| Groundwater storage and transport processes were investigated in a proglacial moraine in the Canadian Rockies. Geophysical surveys showed that buried-ice and bedrock topography likely control groundwater routing and storage. Hydrograph analysis supported this finding and illustrated how hydrological response differs among moraine regions containing massive ice, degrading permafrost and unfrozen material. Based on these results, a new conceptual model suggests that the dominant groundwater flow system occurs at the moraine-bedrock interface. This flow system was further examined using solute and heat tracer experiments. Groundwater flow was dominated by melt events, while a response threshold existed for rainfall. Rainfall amounts less than the threshold resulted in negligible increases of groundwater flow, whereas amounts above the threshold resulted in large increases. Finally, moraine hydraulic conductivity was estimated using groundwater fluxes calculated from the tracer experiments. These finding make a significant contribution to the understanding of groundwater storage and flow in alpine watersheds. |
