Controls on englacial sediment deposition during the November 1996 jökulhlaup,Skeiđarárjökull,Iceland

This paper presents sedimentary evidence for rapid englacial debris entrainment during jökulhlaups. Previous studies of jökulhlaup sedimentology have focused predominantly on proglacial impact, rather than depositional processes within glaciers. However, observations of supraglacial floodwater outbursts suggest that englacial sediment emplacement is possible during jökulhlaups. The November 1996 jökulhlaup from Skei?arárjökull, Iceland presented one of the first opportunities to examine englacial flood deposits in relation to former supraglacial outlets. Using observations from Skei?arárjökull, this paper identifies and explains controls on the deposition of englacial flood sediments and presents a qualitative model for englacial jökulhlaup deposition. Englacial jökulhlaup deposits were contained within complex networks of upglacier‐dipping fractures. Simultaneous englacial deposition of fines and boulder‐sized sediment demonstrates that englacial fracture discharge had a high transport capacity. Fracture geometry was an important control on the architecture of englacial jökulhlaup deposits. The occurrence of pervasively frozen flood deposits within Skei?arárjökull is attributed to freeze‐on by glaciohydraulic supercooling. Floodwater, flowing subglacially or through upglacier‐dipping fractures, would have supercooled as it was raised to the surface faster than its pressure‐melting point could increase as glaciostatic pressure decreased. Evidence for floodwater contact with the glacier bed is supported by the ubiquitous occurrence of sheared diamict rip‐ups and intra‐clasts of basal ice within jökulhlaup fractures, deposited englacially some 200–350 m above the bed of Skei?arárjökull. Evidence for fluidal supercooled sediment accretion is apparent within stratified sands, deposited englacially at exceptionally high angles of rest in the absence of post‐depositional disturbance. Such primary sediment structures cannot be explained unless sediment is progressively accreted to opposing fracture walls. Ice retreat from areas of former supraglacial outbursts revealed distinct ridges characterized by localized upwellings of sediment‐rich floodwater. These deposits are an important addition to current models of englacial sedimentation and demonstrate the potential for post‐jökulhlaup landform development. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ice fracturing during jökulhlaups: implications for englacial floodwater routing and outlet development

Theoretical studies of glacial outburst floods (jökulhlaups) assume that: (i) intraglacial floodwater is transported efficiently in isolated conduits; (ii) intraglacial conduit enlargement operates proportionally to increasing discharge; (iii) floodwater exits glaciers through pre‐existing ice‐marginal outlets; and (iv) the morphology and positioning of outlets remains fixed during flooding. Direct field observations, together with historical jökulhlaup accounts, confirm that these theoretical assumptions are not always correct. This paper presents new evidence for spatial and temporal changes in intraglacial floodwater routing during jökulhlaups; secondly, it identifies and explains the mechanisms controlling the position and morphology of supraglacial jökulhlaup outlets; and finally, it presents a conceptual model of the controls on supraglacial outbursts. Field observations are presented from two Icelandic glaciers, Skeiðarárjökull and Sólheimajökull. Video footage and aerial photographs, taken before, during and after the Skeiðarárjökull jökulhlaup and immediately after the Sólheimajökull jökulhlaup, reveal changes in floodwater routing and the positioning and morphology of outlets. Field observations confirm that glaciers cannot transmit floodwater as efficiently as previously assumed. Rapid increases in jökulhlaup discharge generate basal hydraulic pressures in excess of ice overburden. Under these circumstances, floodwater can be forced through the surface of glaciers, leading to the development of a range of supraglacial outlets. The rate of increase in hydraulic pressure strongly influences the type of supraglacial outlet that can develop. Steady increases in basal hydraulic pressure can retro‐feed pre‐existing englacial drainage, whereas transient increases in pressure can generate hydraulic fracturing. The position and morphology of supraglacial outlets provide important controls on the spatial and temporal impact of flooding. The development of supraglacial jökulhlaup outlets provides a new mechanism for rapid englacial debris entrainment. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pro‐glacial lake sedimentation from jökulhlaups (GLOF), Blåmannsisen,northern Norway

Outburst floods from glacier‐dammed lakes are major events associated with glacier thinning and volume reduction. This paper investigates jökulhlaups emanating from the glacier‐dammed lake Øvre Messingmalmvatn at Rundvassbreen, an outlet glacier of the Blåmannsisen ice cap in northern Norway. Since 2001, the lake has several times been observed to drain suddenly, causing jökulhlaup outbursts into the pro‐glacial lake Rundvatnet. Varve analysis and lead‐210 (²¹⁰Pb) dating were used to date sediment cores taken from Rundvatnet. It was found that sedimentation from jökulhlaups is recognizable in the lake as distinct sand layers embedded in the varved silt‐clay sequence which represents the normal lake sedimentation. Sand fractions were carried in suspension because of the extreme hydraulic conditions of jökulhlaups. The thickest sand layer was deposited during the 2001 jökulhlaup which lasted three days and had a total volume of 40 ×10⁶ m³. Jökulhlaups were also recorded in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010; they each resulted in a sand layer. Annual sediment accumulation in Rundvatnet increased up to 10‐fold during the years with jökulhlaup outburst floods, from a normal value of 1–2 mm yr^?1 to 8–10 mm yr^?1. Five other jökulhlaups were identified from the 1910–1930 sedimentation interval, in addition to those observed in 2001–2010; there appear to have been none for 70 years during 1931–2000. Each jökulhlaup was preceded by a period when the glacier thinned to a critical volume and could no longer withstand the hydrostatic pressure of Øvre Messingmalmvatn; consequently a tunnel developed beneath the glacier, leading to a jökulhlaup. Statistical analyses of the correlations between the pro‐glacial sedimentation rate and temperature and precipitation suggested that although climate conditions are expected to influence sedimentation in the pro‐glacial catchment, a host of other interacting factors moderate the availability and delivery of sediment to the pro‐glacial system, making the processes responsible for changes in pro‐glacial sedimentation to remain uncertain. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Turbidity and suspended sediment dynamics in small catchments in the Nepal Middle Hills

The Himalayan environment has, until recently, been perceived to be in a critical state of environmental decline, resulting from rapid population growth and associated land‐use change. Recent research, however, has emphasized the difficulty of developing an objective appraisal of the state of the environment in a region where empirical data are scarce and unstructured and where an understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of natural environmental processes remains highly uncertain. This paper presents results from an intensive three‐year project designed to help address the regional empirical deficit, establish detailed baseline environmental data and to gain an insight into storm period and seasonal suspended sediment dynamics. The instrumentation, calibration and analysis of high‐frequency infrared turbidimetric records from a number of small subcatchments in the Nepal Middle Hills are reported. Storm period and seasonal variation in turbidity and suspended sediment are examined and hysteresis patterns explored and explained. A variety of methods to estimate seasonal suspended sediment yield in a mixed land‐use catchment are examined, and found to vary by up to a factor of five. Despite the inherent uncertainty, all estimates of catchment sediment yield are found to be high with respect to erosion plot studies from the local area, and this suggests the importance of riparian and channel erosion as major sediment sources, a finding consistent with other regional studies. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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

Glaciers are major agents of erosion 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 pro‐glacial 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 para‐glacial sediment sources in the pro‐glacial 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 pro‐glacial 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 pro‐glacial zones respond to future climate changes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geomorphological impact and morphodynamic effects on flow conveyance of the 1999 jökulhlaup at sólheimajökull,Iceland

The 1999 jökulhlaup at Sólheimajökull was the first major flood to be routed through the proglacial system in over 600 years. This study reconstructed the flood using hydrodynamic, sediment transport and morphodynamic numerical modelling informed by field surveys, aerial photograph and digital elevation model analysis. Total modelled sediment transport was 469 800 m³ (+/‐ 20%). Maximum erosion of 8.2 m occurred along the ice margin. Modelled net landscape change was –86 400 m³ (+/‐ 40%) resulting from –275 400 m³ (+/‐ 20%) proglacial erosion and 194 400 m³ (+/‐ 20%) proglacial deposition. Peak erosion rate and peak deposition rate were 650 m³ s^‐1 (+/‐ 20%) and 595 m³ s^‐1 (+/‐ 20%), respectively, and coincided with peak discharge of water at 1.5 h after flood initiation. The pattern of bed elevation change during the rising limb suggested widespread activation of the bed, whereas more organisation, perhaps primitive bedform development, occurred during the falling limb. Contrary to simplistic conceptual models, deposition occurred on the rising stage and erosion occurred on the falling limb. Comparison of the morphodynamic results with a hydrodynamic simulation illustrated effects of sediment transport and bed elevation change on flow conveyance. The morphodynamic model advanced flood arrival and peak discharge timings by 100% and 19%, respectively. However, peak flow depth and peak flow velocity were not significantly affected. We suggest that morphodynamic processes not only increase flow mass and momentum but that they also introduce a feedback process whereby flood conveyance becomes more efficient via erosion of minor bed protrusions and deposition that infills or subdues minor bed hollows. A major implication of this study is that reconstructions of outburst floods that ignore sediment transport, such as those used in interpretation of long‐term hydrological record and flood risk assessments, may need considerable refinement. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Discharge and suspended sediment transport in the Ayeyarwady River,Myanmar: centennial and decadal changes

Among the large rivers rising on the Tibetan Plateau and adjacent high mountains, the discharge and suspended sediment load of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River are the least well known. Data collected between 1969 and 1996 at Pyay (Prome) are analysed to provide the best available modern estimate of discharge (379 ± 47 × 10⁹ m³/year) and suspended sediment load (325 ± 57 × 10⁶ t/year) for the river upstream of the delta head. A statistical comparison with data collected in the nineteenth century (1871 to 1879) shows discharge has significantly decreased in the last ～100 years. Regression and correlation analyses between discharge in the modern period and indices of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) show a relationship. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controls on the location,morphology and evolution of complex esker systems at decadal timescales,Breiðamerkurjökull,southeast Iceland

This paper uses detailed mapping of eskers to address three questions which are important for reconstructing meltwater behaviour beneath contemporary and ancient ice masses: ‘What controls the morphology of simple and complex esker systems?’, ‘How do esker systems evolve through time?’ and ‘Are esker patterns compatible with groundwater controlled hydraulic spacing of esker tunnels?’. Esker crestlines and widths are mapped on the Breiðamerkurjökull foreland for eight time slices between 1945 and 2007, from high resolution (~50 cm) aerial photography, permitting their long‐term morphological evolution to be analysed in a high level of detail. We find that complex eskers develop where meltwater and sediment is abundant, such that sediment clogs channels, forming distributary eskers. Isolated eskers are simpler and smaller and reflect less abundant meltwater and sediment, which is unable to clog channels. Eskers may take several decades to emerge from outwash deposits containing buried ice and can increase or decrease in size when ice surrounding and underlying them melts out. It has been suggested that groundwater–channel coupling dictates the spacing between eskers at Breiðamerkurjökull. Our results do not dispute this, but suggest that the routing of sediment and meltwater through medial moraines is an additional important control on esker location and spacing. These results may be used to better understand the processes surrounding esker formation in a variety of geographical settings, enabling a more detailed understanding of the operation of meltwater drainage systems in sub‐marginal zones beneath glaciers and ice sheets. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short‐term discharge and suspended sediment fluctuations in the proglacial Skeldal River,north‐east Greenland

The summer discharge pattern of the Skeldal River, which drains a 560 km² partly glacierized catchment in north‐east Greenland, is dominated by diurnal oscillations reflecting variations in the melt rate of snow and ice in the basin. Superimposed on this diurnal pattern are numerous short‐lived discharge fluctuations of irregular periodicity and magnitude. The larger fluctuations are described and attributed to both rainfall events and periodic collapse of the glacier margin damming flow from beneath the Skelbrae glacier. Other minor fluctuations are less readily explained but are associated with changes in the channelized and distributed reservoirs and possibly temporary blockage of subglacial conduits caused by ice melt with subsequent damming. Fluctuations in suspended sediment concentration (SSC) are normally associated with discharge fluctuations, although examples of ‘transient flushes’ were observed where marked increases in SSC occurred in the absence of corresponding discharge variations. A strong relationship between the event discharge increase and event SSC increase for rainfall‐induced events was established, but no such relationship existed for non‐rainfall‐induced events. There is some evidence for an exhaustion effect in the SSC patterns both at the event time‐scale and as the month proceeds. A mean suspended sediment load of 1765 ± 0·26 t day^?1 was estimated for the study period, which would be equivalent to a suspended sediment yield of 732 ± 4 t km^?2 year^?1. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting suspended sediment concentrations in the Meuse river using a supply‐based rating curve

A rating curve provides a reasonable estimate of the suspended sediment concentration at a given discharge. However, analysis of a detailed 9‐year time‐series of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and discharge Q of the Meuse River in The Netherlands indicates that SSC is (besides discharge) controlled by exhaustion and replenishment of different sediment sources. Clockwise hysteresis and other effects of sediment exhaustion can be observed during and after flood events, and the effects of stockpiling of sediment in the river bed during low‐discharge periods are obvious in the SSC of the next flood. In a single regression equation we have implemented a parameter that represents the presence or absence of stock for sediment uptake. In comparison with a rating curve of SSC and Q, adding this parameter is shown to be a more reliable and comprehensive method to predict SSCs at all discharge regimes with all preceding discharge conditions, for single‐peaked and multi‐peaked runoff events as well as for low flow conditions. The method is probably applicable to other small‐ to medium‐scaled river basins. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Composite suspended sediment particles in river systems: their incidence,dynamics and physical characteristics

Most of the existing data on the effective particle size characteristics of fluvial suspended sediment derive from instantaneous sampling methods that may not be representative of the overall suspended sediment loads. This presents difficulties when there is a need to incorporate effective particle size data into numerical models of floodplain sedimentation and sediment‐associated contaminant transfer. We have used a field‐based water elutriation apparatus (WEA) to assemble a large (36 flood) database on the time‐integrated nature of the effective and absolute particle size characteristics of suspended sediment in four subcatchments of the River Exe basin of southwest England. These catchments encompass a wide range of terrains and fluvial environments that are broadly representative of much of the UK and temperate, low relief northwest Europe. The WEA provides important data on the physical characteristics of composite particles that are not attainable using other methods. This dataset has allowed, for the first time, detailed interbasin comparisons of the time‐integrated particle size characteristics of suspended sediment and reliable estimates of the contribution of five effective size classes to the mean annual suspended sediment load of the study catchments. The suspended sediment load of each river is dominated by composite rather than primary particles, with, for example, almost 60% (by mass) of the sediment load of the River Exe at Thorverton transported as composite particles > 16 µm in size. All the effective size classes contain significant clay components. A key outcome of this study is the recognition that each catchment has a distinctive time‐integrated effective particle size signature. In addition, the time‐integrated effective particle size characteristics of the suspended loads in each of the catchments display much greater spatial variability than the equivalent absolute particle size distributions. This indicates that the processes producing composite particles vary significantly between these catchments, and this has important implications for our understanding of the dynamics of suspended sediment properties. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Carbon and suspended sediment transport in an impounded alpine river (Isère,France)

Carbon and total suspended sediment (TSS) loads were investigated from April 2006 to March 2008 in the mountainous watershed of the Isère River, French Alps (5570 km²). The river bed has been highly impounded for hydroelectricity production during the last century. Hydraulic flushes are managed every year to prevent TSS storage within upstream dams. The Isère River has been instrumented for high‐frequency monitoring of water, TSS by turbidity and carbon (organic, inorganic, dissolved and particulate) in order to evaluate the impact of natural floods and hydraulic flushes on annual loads. Annual TSS load which was estimated between 1.3 and 2.3 MT y^?1 (i.e. 233 to 413 T km^?2 y^?1) highlighted the high erodibility of the Isère watershed. Annual carbon load was estimated between 173 10³ T y^?1 and 199 10³ T y^?1 (i.e 31 to 36 T km^?2 y^?1). About 80% of the annual carbon loads were inorganic. The impact of hydraulic flushes on annual loads appeared limited (less than 3% for annual TSS load and about 1.5% for annual carbon load), whereas the most important natural flood event contributed to 20% of the annual TSS load and 10% of the annual carbon load. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predictability of river flow and suspended sediment transport in the Mississippi River basin: a non‐linear deterministic approach

As the Mississippi River plays a major role in fulfilling various water demands in North America, accurate prediction of river flow and sediment transport in the basin is crucial for undertaking both short‐term emergency measures and long‐term management efforts. To this effect, the present study investigates the predictability of river flow and suspended sediment transport in the basin. As most of the existing approaches that link water discharge, suspended sediment concentration and suspended sediment load possess certain limitations (absence of consensus on linkages), this study employs an approach that presents predictions of a variable based on history of the variable alone. The approach, based on non‐linear determinism, involves: (1) reconstruction of single‐dimensional series in multi‐dimensional phase‐space for representing the underlying dynamics; and (2) use of the local approximation technique for prediction. For implementation, river flow and suspended sediment transport variables observed at the St. Louis (Missouri) station are studied. Specifically, daily water discharge, suspended sediment concentration and suspended sediment load data are analysed for their predictability and range, by making predictions from one day to ten days ahead. The results lead to the following conclusions: (1) extremely good one‐day ahead predictions are possible for all the series; (2) prediction accuracy decreases with increasing lead time for all the series, but the decrease is much more significant for suspended sediment concentration and suspended sediment load; and (3) the number of mechanisms dominantly governing the dynamics is three for each of the series. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suspended sediment yield and metal contamination in a river catchment affected by El Niño events and gold mining activities: the Puyango river basin,southern Ecuador

The suspended sediment yield and the transfer of polluted sediment are investigated for the Puyango river basin in southern Ecuador. This river system receives metal (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn) and cyanide pollution generated by mining, and is associated with large‐scale hydrological variability, which is partly governed by El Niño events. Field sampling and statistical modelling methods are used to quantify the amount of mine tailings that is discharged into the basin. Annual suspended sediment yields are estimated using a novel combination of the suspended sediment rating method and Monte Carlo simulations, which allow for propagation of the uncertainties of the calculations that lead to final load estimates. Geochemical analysis of suspended and river bed sediment is used to assess the dispersion and long‐term fate of contaminated sediment within the river catchment. Knowledge of the inter‐ and intra‐annual variation in suspended sediment yield is shown to be crucial for judging the importance of mining discharges, and the extent to which the resultant pollution is diluted by river flows. In wet years, polluted sediments represent only a very small proportion of the yield estimates, but in dry years the proportion can be significant. Evidence shows that metal contaminated sediments are stored in the Puyango river bed during low flows. Large flood events flush this sediment periodically, both on an annual cycle associated with the rainy season, and also related to El Niño events. Therefore, environmental impacts of mining‐related discharges are more likely to be severe during dry years compared with wet years, and in the dry season rather than the wet season. The hydrological consequences of El Niño events are shown to depend upon the extent to which these events penetrate inland. It is, thus, shown that the general conclusion that El Niño events can significantly affect suspended sediment yields needs evaluation with respect to the particular way in which those events affect a given catchment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.