Attenuation of High-Frequency Interannual Streamflow Variability by Watershed Glacial Cover
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 7
Abstract
We used nonparametric statistical and time-series analysis techniques to investigate the effects of watershed glacial cover upon interannual variability in a suite of hydrometric variables describing aspects of the annual hydrograph. Annual time series of eight streamflow-derived metrics were considered for each of five glacier-fed and four nival rivers in the southwestern Canadian subarctic. Our conclusions at are (1) rank-based coefficients of variation (CV) in robust measures of freshet-related flow magnitude and timing scale inversely with watershed glacierization; (2) CVs in extreme events measures do not exhibit a statistically significant relationship to degree of glacial cover; and (3) CVs in winter baseflow measures also show no glacial moderating influences. The CV results expand substantially upon previous work and are readily physically interpretable. Additionally, spectral analyses tentatively suggest that glacierization predominantly attenuates hydroclimatic variability at timescales of about 2–3 years or less.
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Acknowledgments
This research is a contribution to the Climate System History and Dynamics Program, jointly sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Meteorological Service of Canada. Tim Creyts, Dan Moore, and an anonymous reviewer provided constructive input.
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© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Mar 4, 2003
Accepted: Oct 1, 2004
Published online: Jul 1, 2005
Published in print: Jul 2005
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