Particle size characteristics of suspended sediment transported in meltwater from the Gangotri Glacier, central Himalaya — An indicator of subglacial sediment evacuation

Haritashya, U. K.; Kumar, Amit; Singh, Pratap

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.06.006

Cited by 54 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…3) and their grain size distributions are typical of proglacial river sediments (Fig. 7), which are generally dominated by silt-size particles between 6 and 20 µm (Fenn and Gomez, 1989;Haritashya et al, 2010). This observation is in agreement with the present-day setting of Golfo Elefantes, where the sediment is supplied by the 8 km long proglacial Gualas river.…”

Section: Sedimentary Processessupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Under this scenario, the ice front would have retreated by ∼10 km during the last 900 yr. While this may appear as a large fluctuation, this interpretation is supported by historical (Fenn and Gomez, 1989;Haritashya et al, 2010). The distributions demonstrate that lithological units A (1500-1009 cm) and C (740-0 cm) are typical of proglacial sediments.…”

Section: Gualas Glacier Variability During the Last 5400 Yrmentioning

confidence: 78%

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Precipitation as the main driver of Neoglacial fluctuations of Gualas glacier, Northern Patagonian Icefield

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Glaciers are frequently used as indicators of climate change. However, the link between past glacier fluctuations and climate variability is still highly debated. Here, we investigate the mid-to late-Holocene fluctuations of Gualas Glacier, one of the northernmost outlet glaciers of the Northern Patagonian Icefield, using a multi-proxy sedimentological and geochemical analysis of a 15 m long fjord sediment core from Golfo Elefantes, Chile, and historical documents from early Spanish explorers. Our results show that the core can be sub-divided into three main lithological units that were deposited under very different hydrodynamic conditions. Between 5400 and 4180 cal yr BP and after 750 cal yr BP, sedimentation in Golfo Elefantes was characterized by the rapid deposition of fine silt, most likely transported by fluvio-glacial processes. By contrast, the sediment deposited between 4130 and 850 cal yr BP is composed of poorly sorted sand that is free of shells. This interval is particularly marked by high magnetic susceptibility values and Zr concentrations, and likely reflects a major advance of Gualas glacier towards Golfo Elefantes during the Neoglaciation. Several thin silt layers observed in the upper part of the core are interpreted as secondary fluctuations of Gualas glacier during the Little Ice Age, in agreement with historical and dendrochronological data. Our interpretation of the Golfo Elefantes glaciomarine sediment record in terms of fluctuations of Gualas glacier is in excellent agreement with the glacier chronology proposed for the Southern Patagonian Icefield, which is based on terrestrial (moraine) deposits. By comparing our results with independent proxy records of precipitation and sea surface temperature, we suggest that the fluctuations of Gualas glacier during the last 5400 yr were mainly driven by changes in precipitation in the North Patagonian Andes.

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Section: Sedimentary Processessupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Gualas Glacier Variability During the Last 5400 Yrmentioning

confidence: 78%

Precipitation as the main driver of Neoglacial fluctuations of Gualas glacier, Northern Patagonian Icefield

et al. 2012

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“…These difficulties are confounded by the fact that each individual ablation season can be markedly different (Hodgkins et al 2003;Jobard and Dzikowski 2006;Stott and Mount 2007;Cockbum and Lamoureux 2008;Haritashya et al 2010), and that sediment sources evolve through the ablation season (Hodson et al 1998;Swift et al 2002;Haritashya et al 2010). Walling (1978) suggests that 10 years of monitoring are required before the sediment transport system o f a catchment can be adequately characterized; however, Warburton (1990) comments that because o f the rapid rate of change and condensed frequency of geomorphic events in the proglacial zone, multi-year studies are subject to many of the same limitations.…”

Section: Proglacial Sediment Budget Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Glaciers store water during cool and/or wet periods and release water during warm and/or dry periods. Glaciers are powerful agents of erosion that abrade and fracture substrate, making it available for various erosion processes and transport downstream (Dirszowsky 2004;Haritashya et al 2010). The suspended sediment load o f glaciated rivers (1-90% ice covered watershed) is higher than the global average (Gumell et al 1996); this load can be even higher during deglaciation as a result o f elevated meltwater production and sediment availability (Gumell et al 1999;Menounos et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suspended sediment flux downstream of the retreating Castle Creek Glacier, Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia.

Leggat¹

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Hydro‐meteorological drivers and sources of suspended sediment flux in the pro‐glacial zone of the retreating Castle Creek Glacier, Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia, Canada

Leggat

Owens

Stott

et al. 2015

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Glaciers are a major erosive force that increase sediment load to the downstream fluvial system. The Castle Creek Glacier, British Columbia, Canada, has retreated ~1.0 km in the past 70 years.Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and streamflow (Q) were monitored independently at five sites within its proglacial zone over a 60 day period from July to September, 2011, representing part of the ablation season. Meteorological data were collected from two automatic weather stations proximal to the glacier. The time-series were divided into hydrologic days and the shape and magnitude of the SSC response to hydro-meteorological conditions ('cold and wet', 'hot and dry', 'warm and damp', and 'storm') were categorized using principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA). Suspended sediment load (SSL) was computed and summarized for the categories. The distribution of monitoring sites and results of the multivariate statistical analyses describe the temporal and spatial variability of suspended sediment flux and the relative importance of glacial and paraglacial sediment sources in the proglacial zone. During the 2011 study period, ~ 60% of the total SSL was derived from the glacial stream and sediment deposits proximal to the terminus of the glacier; during 'storm' events, that contribution dropped to ~40% as the contribution from diffuse and point sources of sediment throughout the proglacial zone and within the meltwater channels increased. While 'storm' events accounted for just 3% of the study period, SSL was ~600% higher than the average over the monitoring period, and ~20% of the total SSL was generated in that time. Determining how hydro-meteorological conditions and sediment sources control sediment fluxes will assist attempts to predict how proglacial zones respond to future climate changes.

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Particle size characteristics of suspended sediment transported in meltwater from the Gangotri Glacier, central Himalaya — An indicator of subglacial sediment evacuation

Cited by 54 publications

References 76 publications

Precipitation as the main driver of Neoglacial fluctuations of Gualas glacier, Northern Patagonian Icefield

Precipitation as the main driver of Neoglacial fluctuations of Gualas glacier, Northern Patagonian Icefield

Suspended sediment flux downstream of the retreating Castle Creek Glacier, Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia.

Hydro‐meteorological drivers and sources of suspended sediment flux in the pro‐glacial zone of the retreating Castle Creek Glacier, Cariboo Mountains, British Columbia, Canada

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