Hourly surface meltwater routing for a Greenlandic supraglacial catchment across hillslopes and through a dense topological channel network

Gleason, Colin J.; Yang, Kang; Feng, Dongmei; Smith, Laurence C.; Liu, Kai; Pitcher, Lincoln H.; Chu, Vena W.; Cooper, Matthew G.; Overstreet, Brandon T.; Rennermalm, Asa K.; Ryan, Jonathan C.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021

Articles | Volume 15, issue 5

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021

© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 15, issue 5

Research article

|

18 May 2021

Research article |

| 18 May 2021

Hourly surface meltwater routing for a Greenlandic supraglacial catchment across hillslopes and through a dense topological channel network

Colin J. Gleason, Kang Yang, Dongmei Feng, Laurence C. Smith, Kai Liu, Lincoln H. Pitcher, Vena W. Chu, Matthew G. Cooper, Brandon T. Overstreet, Asa K. Rennermalm, and Jonathan C. Ryan

Model code and software

Gleason-et-al-TC-2021 C. J. Gleason https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4646423

Short summary

We apply first-principle hydrology models designed for global river routing to route flows hourly through 10 000 individual supraglacial channels in Greenland. Our results uniquely show the role of process controls (network density, hillslope flow, channel friction) on routed meltwater. We also confirm earlier suggestions that large channels do not dewater overnight despite the shutdown of runoff and surface mass balance runoff being mistimed and overproducing runoff, as validated in situ.