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Using geochemical and isotopic chemistry to evaluate glacier melt contributions to the Chamkar Chhu (river), Bhutan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2016

Mark W. Williams ,
Alana Wilson ,
Dendup Tshering ,
Pankaj Thapa  and
Rijan B. Kayastha
Mark W. Williams*
Affiliation:
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Alana Wilson
Affiliation:
Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Dendup Tshering
Affiliation:
Center for Climate Change and Spatial Information, Royal University of Bhutan, Sherubtse College, Kanglung, Bhutan
Pankaj Thapa
Affiliation:
Center for Climate Change and Spatial Information, Royal University of Bhutan, Sherubtse College, Kanglung, Bhutan
Rijan B. Kayastha
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Science, Kathmandu University, Kathmandu, Nepal
*
Correspondence: Mark W. Williams, <markw@snobear.colorado.edu>
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Abstract

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Water stored as ice and snow at high elevations is a resource that plays an important role in the hydrologic cycle, particularly in the timing and volume of downstream discharge. Here we use geochemical and isotopic values of water samples to evaluate relative contributions of melting glacier ice and groundwater to discharge in Bhutan. River water samples were collected between 3100 and 4500 m in the Chamkar Chhu (river) watershed of central Bhutan's Himalaya. Glacier ice and snow were sampled in the ablation zone of Thanagang glacier. Groundwater was parameterized from spring water at elevations of 3100 and 3600 m. Synoptic sampling was carried out in separate expeditions in July, August and late September 2014, to characterize monsoon and post-monsoon conditions. Results from a two-component hydrologic mixing model using isotopic and geochemical (sulphate) values show that the glacier outflow contributions decrease from ∼76% at 4500 m to 31% at 3100 m. A four-component hydrologic mixing model using end-member mixing analysis shows glacier ice melt increasing as a proportion of discharge over the 3 month sampling period, and consistently decreasing with distance downstream of Thanagang glacier terminus. These results indicate that isotopic and geochemical tracers can provide a quantitative evaluation of the source water contributions to streamflow in Bhutan.

Keywords

glacier dischargeglacier hydrochemistrymeltwater chemistrymountain glaciers
Type
Paper
Information
Annals of Glaciology , Volume 57 , Issue 71 , March 2016 , pp. 339 - 348
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016

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