Electrical Conductivity during the Ablation Process of the Glacier No. 1 at the Headwaters of the Urumqi River in the Tianshan Mountains

Abstract

Electrical conductivity (EC) in aerosols, snow, and meltwater were evaluated at the headwater of the Urumqi River during the ablation seasons of 2003–2008. The results show that EC in meltwater can indicate the intensity of glacier ablation, which negatively correlated with air temperature and discharge. During the early ablation period, EC presents a fluctuation trend and runoff may be primarily from snow, frozen soil, and groundwater. EC decreases to the lowest level during the peak-flow period and runoff flows rapidly through a hydrological system predominantly in ice-walled conduits. EC increases to the highest level during the late ablation period, and runoff transports slowly through a distributed hydrological system at the ice-rock interface. EC in meltwater is far greater than in aerosols, surface snow, and precipitation, which are closely related to atmospheric circulation and dust loading. EC in snow pits denote the spatial variation of snow melting, the enrichment and loss of dissolved ions, and are affected by air temperature. The key ions to determine EC in meltwater are HCO3 -, Ca2+ and SO4 2-, and its dominant control might be biogeochemical pyrite oxidation coupled with calcite and/or dolomite dissolution.