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Hydrology Increased glacial melt Related topics

Hydrology due to volcanic ash UNESCO

Gauging stations USGS

... unless thick enough to insulate
Monitoring flow NASA
19.1.2011
Measuring glaciers International Polar Year
A hydrological year is defined as the period
Flood research Climate and Energy
from 1st September to 31st August. After the Systems
Hazard and risk processing of measurement results, data are
assessments Climate and Energy
analysed and interpreted.
Mapping runoff Distribution of ash thickness from the Arctic HYDRA
Increased glacial melt characterizes the Eyjafjallajökull eruption (click to enlarge
Directives WMO
2009/2010 hydrological year in areas where the map). Authors: Guðrún Larsen,
Partnership and volcanic ash from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption Ármann Höskuldsson, Magnús Tumi
projects was sufficiently thick. Surprisingly, glacial melt Guðmundsson, Þorvaldur Þórðarson, Björn
Articles Oddsson, Þórdís Högnadóttir.
was lower closer to the eruption where the ash
Contact was even thicker.

This hydrological year was also characterized by decreased discharge in direct run off
rivers and spring fed rivers due to low precipitation, especially in the west of the country.

Increased glacial melt

Jökulsá á Fjöllum

Figure 1. Discharge from Jökulsá á Fjöllum, during five subsequent hydrological years
(since 2005/2006). The most recent year (2009/2010) is shown in black.

Jökulsá á Fjöllum - zoom in

 Figure 2. Discharge from Jökulsá á Fjöllum, during five subsequent summers (mid April
through August) since 2006. The most recent summer is shown in black (2010).

Figs. 1 and 2 show water discharge in the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum at Grímsstaðir (in the
northeast of the country). It was about average until June when glacial melt began. The
weather was warm and sunny. The discharge far exceeded the mean and the volume that
flowed in June, July and August was 1.4 km3 above average. This corresponds to 1.2
meters of ice melt over the whole drainage area of the glacier, but the total ice melt
during the period was 2 meters. The figure also shows that spring melt in the highlands
begins in April and May and glacier melt in June.

Same is true for many rivers where ash thickness was comparable (see map above).

Average glacial melt

Markarfljót - summer

Figure 3. Discharge from Markarfljót during five subsequent summers (late May through
August) since 2006. The most recent summer is shown in black (2010).

Fig. 3 shows the river Markarfljót in the south, which is located near the volcanic eruptions
which occurred in spring 2010 (see map below). The discharge in Markarfljót was only low
to average during the period of glacial melt. The drainage area on northwestern
Mýrdalsjökull ice cap was covered with a thick layer of ash, which likely acted as an
insulator. Precipitation is a pronounced factor in Markarfljót.

Low precipitation
Haffjarðará

Figure 4. Discharge from Haffjarðará from mid May through August.

Haffjarðará, West Iceland, is a direct run off river. Fig. 4 shows the effect of low
precipitation on such rivers. During a dry spell in late summer, water discharge was very
low. In preceding years, it was also rather low except during the summer of 2005 (red
line). The black line (2010) shows that hardly any rain fell on the drainage area last
summer.

Location
A map which shows the location of various rivers (i. e. the location of the measuring point
 at each river) is also available as pdf (7.2 Mb). See Jökulsá á Fjöllum in the northeast,
Markarfljót in the south and Haffjarðará in the west. The volcanic eruptions in March, April
and May 2010 are shown in red.

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