OBSERVATIONS OF LLEWELLYN GLACIER BY RADAR INSTRUMENTS FOR ESTABLISHING BASELINE HYDROLOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR THE UPPER YUKON RIVER BASIN

This study describes recent field activities conducted in the Llewellyn Glacier; the primary glacial areas that feed melt water to the Atlin Lake, all the way to the Whitehorse Dam. The research activities include 1) data analyses of hydrological attributes and meteorological observations near the glacier’s terminus (namely, the Lower Llewellyn site) and at a higher elevation close to the glacier’s accumulation zone (namely, the Upper Llewellyn site), 2) the estimation of ice thickness and surface elevation derived from the ice-penetrating radar (IPR) observations, and the rate of snow and/or ice melt approximated from the ablation wires, and 3) the estimation of annual glacier mass balances generated from the CRHM (Cold Regions Hydrological model) hydrological modelled time series of snow water equivalent (SWE) and ice melt. The field observation provides information on the glacier current form and mass balance characteristics which is important for establishing baseline hydrological conditions for the region. The roles of glacial melt water in runoff generation and the importance of glacier surface mass balance components to refrain and constrain landscape hydrological model will be discussed. The drawbacks of the current study including the guidelines for more advanced analysis will also be identified.