The Evolution of a Pulsating Supraglacial Stream
Date
2015-09-17
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Abstract
Supraglacial streams are a significant part of the glacial hydrological regime and important for understanding the dynamics between glacial hydrology, glacier dynamics, and climate change. During the 2014 ablation period on Bylot Island, Nunavut, a supraglacial stream, which flowed over a 13 m high waterfall at the front of Fountain Glacier, began to pulsate. The pulsating phenomenon involved the stoppage of flow over the waterfall for 10-15 s, with a total period of 27 s. The objective of this research was to determine the factors that influenced the evolution of the supraglacial stream. Results show a change in the weather, where multiple rainfall events occurred during the second week of the study. Analysis suggests that the rainfall caused the formation of a step-pool sequence within the streambed. In conclusion, the formation of the step-pool sequence and constructive interference from changes in flow conditions caused the distinctive pulsating.
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Physical Geography
Citation
St. Germain, S. (2015). The Evolution of a Pulsating Supraglacial Stream (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/28140