Interannual, seasonal, and spatial patterns of meltwater and solute fluxes in a seasonal snowpack

Meltwater discharge and electrical conductivity were measured in eight 1 3 1 m lysimeters, and snow accumulation and electrical conductivity of melted samples were measured in snow pits during four snowmelt seasons at Mammoth Mountain, California. The peak snow-water equivalent ranged from 0.57 to 2.92 m over the four melt seasons. Lysimeter discharges ranged from 20% to 205% of the mean flow; however, mean lysimeter flow was representative of snow ablation observed in snow pits. The electrical conductivity in snow pit samples and meltwater averaged 2–3 mS cm. Peak meltwater electrical conductivity ranged from 6 to 14 times the bulk premelt snowpack electrical conductivity. Snow depth did not affect the magnitude of the ionic pulse, and ion depletion as a function of snow ablation was similar from year to year despite interannual contrasts in melt rate and snow accumulation. Diel fluctuations in electrical conductivity were more pronounced in shallower snowpacks.