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Interannual, seasonal, and spatial patterns of meltwater and solute fluxes in a seasonal snowpack
Author(s) -
Harrington Robert,
Bales Roger C.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/97wr03469
Subject(s) - meltwater , snowpack , snow , snowmelt , lysimeter , environmental science , snow field , atmospheric sciences , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , soil science , geomorphology , snow cover , soil water , geotechnical engineering
Meltwater discharge and electrical conductivity were measured in eight 1 × l m lysimeters, and snow accumulation and electrical conductivity of melted samples were measured in snow pits during four snowmelt seasons at Mammoth Mountain, California. The peak snow‐water equivalent ranged from 0.57 to 2.92 m over the four melt seasons. Lysimeter discharges ranged from 20% to 205% of the mean flow; however, mean lysimeter flow was representative of snow ablation observed in snow pits. The electrical conductivity in snow pit samples and meltwater averaged 2–3 μS cm −1 . Peak meltwater electrical conductivity ranged from 6 to 14 times the bulk premelt snowpack electrical conductivity. Snow depth did not affect the magnitude of the ionic pulse, and ion depletion as a function of snow ablation was similar from year to year despite interannual contrasts in melt rate and snow accumulation. Diel fluctuations in electrical conductivity were more pronounced in shallower snowpacks.