Braidplain changes during the summer research season 2016 - Muninelva River, Central Svalbard
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Proglacial braided river systems in the High Arctic are very changeable during summer seasons. Hydrological regime of local streams is connected to a functioning the interaction between glaciers and atmosphere. This study summarize fluvial geomorphological summer research season of 2016 (7.7.2016 –27.8.2016). Our area of interest is located in central part of Svalbard archipelago near the Pyramiden settlement in Muninelva River catchment. The river is 6 km long and its channel belt is 50–250 m wide (Ondráčková et al., 2016). During the observation period of Muninelva River fluvial system we recognized many examples of well-developed fluvial forms changes, channel pattern evolution, channel bars downstream change, flood stages, hydrological conditions change, channel course replacement and also the end of the hydrological cycle. The changes of braided river channels are coupled with meteorological conditions, especially with temperature and precipitations. For example, the main channel of Muninelva River completely changed its trajectory at the end of the season. We also monitored activity of sediment supply in the whole river catchment. Muninelva River has two main material sources according to their position in respect to the main stream: I) head source – Muninbreen Glacier and its terminal moraine-mound complexes; II) lateral sources – colluvial and alluvial fans, terminoglacial fan from a lateral glacier and Devonian sedimentary rock bedrock in the channel belt banks. Through photographs we document the observed changes and bring new and original findings about the functioning of this proglacial river and its catchment. The overview of observed geomorphological changes give us new starting points for subsequent research topics (e.g.; downstream bedload grain-size and shape changes). (Financing, thanks: NF-CZ07-INS-6-263-2015 and LM2015078, Jon Ove Hagen, Jirka Ondráček and the field assistants) |
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