Seasonal snowcover occurs in about 25% of the Earth’s land surface, at high latitudes and high altitudes. The storage of precipitation in snowpack and glacier, and the subsequent melting, substantially impact the water cycle. Recent climate warming and changes in atmospheric circulation patterns have resulted in reductions in the duration of the snow cover season, the amount of water stored in the snowpack, as well as a widespread trend toward earlier spring melt and enhanced glacier melting. Environmental isotopes have a potential to provide an innovative assessment of critical linkages between the discharge from snow and ice systems and rivers/aquifers. The CRP is aimed at assembling isotopic evidence for water derived from snowpack, glaciers, and permafrost, and at isotope-supported estimation of transit times of meltwater through snow and ice layers, residence times in the subsurface and travel times to rivers, lakes and water supply and water energy facilities. Applicability of the results will be identified across catchment scales and with emphasis on their extrapolation under changed climate conditions.
To develop and test isotope techniques for quantitative assessment of interactions between water in snowpack, glaciers and permafrost, groundwater and surface water, using environmental isotopes
To assess the use of environmental isotopes for verification and further development of snow- and ice melt models
To develop and test conceptual models of water recharge, storage, age, origin and pathways between snowpack, glaciers, permafrost and adjacent groundwater and surface waters under present climatic conditions in a variety of snow-and ice dominated mesoscale catchments
To evaluate potential changes in surface water/groundwater interactions in snow, glacier and permafrost dominated areas under changing climatic conditions
To provide tools for sustainable management of water resources dominated by snow- and ice melt
To raise awareness of the snow, glacier and permafrost dominated water resources in the Member States and their assessment through environmental isotopes