Groundwater in catchments headed by temperate glaciers: A review

Catchments headed by temperate glaciers are severely impacted by climate change, and extensively studied from glaciological and surface hydrology perspectives. However groundwater in the same catchments is much more seldom mentioned, and even less studied. The few available studies found in the scientific literature tend to show a particularly high recharge of aquifers by glacial meltwater, a strong connection between surface and ground waters, and quite high hydraulic permeability in moraines and tills aquifers. New and more systematic studies could confirm and details these results. Such characteristics suggest that groundwater in coastal catchments headed by temperate glaciers could feed offshore fresh groundwater stocks. The role of potential deeper aquifers in fractured bedrock remains completely unknown. The numerous examples of natural hazards and of the sensitivity of water resources to the water cycle in catchments headed by temperate glaciers underline the importance of the study of hydrogeology, and of socioeconomic aspects, in these catchments where population is glacier-dependant. The study of groundwater in catchments headed by temperate glaciers is just at the start and there is much to be studied.