Long-Term River Icing Dynamics in Discontinuous Permafrost, Subarctic Canadian Shield

Icing development in the subarctic Canadian Shield is statistically related to antecedent autumn rainfall and periodic warming intervals in winter. Here, we integrate observations of streamflow, meteorology, and river icing dynamics at the Baker Creek Research Basin, Northwest Territories. We demonstrate that icing development is concordant with winter runoff yield, which is influenced by antecedent autumn rainfall as part of a storage threshold-mediated hydrologic regime that is characteristic of Canadian Shield hydrology. Icing development in Baker Creek typically occurs only if winter runoff is accompanied by frequent warming intervals. Icing dynamics in Baker Creek may now be largely controlled by air temperatures, since runoff in winter has been common since 1997. (c) 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Permafrost and Periglacial (c) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.