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Glacierized headwater streams as aquifer recharge corridors, subarctic Alaska
Author(s) -
Liljedahl A. K.,
Gädeke A.,
O'Neel S.,
Gatesman T. A.,
Douglas T. A.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl073834
Subject(s) - groundwater recharge , aquifer , hydrology (agriculture) , permafrost , streamflow , glacier , meltwater , geology , surface runoff , streams , baseflow , perennial stream , subarctic climate , snowmelt , drainage basin , environmental science , groundwater , snow , geomorphology , oceanography , geography , ecology , computer network , geotechnical engineering , cartography , computer science , biology
Arctic river discharge has increased in recent decades although sources and mechanisms remain debated. Abundant literature documents permafrost thaw and mountain glacier shrinkage over the past decades. Here we link glacier runoff to aquifer recharge via a losing headwater stream in subarctic Interior Alaska. Field measurements in Jarvis Creek (634 km 2 ), a subbasin of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers, show glacier meltwater runoff as a large component (15–28%) of total annual streamflow despite low glacier cover (3%). About half of annual headwater streamflow is lost to the aquifer (38 to 56%). The estimated long‐term change in glacier‐derived aquifer recharge exceeds the observed increase in Tanana River base flow. Our findings suggest a linkage between glacier wastage, aquifer recharge along the headwater stream corridor, and lowland winter discharge. Accordingly, glacierized headwater streambeds may serve as major aquifer recharge zones in semiarid climates and therefore contributing to year‐round base flow of lowland rivers.