An Arctic groundwater system and its dependence upon climatic change: An example from Svalbard

Arctic groundwater systems are climatically controlled. On Svalbard, the pe rmafrost forms a 100-400 m thick and fairly continuous aquitard, and ground water recharge is mainly restricted to the temperate basal zones of the gla ciers. The climate changed quite quickly and became milder when the Little Ice Age ended at the end of the last century. Studies of two groundwater sy stems in Ny-Alesund show how climatic change and groundwater discharge are related. The groundwater discharge has decreased since the Little Ice Age, as a result of decreasing recharge. Decreased recharge is related to the de crease in the glaciers' accumulation zone and a decreased melting rate as t he glaciers approach a climatic equilibrium. For one groundwater spring, th e discharge has decreased roughly 50% since the 1920s. The terrestrial grou ndwater discharge of this spring may become quite limited or even cease in the relatively near future. The groundwater discharge channel through the p ermafrost zone may freeze as a result of decreased groundwater fluxes and t herefore lower transfer of geothermal heat. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.