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<p>Snow, being one of the main sources of freshwater in the Himalaya, plays a significant role in sustaining the hydrological regimes and budget of its river basins. However, due to climate warming natural storage of water as snow is undergoing substantial changes posing a serious threat to the water security of the region. Therefore, it is critical to characterize the dynamics of hydrometeorological processes on snow which has implications to sustainable water resources management policies. In the present study, stable water isotopic patterns of fresh snow events (<i>n</i> = 159) and residual snowpacks (<i>n</i> = 40) along with backward trajectory analysis and isotope modelling were used to assess the stable water isotopic characteristics and to understand the hydrometeorological processes controlling pre- and post-depositional modification of isotopes in snow. Fresh snow events were depleted in heavier isotopes than rain and snowpacks and do not exhibit significant altitude affect. High d-excess (~ 20‰) was observed in fresh snow which is attributed to the moisture associated with western disturbances. The distinct variability observed in snowpacks reflects significant effect of refreezing and sublimation processes, modifying the stable water isotopic signatures. The higher slope (8.7 ± 0.1) and intercept (30 ± 1.2) observed in fresh snow events suggest condensation of moisture under sub-zero temperatures and moisture influxes during recycling. The lower slope (7.7 ± 0.3) and gradual increase of stable water isotopic values in snowpacks suggested fractionation during isotopic exchange between liquid and solid phases corroborated by isotope modelling. 96-hour back trajectory analysis suggested that recycled moisture with a unique isotopic signature plays a significant role in contributing to winter precipitation in the western Himalaya. This study emphasizes the significant influence of hydrometeorological processes on the stable water isotopic composition of solid precipitation and its meltwater, offering valuable insights for managing water resources in alpine, snow-dominated mountainous catchments.</p>

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Stable water isotopes in snow across the Kashmir Himalaya: constraints on hydrometeorological processes

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年5月30日

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  • Gh Jeelani,
  • Suhail A. Lone,
  • Virendra Padhya,
  • R. D. Deshpande,
  • Altaf Lone,
  • Kazimierz Rozanski

摘要

Snow, being one of the main sources of freshwater in the Himalaya, plays a significant role in sustaining the hydrological regimes and budget of its river basins. However, due to climate warming natural storage of water as snow is undergoing substantial changes posing a serious threat to the water security of the region. Therefore, it is critical to characterize the dynamics of hydrometeorological processes on snow which has implications to sustainable water resources management policies. In the present study, stable water isotopic patterns of fresh snow events (n = 159) and residual snowpacks (n = 40) along with backward trajectory analysis and isotope modelling were used to assess the stable water isotopic characteristics and to understand the hydrometeorological processes controlling pre- and post-depositional modification of isotopes in snow. Fresh snow events were depleted in heavier isotopes than rain and snowpacks and do not exhibit significant altitude affect. High d-excess (~ 20‰) was observed in fresh snow which is attributed to the moisture associated with western disturbances. The distinct variability observed in snowpacks reflects significant effect of refreezing and sublimation processes, modifying the stable water isotopic signatures. The higher slope (8.7 ± 0.1) and intercept (30 ± 1.2) observed in fresh snow events suggest condensation of moisture under sub-zero temperatures and moisture influxes during recycling. The lower slope (7.7 ± 0.3) and gradual increase of stable water isotopic values in snowpacks suggested fractionation during isotopic exchange between liquid and solid phases corroborated by isotope modelling. 96-hour back trajectory analysis suggested that recycled moisture with a unique isotopic signature plays a significant role in contributing to winter precipitation in the western Himalaya. This study emphasizes the significant influence of hydrometeorological processes on the stable water isotopic composition of solid precipitation and its meltwater, offering valuable insights for managing water resources in alpine, snow-dominated mountainous catchments.