP) is an extensive (~100 km 2 ) low‐gradient wetland and surrounding low‐rolling hills in the middle of Bathurst Island, Nunavut. Previous research has been conducted with respect to the geology and the biology of the region (Danks, ; Edlund, ), and recent attention has been focussed on its summer climatology (Young and Labine, ) and seasonal hydrology (Young et al ., ). A significant gap still remains with respect to its snowmelt patterns and processes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snowmelt variability in Polar Bear Pass, Nunavut, Canada, from QuikSCAT: 2000–2009

Howell

Assini

Young

et al. 2012

Hydrological Processes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:Snowmelt onset and end date estimates are made from QuikSCAT scatterometer measurements in the Canadian High Arctic wetland of Polar Bear Pass (PBP) and the surrounding region of Bathurst Island, Nunavut. In situ data within PBP is used to validate QuikSCAT snowmelt onset/end date estimates. Results indicate that within PBP from 2000 to 2009, the mean snowmelt onset date was Year Day (YD) 162, the mean snowmelt end date was YD179, and the mean snowmelt duration was 17 days. More interannual variability was apparent in snowmelt end date and duration compared with onset, and only snowmelt end date was significantly correlated with mean June air temperature at À0.78. Cooler air temperatures in 2004 contributed to a long snowmelt duration of 24 days, and the very short snowmelt duration in 2007 of just 11 days was caused by rapid and sustained increases in air temperature. For snowmelt end date and duration the mean spatial pattern revealed two centres of later snowmelt end date/longer snowmelt duration over Bathurst Island. They were separated by early snowmelt end date/short snowmelt duration in PBP. These patterns are in agreement with the spatial distribution of mean May to July air temperature over Bathurst Island and are likely influenced by the local-scale topography of Bathurst Island. Given the correlation between air temperature and snowmelt end date, we might expect quicker snowmelt under increased warming. The latter process may have implications for the sustainability of the PBP wetland under a warmer climate. INTRODUCTIONThe Canadian High Arctic landscape during the summer is characterised by low precipitation levels and sparse vegetation growth (Edlund and Alt, 1989). In some localised areas, a surplus of water can occur, and in combination with limited drainage of a shallow active layer, wetlands can develop (e.g. Young and Woo, 2000;Woo and Young, 2006;Abnizova and Young, 2010). These wetlands are generally areas of high productivity and vegetation growth, in stark contrast to most of the surrounding region, which is barren with only limited plant cover. Most wetlands in the Canadian High Arctic are small, patchy vegetated zones, but occasionally larger wetlands occur, and all of them can be considered critical ecological environments. These ecosystems provide nutrients, encouraging plant growth that in turn provides grazing grounds and breeding habitat for migratory birds, caribou and muskox and other mammals. The sustainability of these wetlands throughout the growing season depends on an adequate water supply to ensure that a high water table is maintained. Water inflow may come from a variety of sources such as precipitation, lateral inflow from ground ice melt, meltwater from late-lying snowbeds, streamflow and/or spillage of water from other water bodies such as nearby ponds and lakes. The largest supply of water into these wetland environments, however, is from seasonal snowmelt (Woo and Guan, 2006;Woo and Young, 2006). Recently, Brown et al. (2010) reported an increasing trend tow...

show abstract

Recent Extreme Runoff Observations From Coastal Arctic Watersheds in Alaska

Stuefer

Arp

Kane

et al. 2017

Water Resources Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Arctic coastal watersheds, though rarely monitored, are expected to have increased runoff, as climate models predict more precipitation in the Arctic. This study provides a synthesis of streamflow changes in watersheds of the Alaska Arctic Coastal Plain (AACP) based on available historic discharge data and water balance analysis. A comparison of annual runoff from the Putuligayuk River watershed (471 km2) from the period 1970–1986 (78 ± 24.1 mm/yr) to the period 1999–2015 (122 ± 49.6 mm/yr) shows increasing discharge and interannual variability. From this discontinuous record of 32 years, the three lowest runoff years occurred in 1979, 2007, and 2008, and the three highest runoff years occurred in 2003, 2014, and 2015. Other studied AACP watersheds with shorter discharge records demonstrate similar patterns of dry (2007–2008) and wet (2014–2015) years during common periods of observation. A combination of favorable antecedent surface storage conditions and above‐average precipitation is required to generate large volumes of surface runoff. A strong relationship between climate, surface storage, and runoff inherent to AACP watersheds makes these systems highly responsive to sea ice retreat and hydrological intensification. Our new estimates of freshwater flux from the AACP to the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea account for an observed range of runoff variability and provide baseline data for modeling arctic hydrologic systems.

show abstract

Hydrology of hillslope‐wetland streams, Polar Bear Pass, Nunavut, Canada

Cited by 17 publications

References 60 publications

Spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater flow across a wet meadow, Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst island, Nunavut

Spatial and temporal dynamics of groundwater flow across a wet meadow, Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst island, Nunavut

Snowmelt variability in Polar Bear Pass, Nunavut, Canada, from QuikSCAT: 2000–2009

Recent Extreme Runoff Observations From Coastal Arctic Watersheds in Alaska

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About