Abstract
A detailed study of hydrochemical changes during spring snowmelt was undertaken at a pristine site in mid-Norway. The composition of catchment outflow water reflects hydrological pathways through different soil horizons and the contribution of pre-event or long-residence time water. There was evidence of secondary snowpack elution and ionic enrichment of water collected below the organic horizons. The observed time lag in commencement of BC soil horizon flow indicated that during the initial stages of the melt, water did not penetrate the deeper mineral horizons, or that initially the soil was not at field capacity. Increased soil and surface thawing is proposed as an important mechanism affecting the routing and subsequent chemical alteration of soil water leachate. The relative importance of elution, pathways, and dilution processes within the study catchment is discussed and a scenario for the effects of winter anthropogenic inputs at this pristine site is presented.
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Ferrier, R.C., Anderson, J.S., Miller, J.D. et al. Changes in soil and stream hydrochemistry during periods of spring snowmelt at a pristine site in mid-Norway. Water Air Soil Pollut 44, 321–337 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00279262
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00279262