Cryosphere–groundwater connectivity is a missing link in the mountain water cycle

van Tiel M. Aubry-Wake C. Somers L. Andermann C. Avanzi F. Baraer M. Chiogna G. Daigre C. Das S. Drenkhan F. Farinotti D. Fyffe C.L. de Graaf I. Hanus S. Immerzeel W. Koch F. McKenzie J.M. Müller T. Popp A.L. Saidaliyeva Z. Schaefli B. Schilling O.S. Teagai K. Thornton J.M. Yapiyev V.
July 2024 Springer Nature

Nature Water
2024 #2 Issue 7 624 - 637 pp.

The mountain cryosphere and groundwater play pivotal roles in shaping the hydrological cycle, yet their connectivity remains incompletely understood. Current knowledge on meltwater recharge and consequent groundwater discharge processes is better developed for snow–groundwater connectivity than for glacier–groundwater connectivity. Estimates of meltwater recharge vary considerably, which is probably a function of not only inherent catchment characteristics but also of the different spatio-temporal scales involved and the uncertainties in the methods used. This hinders a comprehensive understanding of the mountain water cycle. As glaciers retreat, permafrost thaws and snowpack diminishes, the relative importance of mountain groundwater is expected to increase. However, shifting and declining recharge from the cryosphere may decrease absolute groundwater amounts and fluxes with as-yet unknown effects on catchment-scale hydrological processes. We therefore stress the need to better quantify mountain cryosphere–groundwater connectivity to predict climate change impacts on mountain water supply and to support sustainable water resource management of downstream socio-ecological systems.

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Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Géosciences Rennes, Univ Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6118, Rennes, France
CIMA Research Foundation, Savona, Italy
Hydrology, Climate and Climate Change Laboratory, École de Technologie Superieure, University of Quebec, Montreal, QC, Canada
Hydrology and River Basin Management, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
Geology Laboratory, École Normale Supérieure - PSL & CNRS, UMR 8538, Paris, France
Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Geography and the Environment, Department of Humanities, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru
Cryopshere and Mountain Hydrosphere, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Klosterneubrug, Austria
Earth Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Institute of Hydrology and Water Management, BOKU University, Vienna, Austria
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, IDYST, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Institute of Geography (GIUB), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Hydrological Research Unit, Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI), Norrköping, Sweden
Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Department of Geography and Environmental Science (GES), University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Hydrogeology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
Département Sciences pour les Sols et Sous-Sols, IFP Energies Nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France
Mountain Research Initiative, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

Laboratory of Hydraulics
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest
Department of Physical Geography
Department of Civil and Resource Engineering
Géosciences Rennes
CIMA Research Foundation
Hydrology
Hydrology and River Basin Management
GeoZentrum Nordbayern
Geology Laboratory
Centre for the Study of Regional Development
Geography and the Environment
Cryopshere and Mountain Hydrosphere
Earth Systems and Global Change Group
Department of Geography
Institute of Hydrology and Water Management
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics
Institute of Geography (GIUB)
Hydrological Research Unit
Bolin Centre for Climate Research
Department of Geography and Environmental Science (GES)
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR)
Hydrogeology
Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
Département Sciences pour les Sols et Sous-Sols
Mountain Research Initiative
School of Mining and Geosciences

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