Quantifying the glacial meltwater contribution to mountainous streams using stable water isotopes: What are the opportunities and limitations?

Abstract

This study aims to determine the opportunities and limitations of using stable water isotopes to quantify the glacial meltwater contribution to mountainous streams. For this purpose, three partially glaciated catchments in the Swiss Alps were selected as the study area. In the three catchments, stable isotope analysis (δ18O and δ2H) was conducted of the streams and the end-members that contribute to the stream discharge (glacial meltwater, rain, snow). The investigations revealed that the contribution of glacial meltwater to mountainous streams can be quantified using stable water isotopes if three criteria are met: (A) The snow meltwater contribution to mountainous streams must be negligible due to its highly variable stable isotope signature; (B) the groundwater input needs to be either insignificant during this snow-free period or the groundwater residence time must be short such that groundwater contribution does not delay the end-member signal arriving in the streams; and (C) the isotope signal of the glacial melt end-member needs to be distinct from the other end-members. One of the three investigated catchments fulfilled these criteria in August and September, and the glacial meltwater contribution to the mountainous streams could be estimated based on stable water isotopes. During this time period, the glacial meltwater contribution to the stream discharge corresponded to up to 85% ± 2% and to 28.7% ± 10% of the total annual discharge, respectively. This high glacial meltwater contribution demonstrates that the mountainous stream discharges in August and September will probably strongly decrease in the future due to global warming-induced deglaciation. Overall, this study demonstrates that many hydrogeological conditions need to be met so that stable water isotopes can be used to quantify the glacial meltwater contribution to mountainous streams. This highlights the challenges when using stable water isotopes for hydrograph separation and serves as a guide for future stable water isotope studies in mountainous regions.