Christopher B. Gardner

Spatial variations in the geochemistry of glacial meltwater streams in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica

Abstract Streams in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, flow during the summer melt season (4–12 weeks) when air temperatures are close to the freezing point of water. Because of the low precipitation rates, streams originate from glacial meltwater and flow to closed-basin lakes on the valley floor. Water samples have been collected from the streams in the Dry Valleys since the start of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research project in 1993 and these have been analysed for ions and nutrient chemistry. Controls such as landscape position, morphology of the channels, and biotic and abiotic processes are thought to influence the stream chemistry. Sea-salt derived ions tend to be higher in streams that are closer to the ocean and those streams that drain the Taylor Glacier in western Taylor Valley. Chemical weathering is an important process influencing stream chemistry throughout the Dry Valleys. Nutrient availability is dependent on landscape age and varies with distance from the coast. The streams in Taylor Valley span a wide range in composition and total dissolved solids and are surprisingly similar to a wide range of much larger temperate and tropical river systems.

The geochemistry of upland ponds, Taylor Valley, Antarctica

Abstract The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are the largest ice-free region on the continent. These valleys contain numerous water bodies that receive seasonal melt from glaciers. For forty years, research emphasis has been placed on the larger water bodies, the permanent ice-covered lakes. We present results from the first study describing the geochemistry of ponds in the higher elevations of Taylor Valley. Unlike the lakes at lower elevations, the landscape on which these ponds lie is among the oldest in Taylor Valley. These upland ponds wax and wane in size depending on the local climatic conditions, and their ionic concentrations and isotopic composition vary annually depending on the amount of meltwater generated and their hydrologic connectivity. This study evaluates the impact of changes in summer climate on the chemistry of these ponds. Although pond chemistry reflects the initial meltwater chemistry, dissolution and chemical weathering within the stream channels, and possibly permafrost fluid input, the primary control is the dilution effect of glacier melt during warmer summers. These processes lead to differences in solute concentrations and ionic ratios between ponds, despite their nearby proximity. The change in size of these ponds over time has important consequences on their geochemical behaviour and potential to provide water and solutes to the subsurface.

Evaluation of controls on silicate weathering in tropical mountainous rivers: Insights from the Isthmus of Panama

The Isthmus of Panama comprises a lithologically diverse andesitic oceanic arc of Late Cretaceous to Holocene age; it has large spatial variation in rainfall, displays a large range of physical erosion rates, and, therefore, is an ideal location to examine silicate weathering in the tropics. We use a multiyear data set of river chemistry for a 450 km transect across the Cordillera Central of west-central Panama to investigate controls on chemical weathering in tropical small mountainous rivers. Sea-salt corrected cation weathering yields (Casil + Mgsil + Na + K) range over more than an order in magnitude from 3.1 to 31.7 t/km2/yr, while silicate weathering yields (Casil + Mgsil + Na + K + Si) range from 6.9 to 69.5 t/km2/yr. Watershed lithology is the primary control on riverine chemistry, but landscape topographic character and land cover and/or land use also influence solute delivery potential. Strong statistical links of small mountainous river chemical weathering fluxes with rainfall and physical weathering rates attest to the importance of runoff and erosion in maintaining elevated bedrock weathering rates. CO2 consumption ranges from 155 × 103 mol/km2/yr to 1566 × 103 mol/km2/yr, in the upper range of global rates, leading us to suggest that andesite terrains should be considered separately when calculating removal of CO2 from the atmosphere via silicate weathering.

Linking silicate weathering to riverine geochemistry—A case study from a mountainous tropical setting in west-central Panama

Chemical analyses from 71 watersheds across an ∼450 km transect in west-central Panama provide insight into controls on weathering and rates of chemical denudation and CO2 consumption across an igneous arc terrain in the tropics. Stream and river compositions across this region of Panama are generally dilute, having a total dissolved solute value = 118 ± 91 mg/L, with bicarbonate and silica being the predominant dissolved species. Solute, stable isotope, and radiogenic isotope compositions are consistent with dissolution of igneous rocks present in Panama by meteoric precipitation, with geochemical signatures of rivers largely acquired in their upstream regions. Comparison of a headwater basin with its entire watershed observed considerably more runoff production from the high-elevation upstream portion of the catchment than in its much more spatially extensive downstream region. Rock alteration profiles document that weathering proceeds primarily by dissolution of feldspar and pyroxene, with base cations effectively leached in the following sequence: Na > Ca > Mg > K. Control on water chemistry by bedrock lithology is indicated through a linking of elevated ([Na + K]/[Ca + Mg]) ratios in waters to a high proportion of catchment area silicic bedrock and low ratios to mafic bedrock. Sr-isotope ratios are dominated by basement-derived Sr, with only very minor, if any, contribution from other sources. Cation weathering of Casil + Mgsil + Na + K spans about an order in magnitude, from 3 to 32 tons/km2/yr. Strong positive correlations of chemical denudation and CO2 consumption are observed with precipitation, mean watershed elevation, extent of land surface forest cover, and physical erosion rate.