TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of ice‐front collapse and flood generation on a proglacial river channel near kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord), west greenland
AU - Russell, Andrew J.
AU - Van Tatenhove, Frank G.M.
AU - Van De Wal, Roderik S.W.
PY - 1995
Y1 - 1995
N2 - River discharge measurements downstream of the Russell Glacier, near Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord), West Greenland revealed the occurrence of short‐term discharge fluctuations during the 1991 melt season. Frontal ice‐cliff collapse results in temporary river damming, producing initial decreases in discharge and subsequent sudden flood peaks on dam failure. Fluctuations are less than two hours in duration, with a maximum discharge fluctuation magnitude of 50m3s−1, double that of normal ablation‐controlled diurnal fluctuations. As such, these events are exceeded in magnitude only by periodic jökulhlaups resulting from the drainage of an ice‐dammed lake further up‐glacier. The concentration of discharge fluctuations at the beginning of the melt season, the large number of ice blocks within the flow and the confinement of flows between ice block levees all add to the effectiveness of these events in terms of channel erosion and sediment transport.
AB - River discharge measurements downstream of the Russell Glacier, near Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord), West Greenland revealed the occurrence of short‐term discharge fluctuations during the 1991 melt season. Frontal ice‐cliff collapse results in temporary river damming, producing initial decreases in discharge and subsequent sudden flood peaks on dam failure. Fluctuations are less than two hours in duration, with a maximum discharge fluctuation magnitude of 50m3s−1, double that of normal ablation‐controlled diurnal fluctuations. As such, these events are exceeded in magnitude only by periodic jökulhlaups resulting from the drainage of an ice‐dammed lake further up‐glacier. The concentration of discharge fluctuations at the beginning of the melt season, the large number of ice blocks within the flow and the confinement of flows between ice block levees all add to the effectiveness of these events in terms of channel erosion and sediment transport.
KW - flood generation
KW - Greenland
KW - ice‐front collapse
KW - Søndre Strømfjord
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0029413106&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/hyp.3360090207
DO - 10.1002/hyp.3360090207
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0029413106
SN - 0885-6087
VL - 9
SP - 213
EP - 226
JO - Hydrological Processes
JF - Hydrological Processes
IS - 2
ER -