Hydrological storage and pathways in alpine headwaters

本研究的长期目标是提高我们对高山水文过程的认识，开发代表这些过程的数学算法，并将算法纳入大尺度流域模型，用于预测气候变暖下的河流流量。加拿大西部大部分河流的源头都在高山地区。高山源区的水文受冰雪过程的强烈影响，而冰雪过程又对气候变暖非常敏感。气温升高预计将导致降雨增多、降雪减少、融雪提前、冻结推迟、高山冰川退缩。虽然冰川的损耗和融雪和冻结时间的变化有很好的记录，但它们对河流流量的影响还没有得到很好的理解。这主要是由于缺乏以野外为基础的水文过程研究，侧重于高山源头的储存机制和流动途径。没有对水文过程的充分认识，很难建立可靠的山地河流流域水文模型。在加拿大落基山脉的文献回顾和初步研究已经确定了地下水过程和地表水-地下水相互作用的关键知识空白。因此，未来五年的短期目标将包括：1)表征冰川融化、融雪和雨水在溪流、湖泊和地下水含水层中的储存和路径；2)开发地表和地下过程的小尺度（1-10 km2）模型；3)将小尺度模型与大尺度流域模型联系起来。

The long-term goal of this study is to advance our understanding of alpine hydrological processes, develop mathematical algorithms representing these processes, and incorporate the algorithms into large-scale basin models for the prediction of river flow in the warming climate. Most of the rivers in western Canada have their headwaters in the alpine region. The hydrology of alpine headwaters is strongly influenced by the processes involving snow and ice, which in turn are sensitive to the climate warming. An increase in air temperature is expected to result in more rain and less snow, earlier snowmelt and later freeze-up, and the retreat of alpine glaciers. While the wastage of glaciers and the shift in the timing of snowmelt and freeze-up are well documented, their effects on river flow regime are not well understood. This is largely due to the lack of field-based hydrological process studies focusing on storage mechanisms and flow pathways in the alpine headwaters. Without a sound understanding of the hydrological processes, it is difficult to build reliable hydrological models of mountain river basins. Literature review and preliminary studies in the Canadian Rockies have identified critical knowledge gaps in groundwater processes and surface-groundwater interaction. Therefore, the short-term objectives within the next five years will include: 1) characterization of the storage and routing of glacier melt, snowmelt, and rain water in streams, lakes, and groundwater aquifers, 2) development of small-scale (1-10 km2) models of surface and subsurface processes, and 3) linking the small-scale models to large-scale river basin models.