Isotopic characteristics of ice cover in a large northern river basin

✍ Scribed by J. J. Gibson; T. D. Prowse

• Book ID: 101284306
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 191 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6087
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1085(199911)13:16<2537::aid-hyp940>3.0.co;2-a

✦ Synopsis

Isotope stratigraphy of river-ice covers can be applied to reconstruct time-series of the stable isotopic composition of winter stream¯ow, although careful attention to ice type, morphology and location of sampling is required to obtain useful results. Ice surveys conducted in the Liard River Basin, northwestern Canada, suggest that the isotopic composition of winter stream¯ow is relatively invariant along the main river stem. However, systematic isotopic enrichment is observed over the course of the winter for small tributaries draining discontinuous-permafrost wetlands, and is attributed to shifts in the isotopic composition of source water. Recommendations for further study required to verify the underlying physical processes associated with this response are outlined.