Glacio-Hydrology, Discharge and Sediment Transport in the Decade Glacier Area, Baffin Island, N.W.T.

Abstract

Mass balance studies were initiated in 1965 on the Decade Glacier near the head of Inugsuin Fiord on the eastern coast of Baffin Island. The investigation is a part of Canada's contribution to the International Hydrological Decade Program. Detailed measurements of accumulation and ablation gave average figures of 25 cm and 21 cm respectively and thus the 1965 budget was slightly positive. Discharge measurements showed a close connection between rainfall and high discharge peaks in the glacier stream, whereas periods of high air temperature gave only small rise in river discharge. A similar pattern was obtained for the Inugsuin River which drains an almost glacier-free area of 125 km². The bulk of the annual run-off is assumed to pass the gauging station during the summer field season, and a rough calculation based upon a provisional rating curve indicated a yearly precipitation in the order of 430 mm in the catchment area of Inugsuin River.

The sediment load was measured 2–3 times daily in the Decade River, draining 12.8 km² of which 8.7 km² (68 %) is glacier-covered. In addition, a more detailed study was made once a week by sampling every 3 hours in a 24-hours period. The sediment transport showed huge variations, from a few kg/day to a maximum of 1183 × 10³ kg/day; the latter figure was observed on July 29 and it proved to be almost 60 % of the total amount of suspended inorganic material moved by the river during the whole observation period.