Identifying contribution of snowmelt and glacier melt to the Bhagirathi River (Upper Ganga) near snout of the Gangotri Glacier using environmental isotopes

Prakash, Shive; Singh, Dharmaveer; Jacob, Noble; Rawat, Yadhvir Singh; Arora, Manohar; BhishmKumar,

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2018.10.031

Cited by 56 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Isotopic seasonality and variation in endmember contribution to proglacial stream is observed with emphasis of shift in melt pattern of glacier components (snow and glacier ice) and influence of ISM in Chhota Shigri glacierized catchment, UCB. This result is well corroborated with the major shift in endmember (snow and ice) contribution to stream throughout ablation season in Gangotri catchment, UGB (Rai et al, ; Rai et al, ). According to Rai et al, , progressive seasonal isotopic depletion (enriched during May/June and depleted afterwards) in stream water is result of varying melt pattern of snow/glacier ice during nonmonsoon period.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Study augments that snow act as the major endmember during early ablation (May/June) and ISM period (August/September); correspondingly, ice is predicted to be dominant water source during peak ablation (July). Analogous isotopic seasonality in rainwater, stream water (Kumar et al, 2018), and resemblance towards switching major water source to discharge over ablation period (Rai et al, ) further advocates the hydro‐climatic similarities between UCB and UGB of western and central Himalaya, respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, uncertainty analysis associated with endmember fractional quantification (present study) is based on first order Taylor series expansion (Equation ) and inducted widely applicable Gaussian error propagation (Generreux, 1998; Hooper, Christophersen, & Peters, ; Equation ). The propagated uncertainty ( W ) due to varying tracer (δ 18 O) of endmember and proglacial stream water are estimated by multiplying their respective standard deviation of tracer signature with t statistics at 70% confidence limit (Rai et al, ; Sun et al, ). Obtained total uncertainty ( W t ) that augment snowmelt fractionation is determined to be (3.1%) by calculation as follows:

W = \sqrt{{(\frac{\partial_{y}}{\partial_{x_{1}}} W_{R 1})}^{2} + {(\frac{\partial_{y}}{\partial_{x_{2}}} W_{R 2})}^{2} + \dots \dots \dots + {(\frac{\partial_{y}}{\partial_{x_{n}}} W_{italicRn})}^{2}}

W_{t} = \sqrt{{[\frac{((), {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{st} - {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{ice})}{{({\overset{\overset{false¯}{X}}{true}}_{italicsn} - {\overset{X}{true}}_{italicice})}^{2}} \times w_{italicsn}]}^{2} + {[\frac{((), {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{st} - {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{sn})}{{({\overset{\overset{false¯}{X}}{true}}_{italicsn} - {\overset{X}{true}}_{italicice})}^{2}} \times w_{italicice}]}^{2} + {[\frac{((), - 1)}{{({\overset{\overset{false¯}{X}}{true}}_{italicsn} - {\overset{X}{true}}_{italicice})}^{2}} \times w_{italicst}]}^{2}}

where st = proglacial stream, ice = glacier ice, sn = snow,

…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Snowmelt (isotopic enriched index) dominate during onset of ablation in May/June, whereas glacier ice (isotopic depleted index) has influenced in subsequent high ablation period. In coherent to present study, isotopic seasonality (Rai et al, ) is acknowledged to assess the variation in water source over the ablation period in Gangotri catchment (Rai et al, ). Study augments that snow act as the major endmember during early ablation (May/June) and ISM period (August/September); correspondingly, ice is predicted to be dominant water source during peak ablation (July).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Study of isotopic seasonality to assess the water source of proglacial stream in Chhota Shigri Glaciated Basin, Western Himalaya

Kumar

Ramanathan

Arora

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

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The impact of surface melt patterns and the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) is examined on the varying contributions of end member (snow, glacier ice, and rain) to proglacial streamflow during the ablation period (June-October) in the Chhota Shigri glaciated basin, Western Himalaya. Isotopic seasonality observed in the catchment precipitation was generally reflected in surface runoff (supraglacial melt and proglacial stream) and shows a shift in major water source during the melt season. Isotopically correlated (δ 18 O-δD) high deuterium intercept in the surface runoff suggests that westerly precipitation acts as the dominant source, augmenting the other snow-and ice-melt sources in the region. The endmember contributions to the proglacial stream were quantified using a three-component mixing. Overall, glacier ice melt is the major source of proglacial discharge. Snowmelt is the predominant source during the early ablation season (June) and the peak ISM period (August and September), whereas ice melt reaches a maximum in the peak melt period (July). The monthly contribution of rain is on the lower side and shows a steady rise and decline with onset and retreat of the monsoon. These results are persistent with the surface melt pattern observed in Chhota Shigri glacier, Upper Chandra basin. Moreover, the role of the ISM in Chhota Shigri glacier is unvarying to that observed in other glacierized catchments of Upper Ganga basin. Thus, this study augments the significant role of the ISM in glacier mass balance up to the boundary of the centralwestern Himalayan glaciated region. K E Y W O R D S hydrograph, ISM, Isotopic seasonality, melt pattern, proglacial stream

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

W = \sqrt{{(\frac{\partial_{y}}{\partial_{x_{1}}} W_{R 1})}^{2} + {(\frac{\partial_{y}}{\partial_{x_{2}}} W_{R 2})}^{2} + \dots \dots \dots + {(\frac{\partial_{y}}{\partial_{x_{n}}} W_{italicRn})}^{2}}

W_{t} = \sqrt{{[\frac{((), {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{st} - {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{ice})}{{({\overset{\overset{false¯}{X}}{true}}_{italicsn} - {\overset{X}{true}}_{italicice})}^{2}} \times w_{italicsn}]}^{2} + {[\frac{((), {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{st} - {\overset{false¯}{X}}_{sn})}{{({\overset{\overset{false¯}{X}}{true}}_{italicsn} - {\overset{X}{true}}_{italicice})}^{2}} \times w_{italicice}]}^{2} + {[\frac{((), - 1)}{{({\overset{\overset{false¯}{X}}{true}}_{italicsn} - {\overset{X}{true}}_{italicice})}^{2}} \times w_{italicst}]}^{2}}

where st = proglacial stream, ice = glacier ice, sn = snow,

…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Study of isotopic seasonality to assess the water source of proglacial stream in Chhota Shigri Glaciated Basin, Western Himalaya

Kumar

Ramanathan

Arora

et al. 2019

Hydrological Processes

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It should be noted that the relative contribution of snow and ice-melts can be better constrained at the head-ward region of the glaciated catchment, since the contribution of precipitation and subsurface water increases substantially in the downstream region. A recent isotope-based study near the snout of the Gangotri Glacier (Upper Ganga Basin) have reported snow, glacier melts and direct runoff contributions of about 59.6, 36.8 and 3.6%, respectively [31]. Another study based on stable water isotope (δ 18 O) and Electrical Conductivity (EC) has estimated contributions of supraglacial melt (~65%) and subglacial melt (~35%) from the Chhota Shigri Glacier [32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moisture Sources for Precipitation and Hydrograph Components of the Sutri Dhaka Glacier Basin, Western Himalayas

Singh

Rahaman

Sharma

et al. 2019

Water

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Himalayan glaciers are the major source of fresh water supply to the Himalayan Rivers, which support the livelihoods of more than a billion people living in the downstream region. However, in the face of recent climate change, these glaciers might be vulnerable, and thereby become a serious threat to the future fresh water reserve. Therefore, special attention is required in terms of understanding moisture sources for precipitation over the Himalayan glaciers and the hydrograph components of streams and rivers flowing from the glacierized region. We have carried out a systematic study in one of the benchmark glaciers, “Sutri Dhaka” of the Chandra Basin, in the western Himalayas, to understand its hydrograph components, based on stable water isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) and field-based ablation measurements. Further, to decipher moisture sources for precipitation and its variability in the study region, we have studied stable water isotopes in precipitation samples (rain and snow), and performed a back-trajectory analysis of the air parcel that brings moisture to this region. Our results show that the moisture source for precipitation over the study region is mainly derived from the Mediterranean regions (>70%) by Western Disturbances (WDs) during winter (October–May) and a minor contribution (<20%) from the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) during summer season (June–September). A three-component hydrograph separation based on δ18O and d-excess provides estimates of ice (65 ± 14%), snowpack (15 ± 9%) and fresh snow (20 ± 5%) contributions, respectively. Our field-based specific ablation measurements show that ice and snow melt contributions are 80 ± 16% and 20 ± 4%, respectively. The differences in hydrograph component estimates are apparently due to an unaccounted snow contribution ‘missing component’ from the valley slopes in field-based ablation measurements, whereas the isotope-based hydrograph separation method accounts for all the components, and provides a basin integrated estimate. Therefore, we suggest that for similar types of basins where contributions of rainfall and groundwater are minimal, and glaciers are often inaccessible for frequent field measurements/observations, the stable isotope-based method could significantly add to our ability to decipher moisture sources and estimate hydrograph components.

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Spatial variability of runoff recharge sources and influence mechanisms in an arid mountain flow‐producing zone

Sang

Zhu

Qiu

et al. 2022

Hydrological Processes

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In‐depth knowledge of the hydrological conditions of basins in arid regions can help to maintain the long‐term water security. The mechanisms of runoff generation and flow paths in different landscape areas are not fully known due to spatial variability. We have explored the mechanisms by which spatial variability affects the runoff recharge sources in the Xiying River Basin. The results showed that the spatial variability of the sources and generation mechanisms of runoff in the arid mountain flow‐producing zone is the result of the combined effect of different landscape, elevation and meteorological elements. In the upstream area, the short mean transit time (MTT) combined with the high contribution of recharge from the meltwater (29.32%) and the proportion of pre‐event water (between 60% and 90%) means that runoff production processes are strongly controlled by meltwater recharge and precipitation events. The MTT and the proportion of pre‐event water in the midstream area are ranked in the middle of the three landscape areas, but the highest contribution of precipitation (16.57%) indicates the importance of precipitation to runoff production processes. In the downstream area, the MTT is the longest and the proportion of pre‐event water is the smallest, and groundwater remains the basis for long‐term stability of runoff (groundwater contribution rate: 40.62%). By enhancing the spatial resolution for identifying runoff recharge sources can reduce the model uncertainty by 69%. Thus, taking full account of the spatial heterogeneity in arid regions is an important initiative to achieve scientific water resources management.

show abstract

Identifying contribution of snowmelt and glacier melt to the Bhagirathi River (Upper Ganga) near snout of the Gangotri Glacier using environmental isotopes

Cited by 56 publications

References 66 publications

Study of isotopic seasonality to assess the water source of proglacial stream in Chhota Shigri Glaciated Basin, Western Himalaya

Study of isotopic seasonality to assess the water source of proglacial stream in Chhota Shigri Glaciated Basin, Western Himalaya

Moisture Sources for Precipitation and Hydrograph Components of the Sutri Dhaka Glacier Basin, Western Himalayas

Spatial variability of runoff recharge sources and influence mechanisms in an arid mountain flow‐producing zone

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