Lake-catchment interactions with climate in the low Arctic of southern West Greenland

Authors

• N. John Anderson, Geological Survey of Denmark and GreenlandFollow
• Sherilyn C. Fritz, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• Christopher E. Gibson, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Agricultural and Environmental Science Division, Newforge Lane, Belfast
• Bent Hasholt, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
• Melanie J. Leng, NERC Isotope Geoscience Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

12-16-2002

Comments

Published in Geology of Greenland Survey Bulletin 191, 144–149 (2002). Copyright © GEUS, 2002. Used by permission.

Abstract

Arctic hydrology plays a central role in the earth’s heat balance and ocean circulation (Vörösmarty et al. 2001). Future changes associated with human influence on the climate system are also predicted to cause major changes in the energy and hydrologic mass balance of Arctic catchments. Climate change will likely affect permafrost and snowmelt, which dominate Arctic hydrology and control the chemistry of surface runoff (and hence streams and lakes) as water percolates through the active layer. However, the controls and dynamic impact of snowmelt are poorly understood, because this critical timeframe is often missed by sampling programs. In the Søndre Strømfjord area only the broadest aspects of hydrologic variability have so far been documented (Hasholt & Søgaard 1976).