The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula
<p>The Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing a rapid increase in air temperature, which has a major impact on the entire ecosystem, including the runoff process. Understanding the water balance dynamics in such a fragile and sensitive environment is therefore crucial. Although water availability...
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Copernicus Publications
2025-07-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
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| author | O. Nedělčev M. Matějka K. Láska Z. Engel J. Kavan J. Kavan J. Kavan M. Jenicek |
| author_facet | O. Nedělčev M. Matějka K. Láska Z. Engel J. Kavan J. Kavan J. Kavan M. Jenicek |
| author_sort | O. Nedělčev |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing a rapid increase in air temperature, which has a major impact on the entire ecosystem, including the runoff process. Understanding the water balance dynamics in such a fragile and sensitive environment is therefore crucial. Although water availability plays an important role in polar ecosystems, runoff generation in the Antarctic Peninsula region is still poorly understood. We analysed the variability in rain, snow and glacier contributions to runoff in relation to climate variability in a small, partly glaciated catchment on James Ross Island in the north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula. We used the hydrological model HBV to simulate the runoff process from June 2010 to May 2021 at a daily resolution. The model was calibrated against both measured discharge and glacier mass balance. Model simulations showed the negative mass balance of Triangular Glacier for 9 out of 11 study years, with an average annual mass loss of 49 <span class="inline-formula">mm</span> water equivalent. About 92 % of the annual runoff occurred between October and May. On average, peak runoff occurred in the second half of the summer season due to the combination of glacier melt and snowmelt. The majority (76 %) of runoff originated from snowmelt, 14 % originated from glacier melt and 10 % from rainfall. Higher total annual runoff occurred in warmer and drier years associated with high glacier melt runoff. The contribution of snowmelt to total runoff was higher in colder years with more precipitation. Our simulation showed the presence of significant runoff-generating events outside the usual high summer runoff measurement season.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-994adfb98a3a4e24924d5ba443b3898b |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-994adfb98a3a4e24924d5ba443b3898b2025-08-20T03:33:41ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242025-07-01192457247310.5194/tc-19-2457-2025The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic PeninsulaO. Nedělčev0M. Matějka1K. Láska2Z. Engel3J. Kavan4J. Kavan5J. Kavan6M. Jenicek7Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Charles University, Prague, 128 00, CzechiaDepartment of Geography, Masaryk University, Brno, 611 37, CzechiaDepartment of Geography, Masaryk University, Brno, 611 37, CzechiaDepartment of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Charles University, Prague, 128 00, CzechiaDepartment of Geography, Masaryk University, Brno, 611 37, CzechiaAlfred Jahn Cold Regions Research Centre, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, 50-137, PolandCentre for Polar Ecology, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, 370 05, CzechiaDepartment of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Charles University, Prague, 128 00, Czechia<p>The Antarctic Peninsula is experiencing a rapid increase in air temperature, which has a major impact on the entire ecosystem, including the runoff process. Understanding the water balance dynamics in such a fragile and sensitive environment is therefore crucial. Although water availability plays an important role in polar ecosystems, runoff generation in the Antarctic Peninsula region is still poorly understood. We analysed the variability in rain, snow and glacier contributions to runoff in relation to climate variability in a small, partly glaciated catchment on James Ross Island in the north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula. We used the hydrological model HBV to simulate the runoff process from June 2010 to May 2021 at a daily resolution. The model was calibrated against both measured discharge and glacier mass balance. Model simulations showed the negative mass balance of Triangular Glacier for 9 out of 11 study years, with an average annual mass loss of 49 <span class="inline-formula">mm</span> water equivalent. About 92 % of the annual runoff occurred between October and May. On average, peak runoff occurred in the second half of the summer season due to the combination of glacier melt and snowmelt. The majority (76 %) of runoff originated from snowmelt, 14 % originated from glacier melt and 10 % from rainfall. Higher total annual runoff occurred in warmer and drier years associated with high glacier melt runoff. The contribution of snowmelt to total runoff was higher in colder years with more precipitation. Our simulation showed the presence of significant runoff-generating events outside the usual high summer runoff measurement season.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/2457/2025/tc-19-2457-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | O. Nedělčev M. Matějka K. Láska Z. Engel J. Kavan J. Kavan J. Kavan M. Jenicek The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula The Cryosphere |
| title | The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_full | The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_fullStr | The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_short | The role of snowmelt, glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_sort | role of snowmelt glacier melt and rainfall in streamflow dynamics on james ross island antarctic peninsula |
| url | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/19/2457/2025/tc-19-2457-2025.pdf |
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