Assessing the impacts of microtopography on soil erosion under simulated rainfall,using a multifractal approach

This study aimed to investigate the changing characteristics of microrelief of purple soil and its erosional response during successive stages of water erosion, including splash erosion, sheet erosion, and rill erosion. Methods employed included a rainfall simulator and the use of a laser scanner to generate a digital elevation model. Three artificial tillage practices, including conventional tillage (CT), artificial digging (AD), and ridge tillage (RT), were used to simulate different microrelief patterns. Eighteen artificial rainfall experiments were conducted using three 2 × 1 m boxes with a rainfall intensity of 1.5 mm min^?1 on a 15° slope. The results showed that the soil roughness (SR) index values for the tillage slopes were RT > AD > CT. The combined effects of detachment by raindrop impact and transport by run‐off decreased the SR index, whereas rill erosion increased the SR index during rainfall event. Microtopography and drainage networks have strong multifractal behaviours. The multifractal parameters of microtopography reflect the overall characteristics as well as the characteristics of the local soil surface. Within a certain range of threshold values, higher microrelief causes less soil erosion. However, when the parameters of spatial heterogeneity of microtopography exceed the threshold values, a higher degree of microrelief can increase soil erosion. These results help clarify the effect of microtopography on soil erosion and provide a theoretical foundation to guide future tillage practices on sloping farmland of purple soil.     

Hydrologic flowpaths during snowmelt in forested headwater catchments under differing winter climatic and soil frost regimes

Changes in hydrologic flowpaths have important impacts on the timing, magnitude and hydrochemistry of run‐off during snowmelt in forested catchments, but how flowpaths are affected by variation in winter climate and the irregular presence of soil frost remains poorly understood. The depth and extent of soil frost may be expected to increase as snowpack decreases or develops later because of climate change. In this study, we used end‐member mixing analysis to determine daily contributions of snow, forest floor soil water and groundwater to stream run‐off during snowmelt under different soil frost regimes resulting from interannual and elevational variation at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA. We observed greater routing of run‐off through forest floor flowpaths during early snowmelt in 2011, when the snowpack was deep and soil frost was minimal, compared with the early snowmelt in 2012 under conditions of deep and extensive soil frost. The results indicate that widespread soil frost that penetrated the depth of the forest floor decreased the flow signal through the shallowest subsurface flowpaths, but did not reduce overall infiltration of melt waters, as the contribution from the snow‐precipitation end‐member was similar under both conditions. These results are consistent with development of granular soil frost which permits vertical infiltration of melt waters, but either reduces lateral flow in the forest floor or prevents the solute exchange that would produce the typical chemical signature of shallow subsurface flowpaths in streamwater. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Soil frost effects on soil water and runoff dynamics along a boreal transect: 2. Simulations

A physically based SVAT‐model was tested with soil and snow physical measurements, as well as runoff data from an 8600 m² catchment in northern Sweden in order to quantify the influence of soil frost on spring snowmelt runoff in a moderately sloped, boreal forest. The model was run as an array of connected profiles cascading to the brook. For three winter seasons (1995–98) it was able to predict the onset and total accumulation of the runoff with satisfactory accuracy. Surface runoff was identified as only a minor fraction of the total runoff occurring during short periods in connection with ice blocking of the water‐conducting pores. Little surface runoff, though, does not mean that soil frost is unimportant for spring runoff. Simulations without frost routines systematically underestimated the total accumulated runoff. The possibility of major frost effects appearing in response to specific combinations of weather conditions were also tested. Different scenarios of critical initial conditions for the winter, e.g. high water saturation and delayed snow accumulation leading to an increased frost penetration, were tested. These showed that under special circumstances there is potential for increased spring runoff due to soil frost. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Applicability of isotopic hydrograph separation in a suburban basin during snowmelt

C. H. TAYLOR Methodological issues associated with isotopic hydrograph separations (IHSs) in built-up environments are explored using results from the 1990 spring melt in a suburban basin in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. The hetrogeneous nature of suburban environments complicates the selection of appropriate isotopic signatures for event and pre-event waters. Near-stream groundwater δ¹⁸O sampled from wells was poorly mixed, such that the pre-event water signature was best characterized by δ¹⁸O in pre-melt baseflow or discharge from a headwater spring. The event water signature during snowmelt can be characterized using δ¹⁸O in the pre-melt snowpack, surface runoff samples or meltwater from lysimeters. However, the use of snowpack δ¹⁸O may be inappropriate in suburban basins where meltwater from thin snowcover may exhibit pronounced responses to δ¹⁸O in rainfall contributions. Intensive sampling of the spatial variability of runoff or meltwater δ¹⁸O may be required to characterize the average event water signature adequately. Rainfall δ¹⁸O provided an appropriate event water signal during a large rain on snow event, and differences between this IHS and one generated using an event water signature that included meltwater contributions from snow-covered surfaces were within the uncertainty attributable to the analytical error in δ¹⁸O values. Event water supplied 55-63% of the peak discharge and 48-58% of total runoff from the basin during the melt, which is consistent with the fraction of the basin that has been developed. These results contrast with IHSs conducted in forested basins that suggest that stormflow is dominated by pre-event water contributions.     

Assessment of terrestrial laser scanning technology for obtaining high‐resolution DEMs of soils

Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS) provide a non‐contact method to measure soil microtopography of relatively large surface areas. The appropriateness of the technology in relatation to the derived Digital Elevation Models (DEM) however has not been reported. The suitability of TLS for soil microtopography measurements was tested on‐field for three large soil surface areas in agricultural fields. The acquired point clouds were filtered with a custom cloud import algorithm, and converted into digital elevation models (DEM) of different resolutions. To assess DEM quality, point clouds measured from different viewpoints were statistically compared. The statistical fit between point clouds from different viewpoints depends on spatial resolution of the DEM. The best results were obtained at the higher resolutions (0.02 to 0.04 cm), where less than 5 % of the grid cells showed significant differences between one viewpoint and the next (p < 0.01). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radiative characteristics in a Japanese forested drainage basin during snowmelt

Radiative characteristics in a forested drainage basin during the snowmelt season were examined in order to better understand and predict snowmelt runoff in the basin. A method for estimating net radiation in a forest (R_nf) was presented using the total sky view factor (P) and the sun path sky view factor (Q). Solar radiation, albedo, atmospheric radiation and air temperature observed at an open site were also required. The total and the sun path sky view factors were determined from all‐sky photographs. Q was expressed as a linear function of P for 0·15<P<0·86 regardless of forest type. For P<0·15, Q was set to zero, and for P>0·86, Q was equal to unity. The short‐wave radiation budget at the forest floor (S_nf) increased with P, whereas the long‐wave radiation budget (L_nf) decreased with P. R_nf increased with P for 0·15<P<0·86, and changed little with P for P<0·15 and P>0·86, as the increase in S_nf was offset by the decrease in L_nf . The forest effect on R_nf was diminished under cloudy or high albedo conditions, because S_nf was easily offset by L_nf . This estimation method was extended to the whole basin, and R_nf was obtained over a watershed covered by trees. At the beginning of the snowmelt season when the albedo remained high, the forest effect became null because the decrease in S_nf was balanced by the increase in L_nf . As the albedo gradually lowered with the advance of the snowmelt season, the decrease in S_nf owing to forest covers exceeded the increase in L_nf , and the forest effect to decrease R_nf became evident. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantifying contributions of snowmelt water to streamflow using graphical and chemical hydrograph separation

In this study, we characterize the snowmelt hydrological response of nine headwater watersheds in southeast Wyoming by separating streamflow into three components using a combination of tracer and graphical approaches. First, continuous 15-min records of specific conductance (SC) from 2016 to 2018 were used to separate streamflow into annual contributions, representing water that contributes to streamflow in a given year that entered the watershed in the same year being considered, and perennial contributions, representing water that contributes to streamflow in a given year that entered the watershed in previous years. Then, diurnal streamflow cycles occurring during the snowmelt season were used to graphically separate annual contributions into rapid diurnal snowmelt contributions, representing water with the relatively fastest hydrological response and shortest residence time, and delayed annual contributions, representing water with relatively longer residence time in the watershed before becoming streamflow. On average, mean annual total streamflow was comprised of between 22% and 46% perennial contributions, 7% and 14% rapid diurnal snowmelt contributions, and 46% and 55% delayed annual contributions across the watersheds. A hysteresis index describing SC-discharge patterns indicated that, annually, most watersheds showed negative, concave, anti-clockwise hysteretic direction suggesting faster flow pathways dominate streamflow on the rising limb of the annual hydrograph relative to the falling limb. At the daily timescale during snowmelt-induced diurnal streamflow cycles, hysteresis was negative, but with a clockwise direction, implying that rapid diurnal snowmelt contributions generated from the concurrent daily snowmelt, with lower SC, arrived after delayed annual contribution peaks and preferentially contributed on the falling limb of diurnal cycles. South-facing watersheds were more susceptible to early season snowmelt at slower rates, resulting in less annual and more perennial contributions. Conversely, north-facing watersheds had longer snow persistence and larger proportions of annual contributions and rapid diurnal snowmelt contributions. Watersheds with surficial geology dominated by glacial deposits had a lower proportion of rapid diurnal snowmelt contributions compared to watersheds with large percentages of bedrock surficial geology.     

Simulated soil water storage effects on streamflow generation in a mountainous snowmelt environment,Idaho, USA

Although soil processes affect the timing and amount of streamflow generated from snowmelt, they are often overlooked in estimations of snowmelt‐generated streamflow in the western USA. The use of a soil water balance modelling approach to incorporate the effects of soil processes, in particular soil water storage, on the timing and amount of snowmelt generated streamflow, was investigated. The study was conducted in the Reynolds Mountain East (RME) watershed, a 38 ha, snowmelt‐dominated watershed in southwest Idaho. Snowmelt or rainfall inputs to the soil were determined using a well established snow accumulation and melt model (Isnobal). The soil water balance model was first evaluated at a point scale, using periodic soil water content measurements made over two years at 14 sites. In general, the simulated soil water profiles were in agreement with measurements (P < 0·05) as further indicated by high R² values (mostly > 0·85), y‐intercept values near 0, slopes near 1 and low average differences between measured and modelled values. In addition, observed soil water dynamics were generally consistent with critical model assumptions. Spatially distributed simulations over the watershed for the same two years indicate that streamflow initiation and cessation are closely linked to the overall watershed soil water storage capacity, which acts as a threshold. When soil water storage was below the threshold, streamflow was insensitive to snowmelt inputs, but once the threshold was crossed, the streamflow response was very rapid. At these times there was a relatively high degree of spatial continuity of satiated soils within the watershed. Incorporation of soil water storage effects may improve estimation of the timing and amount of streamflow generated from mountainous watersheds dominated by snowmelt. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the role of forests in mitigating eutrophication downstream of pasture during spring snowmelt

Little research has examined whether forests reduce stream water eutrophication in agricultural areas during spring snowmelt periods. This study evaluated the role of forests in ameliorating deteriorated stream water quality in agricultural areas, including pasture, during snowmelt periods. Temporal variation in stream water quality at a mixed land‐use basin (565 ha: pasture 13%, forestry 87%), northern Japan, was monitored for 7 years. Synoptic stream water sampling was also conducted at 16 sites across a wide range of forest and agricultural areas in a basin (18.3 km²) in spring, summer and fall. Atmospheric nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition were measured for 4 years. The results showed that concentration pulses of nitrate, organic N and total P in stream water were observed when discharge increased during spring snowmelt. Their concentrations were high when silicate concentrations were low, suggesting surface water exported from pasture largely contributed to stream water pollution during snowmelt. Atmospheric N and P deposition (4.1 kg N ha^?1 y^?1; 0.09 kg P ha^?1 y^?1, respectively) was too low to affect the background concentrations of N and P in streams from forested areas. Reduction of eutrophication caused by nutrients from pasture was mainly due to dilution by water containing low concentrations of N and P exported from forested areas, whereas in‐stream reduction was not a dominant process. Results indicate that forests have a limited capacity to reduce the concentration pulses of N and P in stream water during snowmelt in this study basin. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用地面激光与地质雷达综合探测活断层浅层三维结构——以川西理塘毛垭坝盆地北缘正断层为例

快速获取活断层的高精度微地貌形态和对应的浅层三维结构是揭示活断层浅地表形迹与活动特征的关键。文中综合利用地面三维激光扫描仪和地质雷达技术,以川西理塘地区毛垭坝盆地北缘主边界断裂禾尼段的正断层崖为研究对象,获取了该处正断层错动2期最新地貌面的精确地表垂直位移量和浅层二维地质雷达图像,并初步建立了基于地面三维激光与地质雷达的活断层微地貌精细化三维测量方法,构建了断层崖微地貌的精细三维模型和浅表三维图像,揭示了正断层崖处发育的伸展地堑结构,同时初步实现了断层微地貌地表地下三维数据的一体化融合显示及相互解译。应用结果表明,该方法可以同时快速、高效、无损地获取大范围内的活断层微地貌及浅层结构的多层次、多视觉的空间数据,极大地提高了对活动断层微地貌形态与浅层结构进行快速调查与研究的精度和认识水平,也为更全面地认识和理解活断层的空间分布与变形特征、活动习性和多期古地震遗迹等提供重要的数据和方法支持。因此,对该方法的继续探索和完善,将显著提升和扩展其在活断层定量化和精细化研究中的实用性及应用前景。     

Hydrological dynamics of snowmelt induced streamflow in a high mountain catchment of the Pyrenees under contrasting snow accumulation and duration years

Snowmelt drives a large portion of streamflow in many mountain areas of the world. However, the water paths from snowmelt to the arrival of the water in the streams are still largely unknown. This work analyzes for first time the influence of snowmelt on spring streamflow with different snow accumulation and duration, in an alpine catchment of the central Spanish Pyrenees. This study presents the water balance of the main melting months (May and June). Piezometric values, water temperature, electrical conductivity and isotope data (δ¹⁸O) allow a better understanding of the hydrological functioning of the basin during these months. Results of the water balance calculations showed that snow represented on average 73% of the water available for streamflow in May and June while precipitation during these months accounted for only 27%. However, rainfall during the melting period was important to determine the shape of the spring hydrographs. On average, 78% of the sum of both the snow water equivalent (SWE) accumulated at the beginning of May and the precipitation in May and June converted into runoff during the May–June melting period. The average evaporation-sublimation during the 2 months corresponded to 8.4% of the accumulated SWE and rainfall, so that only a small part of the water input was ultimately available for soil and groundwater storage. When snow cover disappeared from the catchment, soil water storage and streamflow showed a sharp decline. Consequently, streamflow electrical conductivity, temperature and δ¹⁸O showed a marked tipping point towards higher values. The fast hydrological response of the catchment to snow and meteorological fluctuations, as well as the marked diel fluctuations of streamflow δ¹⁸O during the melting period, strongly suggests short meltwater transit times. As a consequence of this hydrological behaviour, independently of the amount of snow accumulated and of melting date, summer streamflow remained always low, with only small runoff peaks driven by rainfall events.     

THE DELINEATION OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL SHALLOW GEOMETRY OF ACTIVE FAULT BASED ON TLS AND GPR: A CASE STUDY OF AN NORMAL FAULT ON THE NORTH MARGIN OF MAOYABA BASIN IN LITANG,WESTERN SICHUAN PROVINCE

It is crucial to reveal the surface traces and activity of active faults by obtaining high-precision microtopography and three-dimensional shallow geometry. However, limited by the traditional geological investigation methods in the field and geological condition factors, the measurement method on microtopography and shallow geometry of active fault is badly insufficient. In this study, the TLS and GPR are firstly used comprehensively to delineate the microtopography and shallow geometry of the normal fault scarp on the north margin of Maoyaba Basin in Litang. Firstly, the vertical displacements of two landforms produced by the latest two periods of normal faulting and the two-dimensional GPR profiles are obtained separately. Secondly, the three-dimensional measurement method of active fault based on TLS and GPR is preliminarily established. On this basis, three-dimensional model of fault scarp and three-dimensional images of subsurface geometry are also obtained. These data all reveal a graben structure at normal fault scarps. Thirdly, the fusion and interpretation of three-dimensional data from the surface and subsurface are realized. The study results show:1)the vertical displacements of the T₁ and T₂ terraces by the normal fault movement is 1.4m and 5.7m, the GPR profile shows a typical fault structure and indicates the existence of small graben structure with a maximum width of about 40m in the shallow layer, which further proves that it is a normal fault. 2)the shallow geometry of the normal fault scarp can be more graphically displayed by the three-dimensional radar images, and it also makes the geometry structure of the fault more comprehensive. The precise location and strike of faults F₁ and F₂ on the horizontal surface are also determined in the three-dimensional radar images, which further proves the existence of small graben structure, indicating the extensional deformation characteristics in the subsurface of the fault scarps. Furthermore, the distribution of small graben structure on the surface and subsurface is defined more precisely. 3)the integrated display of microgeomorphology and shallow geometry of normal fault scarp is realized based on the three-dimensional point cloud and GPR data. The fusion of the point cloud and GPR data has obvious advantages, for the spatial structure, morphological and spectral features from the point cloud can improve the recognition and interpretation accuracy of GPR images. The interpreted results of the GPR profiles could minimize the transformation of the surface topography by the external environment at the most extent, restore the original geomorphology, relocate the position and trend of faults on the surface and constrain the width of deformation zones under the surface, the geological structure, and the fault dislocation, etc. In a word, the TLS and GPR can quickly and efficiently provide the spatial data with multi-level and multi-visual for non-destructive inspection of the microgeomorphology and shallow structure for the active fault in a wide range, and for the detection of active fault in the complex geological environments, and it is helpful to improve the accuracy and understanding of the investigation and research on microtopography and shallow geometry of active faults. What's more, it also offers important data and method for more comprehensive identification and understanding of the distribution, deformation features, the behaviors of active faults and multi-period paleoseismicity. Therefore, to continuously explore and improve this method will significantly enhance and expand the practicability and application prospects of the method in the quantitative and elaborate studies of active faults.     

Variation in hydrologic connectivity as a result of microtopography explained by discharge to catchment size relationship

In hydrological terms, raised bogs are often approximated by simple models as in the acrotelm–catotelm concept. However, raised bogs are often characterized by a pronounced surface topography, causing large changes in connectivity of contributing areas on the bog. In this study, daily regression of measured discharges versus catchment areas is used to quantify the impact of surface topography on catchment connectivity within a raised bog. The resulting coefficient of determination shows the strength of the relationship between the discharge and catchment area over time under different hydrological conditions. Monitoring of discharge, water table, transmissivity, and basic weather data on a raised bog (1.9 km²) in eastern central Estonia took place from May 2008 to June 2010. Contributing areas, calculated based on the outlet's discharge volume (V _Q ) divided by the net precipitation volume ( ), of the outlet containing the central pool‐ridge system varied between 1×10^?3 and 0.7 km², suggesting significant differences in connectivity between hydrological events. Correlation between discharge and theoretical catchment size was high (R ²>0.75) when the water table was close to the surface (less than 5 cm below peat surface), and consequently, transmissivities were also high (up to 1,030m²d^?1), which led to connectivity of local storage elements, such as pools and hollows. However, a water table below this threshold resulted in large parts of the catchment being disconnected. The importance of water table depths on catchment connectivity suggests the need to reconsider the hydrological concept of raised bogs; to incorporate these shallow flow components and better understand residence time and consequently transport of solutes, such as DOC, from patterned peatlands.     

Source of error and uncertainty in sheet erosion rates estimated from dendrogeomorphology

Dendrogeomorphology has been used since the 1960s to estimate sheet erosion rates. To date, most efforts have focused on accurately determining the first year of root exposure. However, an adequate methodological approach that takes into consideration the microtopography of the ground surface when estimating sheet erosion rates using dendrogeomorphology has not been proposed. In this study, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) was used for the first time to examine how changes in microtopography determine the level of certainty in estimates. To this end, highly accurate TLS‐based digital elevation models representing exposed roots and their immediate vicinity were analysed using geographic information system tools. The results indicate that erosion rates calculated using the standard dendrogeomorphic method have been underestimated by up to 29% because the method does not take into account changes to the microtopography caused by the axial and radial pressure of the roots. Another source of uncertainty, which we estimate to be 50%, was also found and is the result of changes in the ground surface microtopography caused by variations in soil roughness. These findings do not invalidate the usefulness of dendrogeomorphology for assessing soil erosion, although they do show the need for correct characterization of the microtopography to guarantee reliability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Random forests as a tool to understand the snow depth distribution and its evolution in mountain areas

The small scale distribution of the snowpack in mountain areas is highly heterogeneous, and is mainly controlled by the interactions between the atmosphere and local topography. However, the influence of different terrain features in controlling variations in the snow distribution depends on the characteristics of the study area. As this leads to uncertainties in high spatial resolution snowpack simulations, a deeper understanding of the role of terrain features on the small scale distribution of snow depth is required. This study applied random forest algorithms to investigate the temporal evolution of snow depth in complex alpine terrain using as predictors various topographical variables and in situ snow depth observations at a single location. The high spatial resolution (1 m x 1 m) snow depth distribution database used in training and evaluating the random forests was derived from terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) devices at three study sites, in the French Alps (2 sites) and the Spanish Pyrenees (1 site). The results show the major importance of two topographic variables, the topographic position index and the maximum upwind slope parameter. For these variables the search distances and directions depended on the characteristics of each site and the TLS acquisition date, but are consistent across sites and are tightly related to main wind directions. The weight of the different topographic variables on explaining snow distribution evolves while major snow accumulation events still take place and minor changes are observed after reaching the annual snow accumulation peak. Random forests have demonstrated good performance when predicting snow distribution for the sites included in the training set with R² values ranging from 0.82 to 0.94 and mean absolute errors always below 0.4 m. Oppositely, this algorithm failed when used to predict snow distribution for sites not included in the training set, with mean absolute errors above 0.8 m.     

Throughflow variability during snowmelt in a forested mountain catchment,coastal British Columbia,Canada

This study documented the spatial and temporal variability of outflow from a forested hillslope segment during snowmelt at a small mountain catchment in south coastal British Columbia, Canada. A pit 5 m wide was established just upslope from the stream channel. Outflow from the organic horizon was intercepted and measured by a single trough, and outflow from the mineral horizons was measured separately for three adjacent sections. Throughflow exhibited non‐steady‐state behaviour involving shifting allocations of flow amongst different sections of the outflow pit, as well as threshold effects and hysteresis in the relationship between pit outflow and water table elevation. Most of the pit outflow originated from the mineral horizons, indicating that throughflow was the dominant pathway by which water was delivered to the stream channel. Direct precipitation and snowmelt onto near‐stream saturated areas can account for less than 20% of the total outflow from the hillslope segment. Throughflow from the mineral sections consistently peaked either at the same time as or earlier than stream flow from the 150‐ha catchment during diurnal snowmelt cycles, indicating that throughflow appears to respond rapidly enough to contribute to snowmelt‐induced peak stream flow. Pit outflow cannot be extrapolated reliably to the catchment scale on the basis of simple length‐ or area‐based ratios. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accelerated continental-scale snowmelt and ecohydrological impacts in the four largest Siberian river basins in response to spring warming

River runoff from the four largest Siberian river basins (the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, and Kolyma) considerably contributes to freshwater flux into the Arctic Ocean from the Eurasian continent. However, the effects of variation in snow cover fraction on the ecohydrological variations in these basins are not well understood. In this study, we analysed the spatiotemporal variability of the maximum snow cover fraction (SCF_max) in the four Siberian river basins. We compared the SCF_max from 2000 to 2016 with data in terms of monthly temperature and precipitation, night-time surface temperatures, the terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA), the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and river runoff. Our results exhibit a decreasing trend in the April SCF_max values since 2000, largely in response to warming air temperatures in April. We identified snowmelt water as the dominant control on the observed increase in the runoff contribution in May across all four Siberian river basins. In addition, we detected that the interannual river runoff was predominantly controlled by interannual variations in the TWSA. The NDVI in June was strongly controlled by the timing of the snowmelt along with the surface air temperature and TWSA in June. The rate of increase in the freshwater flux from the four Siberian rivers decreased from 2000 to 2016, exhibiting large interannual variations corresponding to interannual variations in the TWSA. However, we identified a clear increase trend in the freshwater flux of ~4 km³/year when analysing the long-term 39-year historical record (1978–2016). Our results suggest that continued global warming will accelerate the transition towards the earlier timing of snowmelt and spring freshwater flux into the Arctic Ocean. Our findings also highlight the effects of earlier snowmelt on ecohydrological changes in the Northern Hemisphere.     

Suspended sediment dynamics associated with snowmelt runoff in a small mountain stream of Lake Tahoe (Nevada)

The Lake Tahoe basin is experiencing an environmental decline that is partly due to sediment intakes from its tributaries. Many studies have estimated suspended sediment loads in these streams with a discrete sampling programme by collecting water samples and using a rating technique. However, the relationship between stream discharge and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in these tributaries is known to differ during the rising and falling limbs of the snowmelt‐dominated hydrograph. Because of this hysteresis effect, sediment rating curves are poor predictors of suspended sediment dynamics in the stream. In this study, suspended sediment transport was investigated using a turbidity meter to provide a continuous record of sediment concentration during the snowmelt period. Hysteresis in suspended sediment transport was also investigated and is quantified with an H index, which is the ratio of the areas under the curve at different stages of the hydrograph. The temporal lag between the peak of SSC and the peak of stream discharge was quantified using cross‐correlation analysis. For almost all events, SSCs were higher during the rising limb of the hydrograph for a given discharge, with SSC peaks occurring before discharge peaks, resulting in clockwise hysteresis (H > 1). The H indices increased (looser hysteresis loop) as the availability of sediments increased and as the lag between peaks in SSC and discharge was larger. A restriction of the proposed H index was that it could only be computed when stream discharge increased by more than 30% during a melt event. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrologic connectivity at the hillslope scale through intra-snowpack flow paths during snowmelt

The seasonal snowmelt period is a critical component of the hydrologic cycle for many mountainous areas. Changes in the timing and rate of snowmelt as a result of physical hydrologic flow paths, such as longitudinal intra-snowpack flow paths, can have strong implications on the partitioning of meltwater amongst streamflow, groundwater recharge, and soil moisture storage. However, intra-snowpack flow paths are highly spatially and temporally variable and thus difficult to observe. This study utilizes new methods to non-destructively observe spatio-temporal changes in the liquid water content of snow in combination with plot experiments to address the research question: What is the scale of influence that intra-snowpack flow paths have on the downslope movement of liquid water during snowmelt across an elevational gradient? This research took place in northern Colorado with study plots spanning from the rain-snow transition zone up to the high alpine. Results indicate an increasing scale of influence from intra-snowpack flow paths with elevation, showing higher hillslope connectivity producing larger intra-snowpack contributing areas for meltwater accumulation, quantified as the upslope contributing area required to produce observed changes in liquid water content from melt rate estimates. The total effective intra-snowpack contributing area of accumulating liquid water was found to be 17, 6, and 0 m² for the above tree line, near tree line, and below tree line plots, respectively. Dye tracer experiments show capillary and permeability barriers result in increased number and thickness of intra-snowpack flow paths at higher elevations. We additionally utilized aerial photogrammetry in combination with ground penetrating radar surveys to investigate the role of this hydrologic process at the small watershed scale. Results here indicate that intra-snowpack flow paths have influence beyond the plot scale, impacting the storage and transmission of liquid water within the snowpack at the small watershed scale.