Where does the water come from? Tracer-based analyses in the Rofental (Oetztal Alps, Austria) | Wo kommt das Wasser her? Tracerbasierte Analysen im Rofental (Ötztaler Alpen, Österreich)
2018
Schmieder, Jan | Marke, Thomas | Strasser, Ulrich
This contribution describes recent research in the tracer hydrology of the Rofenache, the mountain stream draining a high-elevation catchment in the European Alps (Oetztal Alps, Austria). Water samples of streamflow, springs, rain, snow and glaciers were analysed for electrical conductivity and oxygen-18. The streamflow tracer variability shows a marked annual and diurnal cycle, especially during the ablation period. By means of a tracer-based mixing model, both, high snowmelt (up to 80%) and glacier melt (up to 75%) contributions to streamflow could be attested. The streamwater is dominated by water older than three months, since only 16% young water fraction was estimated. This could be explained by high fractions of snow and glacier melt, but also occurs due to the deep percolation—typical for some mountainous catchments—which leads to a bypass and contribution to streamflow further downstream.
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