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Description
The behaviour of river catchments, in conjunction with glaciers, permafrost and biotic elements, is undoubtedly one of the most important indicators of climate and environmental change in the Arctic region. The recognition of the hydrological processes and their changes in Svalbard is named as one of the most important research needs in the High Arctic. Water temperature is a principle variable, which has a significant impact on the aquatic environment in terms of water chemistry and freshwater biota. Main goal of the study is an identification of major factors shaping the thermal regime of arctic rivers and its temporal variability. The project will focus on the investigation of in-situ measurements in three selected glacierised and deglaciated catchments near the Polish Polar Station Hornsund in Spitsbergen, giving particular emphasis to the spatio-temporal variability of water temperature, runoff, precipitation, soil moisture, snow cover, ground temperature, groundwater levels, radiation, and their integration with tracer approach. The added value of remote sensing data, including imagery derived from both in-situ and UAV thermal infrared cameras will implement the analysis of spatial distribution of surface and subsurface thermal characteristics and flowpath of water. Archival hydro-meteorological data from the Hornsund station together with extended measurements proposed within this project will facilitate the modelling of water temperature dynamics to identify interactions between climate change and variability of thermal regimes of multiple arctic rivers. In order to forecast future hydrological conditions and their impact on polar environments, several data- and process-based hydrological models will be applied. The results of the proposed project will have extensive interdisciplinary applications, primarily in hydrology and climatology, but also in hydrogeology, geomorphology, and bio-ecology.