During the summers of 1973 anrd 1974 processes and related responses operating on a small High Arctic sandur (basin area 91 km²)
were studied. Several aspects related to the sandur were investigated,
including the hydrologic regime of surface runoff, channel hydraulic
conditions, sediment transport, and the morphology of the channels
and sandur surface.
Summer climatic conditions strongly affected surface runoff
due to their influence on snowmelt, qlacial melt, and summer precipitation,
There was a noticeable diurnal rhythm in streamflow in response
to snowmelt and glacial melt. The influences of ice blockcage effects
on streamflow were also observable. A shallow active layer resulted in
a rapid response of surface runoff to snowmelt, glacial melt, and
rainfall sources.
These aspects of the hydrologic regime strongly affected
the hydraulic conditions of the streams. The main hydraulic adjustment
was produced by changes in velocity which led to rapid changes in flow
resistance and resulted in large variations in the rates of sediment
transport. Estimates of the stream load in the 1974 summer confirmed
that the bulk of the sediment was carried as bedload.
Channel bar forms which reflected hydraulic conditions
changed considerably over a summer period. On a long term basis,
the form of the channel longitudinal profile indicated an adjustment
to downstream hydraulic conditions while the surface morphology and
sediment distribution over the sandur revealerl the two-dimensional
variations in channel processes. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/15372 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Bennett, Bruce George |
| Contributors | Geography |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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