T265 Geologic Research in the Cascades: Understanding Glacier Change, Geologic Hazards, and Mountain Hydrology along an Active Margin in a Changing Climate (Posters)

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Hall D

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: CHARACTERIZING THE NISQUALLY WATERSHED OF MORA AS A MEANS TO EXPLORE THE USE OF NON-CONTACT DATA SOURCES IN MOUNTAIN HYDROLOGY

Paper number: T265-10
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Impacts from a changing climate are affecting the hydrology, geomorphology, and overall variability of rivers around the world. Upland watersheds are proving to be especially prone to these effects. Mountainous rivers are experiencing significant shifts in precipitation patterns and the storage of snow and ice in source areas, resulting in stark changes to hydrologic variability, sediment transport, and fluvial morphodynamics. Most hydrology methods have been developed for use in rivers with a slope of <0.001 m/m, and the advancement of knowledge relevant to steeper rivers with has followed slowly in comparison. This research aims to address gaps in mountain hydrology associated with the measurement of discharge and bedload sediment transport in mountain rivers with a slope ≥0.02 m/m, seeking means to improve our ability to observe hydrologic trends and morphodynamics.

Containing widely distributed low-resilience infrastructure, significant increases to precipitation intensities, and glacial recession rates greater than 0.1 m/day, the Nisqually River within Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) exemplifies a nexus of modern land management issues driven by climate stressors of the Pacific Northwest. With this study we seek to further characterize observable surface processes in the Nisqually watershed within MORA, and begin considering new methods and frameworks which may enable reliable monitoring of steep mountain rivers.

We consider the use of seismic, infrasound, and video analysis data as non-contact methods to measure discharge and sediment transport in steep mountain rivers. The primary non-contact data series can then be supported by remote LiDAR products and Sentinel-1 data to assess changes in the source areas and their potential impacts on observable behaviors. Initial data shows observable signals in the seismic/infrasound that seem to correlate to both water flow and bedload transport. We hypothesize there will be observable correlations with topography and snowmelt timing seen though remote sensing analysis, but also anticipate site-to-site variability based on substrate and local morphology. Further development of this framework provides MORA with a means to greatly improve it’s capacity to plan for and address engineering concerns related to climate change, and further research topics in mountain hydrology.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-405265

© Copyright 2024 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.