Hydrology of a Perennial Snowbank in the Continuous Permafrost Zone, Melville Island, Canada

The hydrologic processes of a perennial snowbank located in an area of continuous permafrost were examined. The major source of water for the snowbank was surface ablation, while the major sinks were outflow and basal ice growth. Subsurface flow from the active layer upslope and summer precipitation were unimportant as an inputs. Each diurnal outflow hydrograph exhibited a distinct plateau following the rising limb. This characteristic has not been observed in other studies of arctic snowmelt and is attributed to the great thickness of snow and the spatial heterogeneity of snow depths at the field site. Lag times between surface energy inputs and outflow did not follow a regular trend over the summer but recession limbs showed a slight steepening, reflecting gradual thinning of the snowbank.