Black, Andrew

Everest, Jez

Flett, Verity

Kirkbride, Martin

MacDonald, Alan

Virkisjökull, an outlet glacier of the Oræfajökull icecap in SE Iceland, currently has 60% glacier cover, though this is reducing due to glacier retreat. Intensive monitoring over the last 4 years includes measurement of measuring ice ablation, proglacial discharge, dye-tracing of flow pathways, and deployment of three automatic weather stations at altitudes up to 880 m. These data calibrate a distributed hydrological model (WaSIM) to project potential river regime during stages of glacier retreat. Results show: (1) glacier hypsometry sensitises the catchment to a disproportionately rapid increase in runoff as the snowline rises onto a gentle ice cap resulting in in a potential annual increase in river discharge of up to 37% (2) a dominantly channelized glacial drainage system in all seasons with a rapid runoff response to melt: englacial flow of 0.58 m s-1 is comparable to the proglacial river velocity; and (3) longer-term, reduced glacier cover and snow storage will lead to a discharge regime dominated by short-term precipitation events in all seasons, and a reduced influence of the seasonal meltwater discharge peak. The study demonstrates the importance of glacier hypsometry above the present ELA as an influence on catchment hydrological response to potential climate warming.<br/

University of Dundee Online Publications

                                                                    University of DundeeGlacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologically highly-coupledVirkisjökull catchment, IcelandFlett, Verity; Kirkbride, Martin; Black, Andrew; Everest, Jez; MacDonald, AlanPublication date:2016Licence:CC BYDocument VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordLink to publication in Discovery Research PortalCitation for published version (APA):Flett, V., Kirkbride, M., Black, A., Everest, J., & MacDonald, A. (2016). Glacier retreat and projected river regimechanges in the hydrologically highly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, Iceland. Abstract from EGU GeneralAssembly 2016, Vienna, Austria.General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in Discovery Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or othercopyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated withthese rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from Discovery Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain. • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal.Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Download date: 18. Apr. 2023Geophysical Research AbstractsVol. 18, EGU2016-4211, 2016EGU General Assembly 2016© Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License.Glacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologicallyhighly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, IcelandVerity Flett (1,2), Martin Kirkbride (2), Andrew Black (2), Jez Everest (1), Alan MacDonald (1,2)(1) British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, United Kingdom (v.t.flett@dundee.ac.uk), (2)Geography, School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, United Kingdom(m.p.kirkbride@dundee.ac.uk).Virkisjökull, an outlet glacier of the Oræfajökull icecap in SE Iceland, currently has 60% glacier cover, though thisis reducing due to glacier retreat. Intensive monitoring over the last 4 years includes measurement of measuringice ablation, proglacial discharge, dye-tracing of flow pathways, and deployment of three automatic weather sta-tions at altitudes up to 880 m. These data calibrate a distributed hydrological model (WaSIM) to project potentialriver regime during stages of glacier retreat. Results show: (1) glacier hypsometry sensitises the catchment to adisproportionately rapid increase in runoff as the snowline rises onto a gentle ice cap resulting in in a potentialannual increase in river discharge of up to 37% (2) a dominantly channelized glacial drainage system in all seasonswith a rapid runoff response to melt: englacial flow of 0.58 m s-1 is comparable to the proglacial river velocity;and (3) longer-term, reduced glacier cover and snow storage will lead to a discharge regime dominated by short-term precipitation events in all seasons, and a reduced influence of the seasonal meltwater discharge peak. Thestudy demonstrates the importance of glacier hypsometry above the present ELA as an influence on catchmenthydrological response to potential climate warming.

English

Glacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologically highly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, Iceland

                                                              University of DundeeGlacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologically highly-coupledVirkisjökull catchment, IcelandFlett, Verity; Kirkbride, Martin; Black, Andrew; Everest, Jez; MacDonald, AlanPublication date:2016Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordLink to publication in Discovery Research PortalCitation for published version (APA):Flett, V., Kirkbride, M., Black, A., Everest, J., & MacDonald, A. (2016). Glacier retreat and projected river regimechanges in the hydrologically highly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, Iceland. Abstract from EGU GeneralAssembly 2016, Vienna, Austria.General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in Discovery Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or othercopyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated withthese rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from Discovery Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain. • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal.Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Geophysical Research AbstractsVol. 18, EGU2016-4211, 2016EGU General Assembly 2016© Author(s) 2016. CC Attribution 3.0 License.Glacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologicallyhighly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, IcelandVerity Flett (1,2), Martin Kirkbride (2), Andrew Black (2), Jez Everest (1), Alan MacDonald (1,2)(1) British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, United Kingdom (v.t.flett@dundee.ac.uk), (2)Geography, School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, United Kingdom(m.p.kirkbride@dundee.ac.uk).Virkisjökull, an outlet glacier of the Oræfajökull icecap in SE Iceland, currently has 60% glacier cover, though thisis reducing due to glacier retreat. Intensive monitoring over the last 4 years includes measurement of measuringice ablation, proglacial discharge, dye-tracing of flow pathways, and deployment of three automatic weather sta-tions at altitudes up to 880 m. These data calibrate a distributed hydrological model (WaSIM) to project potentialriver regime during stages of glacier retreat. Results show: (1) glacier hypsometry sensitises the catchment to adisproportionately rapid increase in runoff as the snowline rises onto a gentle ice cap resulting in in a potentialannual increase in river discharge of up to 37% (2) a dominantly channelized glacial drainage system in all seasonswith a rapid runoff response to melt: englacial flow of 0.58 m s-1 is comparable to the proglacial river velocity;and (3) longer-term, reduced glacier cover and snow storage will lead to a discharge regime dominated by short-term precipitation events in all seasons, and a reduced influence of the seasonal meltwater discharge peak. Thestudy demonstrates the importance of glacier hypsometry above the present ELA as an influence on catchmenthydrological response to potential climate warming.

https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/files/10014177/EGU2016_4211.pdf

Glacier retreat and projected river regime changes in the hydrologically highly-coupled Virkisjökull catchment, Iceland

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