Hydrometeorological relationships on Haig Glacier, Alberta, Canada

Abstract We investigate the relationships between meteorological, hydrological and glaciological data collected at Haig Glacier, Alberta, Canada, for the 2002 and 2003 ablation seasons. Correlation, lag cross-correlation and multivariate regression analyses are employed to assess the seasonal evolution of relationships between temperature, temperature residuals, total daily radiation, albedo, accumulation-area ratio (AAR) and total daily discharge (Qi ). Early-season melt is temperature-dependent, when AAR remains high and the hydraulic properties of the snowpack limit both diurnal discharge variability and a rapid hydrologic response. As the melt season progresses, a decreasing AAR and ripening of the snowpack induce a glacier-wide decrease in albedo, and a structured radiation–discharge response is observed. Radiation-detrended temperature values offer modest improvements over physical temperature values in multivariate regression models estimating daily discharge values. Using a detrended-temperature indexed melt model, we assess the transport efficiency of the glacial hydrologic system through a comparison of total modelled daily melt and observed discharge. Transport efficiency values support the notion of a purge effect during freezing events and at the end of the ablation season, and suggest that it is the evolution of the supraglacial drainage system that controls diurnal discharge variability.

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