Hydrological and Chemical Effects of a Changing Cryosphere on Mountain Freshwaters

Billions of people depend upon mountains for water supply. Glaciers and permafrost ice (and related landforms) are key elements of the mountain cryosphere, and represent relevant water sources for downstream areas. In the last decades, the majority of mountain glaciers have been receding, while permafrost has undergone rapid degradation and ice loss due to warming climate. These changes affect the quantity and quality of mountain freshwaters. Glacier recession can modify the hydrological regime of headwater streams and the water balance of lakes and ponds. In turn, permafrost degradation and the changes in rock glaciers - and other mountain landforms - may partially offset water shortages by increasing the water storage capacity of mountain terrains. The loss of cryosphere can also increase the content of solutes and trace elements in mountain freshwaters, and modify the nitrogen and carbon cycling of these fragile ecosystems.

In this Research Topic, we welcome studies that outline recent advances in understanding the impacts of cryospheric changes on the hydrological and chemical characteristics of freshwaters in mountain areas. Special focus will be on key cryospheric elements: glaciers, permafrost, and mountain landforms such as rock glaciers. In particular, given the breadth and complexity of the Research Topic, we look for multidisciplinary approaches (e.g., hydrology, chemistry, geophysics), integrating different methodologies (e.g., in situ measurements, remote sensing observations) at small and large scales.

Research areas covered in this Research Topic includes, but is not strictly limited to, the following themes:
• Effects of glacier shrinkage on hydrologic components in glacierised catchments
• Areal and volumetric changes of lakes and ponds as indicators of glacial modifications
• Impact of permafrost loss on subsurface flow paths and runoff dynamics
• Influence of rock glaciers and other mountain landforms on the hydrochemical conditions of running and impounded surface waters
• Role of permafrost degradation and related ice melt as a source of water
• Weathering processes and solute release in changing glacial and periglacial environments
• Influence of glacier recession and permafrost degradation on concentrations and fluxes of nitrogen and organic carbon

All manuscript types are welcome, and we particularly encourage Original Research Papers, Reviews, and Opinions.

Keywords: mountains, glacier, permafrost, rock glacier, water chemistry, hydrology, hydrogeology, water Isotopes

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.