Downstream Effects of Glaciers on Stream Water Quality, Mt. Hood, Oregon and Mt
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Downstream Effects of Glaciers on Stream Water Quality, Mt. Hood, Oregon and Mt. Rainier, Washington JANICE A. DOUGALL, DR. ANDREW G. FOUNTAIN Department of Geography, PortlaPortlandnd State University,University, Portland, OrOregon,egon, 97207 ………… Introduction Methods Electrical Conductivity Previous studies have shown that basins with partial glacier cover have less summer discharge variability Field data Measure temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity, and collect suspended sediment, and Electrical conductivity (specific conductance) is low in both glacial and non-glacial headwaters, and than non glacial basins due to increased melt during otherwise warm, dry periods ( e.g. Fountain and ion samples during late-summer on cloud-free days. increases with distance, but varies by stream. The lowest measures of specific conductance were found Walder 1998). Other studies addressed glacier effects on water quality in the proglacial plain (e.g. • Data loggers recorded temperature every 15 minutes over a period of days. among glacial streams. Runoff from the two smallest glaciers studied, Palmer and White rivers, had the Gurnell 1982, Uehlinger et al. 2003). However, few studies consider distant downstream effects of • Teams of 3 or 4 people measured conductivity and turbidity and sampled for suspended sediments lowest conductivities observed (<10μS cm-1). Runoff from larger glaciers, Emmons and Eliot, had glaciers on water quality. Glacial meltwater is characterized by low temperatures, low concentrations of hourly for between 6 and 24 hours specific conductance values >20μS cm-1 close to the glaciers. soluble ions, high suspended sediment concentrations, and high turbidity (Milner and Petts 1994).These • Samples were collected along streams in a Lagrangian fashion and included suspended sediment and qualities differ significantly between glacial and non-glacial streams. I hypothesize that the rate of change ionic concentration and testing for temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity. Electrical conductivity remained low in Palmer runoff, the Salmon River, to great distances, while some of these variables with distance from the glacier will scale with fraction of glacier cover relative to Statistical Analysis non-glacial streams in agricultural settings had much higher conductivity. watershed area. As glaciers recede, the reach and magnitude of these characteristics will also shrink. 1. To determine whether stream distance normalized by glacier size, L*, can be used to describe the decay of water quality variables with distance from glaciers. To test L* we ran least squares Specific Conductance vs L* regressions of water quality variables over L*, and compared the results to regressions against stream Specific Conductance vs L* Specific Conductance vs L* Specific Conductance vs L* 120 length, and basins’ fractional glacier coverage. 120 160 160 2. The non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was applied to determine the stream distance to which 100 White_Rainier 140 100 White_Rainier 140 White_Rainier Nisqually_R White_Rainier Nisqually_R glacial streams differ significantly from non-glacial streams. Data were ordered from least to greatest L* 120 Nisqually_R 80 Eliot/Hood_Hood 120 Nisqually_R 80 Eliot/Hood_Hood Eliot/Hood_Hood White_Hood value, then water quality values were compared in blocks beginning with the greatest L* value, and 100 Eliot/Hood_Hood White_Hood 100 White_Hood 60 Palmer/Salmon_Hood White_Hood 60 Palmer/Salmon_Hood 80 Palmer/Salmon_Hood All but Sandy including those for smaller and smaller L* values until the sets were significantly different (p>0.05). This 80 Palmer/Salmon_Hood All but Sandy All but Sandy 40 Non-Glacial* 60 All but Sandy 40 Non-Glacial* 60 Non-Glacial* Log. (Non-Glacial*) was repeated beginning with L*<100, L*<50 and L*<25 in order to find the range of L* values at which Non-Glacial* Log. (Non-Glacial*) 40 Log. (All but Sandy) 20 Log. (All but Sandy) 40 Log. (All but Sandy) Specific Conductance (uS/cm) 20 Log. (All but Sandy) Log. (Non-Glacial*) Specific Conductance (uS/cm) water quality variables became indistinguishable from non-glacial water. Specific (uS/cm) Conductance Log. (Non-Glacial*) Specific (uS/cm) Conductance 20 20 0 0 0 0246810 0 0246810 0 20406080100 L* 0 20406080100 L* L* L* Average Stream Temperature Average Stream Temperature compared with L* Results compared with L* 25 Mt. Rainier 25 White_R Stream Distance Normalized by Glacier Area 20 White_R Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) 20 Nisqually_R White River (Emmons Glacier) Nisqually_R Santiam_J Santiam_J 15 Eliot/Hood_H 15 Eliot/Hood_H Nisqually River (Nisqually Glacier) Sandy_H 2 Sandy_H Clear SSC differences exist between glacial and non-glacial R values for regressions on glacial data 10 White_H White_H 10 Palmer/Salmon_H Temperature (°C) Temperature Palmer/Salmon_H Temperature (°C) Temperature All Glacial streams, and between different glacial streams (see photo). L* Stream fractional glacier 5 All Glacial 5 Log. (All Glacial) Length cover Log. (All Glacial) 0 Glacial streams generally exhibit high SSC, especially close 0 0 102030405060708090100 0 102030405060708090100 Temperature (Log) 0.8227 0.7739 0.8461 L* L* to the glacier, and non-glacial streams tend to have low Suspended sediment 0.2104 0.4037 0.4063 Suspended Sediment Concentration v L*, semi-Log concentrations. After about L*40, some glacial streams concentration (Power) Suspended Sediment Concentration v L*, semi-Log 10.0000 Specific conductance 0.4143 0.3937 0.5174 10.0000 sediment has settled out and some non-glacial streams have White_R White_R (Log) 1.0000 Nisq_R gained particulates so that SSC is about the same. 1.0000 0102030 Nisq_R 0102030 Eliot_H Eliot_H Specific conductance 0.2828 0.4063 0.4126 Sandy_H Sandy_H 0.1000 White_H 0.1000 White_H (Power) Palmer SSC (mg/L) SSC Palmer SSC (mg/L) SSC All Glacial All Glacial Log. (All Glacial) 0.0100 Log. (All Glacial) Suspended Sediment Concentration v L*, semi-Log 0.0100 Power (All Glacial) Suspended Sediment Concentration v L*, semi-Log Power (All Glacial) Average temperature values were used. Median 0.0010 10.0000 0.0010 10.0000 L* L* suspended sediment concentration and specific White_R White_R Specific Conductance v L* 1.0000 Specific Conductance v L* 1.0000 Nisq_R Mt. Hood conductance were used because of the smaller 0 20406080 Nisq_R 300 0 20406080 Eliot_H 300 Eliot_H 0.1000 Sandy_H sample sizes. Sandy River conductivity was not 250 Sandy_H Eliot Cr., Hood River (Eliot Glacier) 250 White_R 0.1000 White_R White_H Nisqually_R White_H 200 Nisqually_R 200 Eliot/Hood_H Palmer White River (White River Glacier) included in regressions, due to its anomalous Eliot/Hood_H Palmer Sandy_H 0.0100 150 Sandy_H (mg/L) SSC 0.0100 Non-Glacial 150 White_H (mg/L) SSC Non-Glacial White_H Salmon River (Palmer Glacier) behavior. Correlation between L* and fractional Palmer/Salmon_H All Glacial 100 Palmer/Salmon_H All Glacial 100 All but Sandy All but Sandy Log. (All Glacial) Log. (All but Sandy) 0.0010 Log. (All Glacial) 50 Log. (All but Sandy) 0.0010 glacier cover and water quality characteristics (uS/cm) Conductance Specific Power (All Glacial) Sandy River (Sandy Glacier) 50 Tualatin River, (Non-Glacial) (uS/cm)Specific Conductance Power (All Glacial) 0 0 are stronger than stream length and water 0 102030405060 0 102030405060 0.0001 L* 0.0001 L* L* quality characteristics. L* Conclusions Distances to which glacial water quality parameters persist Results indicate that L* is a useful indicator of water quality trends with distance from a glacier. While Temperature fractional glacier cover (instead of L*) provides marginally better correlation, it is not as useful because it Visual inspection of a graph of glacial and non-glacial temperatures does not explicitly account for stream distance. shows that temperatures are distinctly different from non-glacial Suspended sediment concentration appeared to depend more on factors other than glacier size. Little N. Santiam River, (Non-Glacial) streams to about 20 glacier lengths (L*). An analysis using Mann- Whiney U test of the difference of medians revealed statistical Glacial water quality characteristics vary in magnitude along a stream according to glacier size, as can North Santiam R., differences between glacial and non-glacial temperatures to between be seen when temperature is plotted over stream distance and as conductivity at the glacier terminus (one sample, Mt. Jefferson glaciers) 9L* and 12L*, but these included all temperatures beginning with L*0. increases with size. Glacial stream temperatures are significantly different from non-glacial to at least 9- When listed by glacier size, water from larger glaciers stays colder 12 glacial lengths as measured by L*, and probably to at least 20 glacial lengths. longer. As glaciers shrink, the extent to which glacial water quality characteristics persist will likely shrink, too. Possible Limits on Downstream Effects Study Goals Average Stream Temperature Average Glacial Stream Temperature Study Goals Average Stream Temperature Average Glacial Stream Temperature compared with L* compared with Stream Distance References Test whether stream distance normalized by glacier area, 0.8 compared with L* compared with Stream Distance Fountain, A. G. Walder, J. S. 1998. Water flow through temperate glaciers, Reviews of Geophysics, 36: 299-328. 25 16 0.7 25 16 L*, provides a useful measure of stream length for the Glacial Rivers Glacial Rivers 14 Gurnell, A.M. 1982. The dynamics of suspended sediment concentration in an