Contrasting hydrological regimes of glacier-fed and non-glacial streams on the Fildes Peninsula of King George Island, Antarctica

On the Fildes Peninsula the largest Stantsionnyj Stream (located in the central part of the peninsula) and the Korabel’nyj Stream (located near the Bellingshausen Glacial Dome) were studied. Streams are fed by precipitation, meltwater from snow cover and snowfields (Stantsionnyj), as well as by meltwater from Bellingshausen Dome (Korabel’nyj). During the austral summer (2014-2025) measurements of water discharge, pH, electrical conductivity and water temperature were carried out on these streams to understand their differences. There are several peaks of the flood regime on both streams, associated with snowmelt (usually in late November-December) and rains. In the basin of the Stantsionnyj Stream runoff comes from several lakes and snowfields. Water mineralization of the Stantsionnyj Stream change from 688 mg·L^-1 (because of previous runoff of water with high mineralization) to 30 mg·L^-1 (because of runoff of snowmelt), and then rises to 100 mg·L^-1 because of interacting water with the ground and later with seasonal active layer thawing. There is a cascade of 5 lakes in the basin of the Korabel’nyj Stream. The lakes are fed by runoff from the glacier and meltwater from snow and snowfields in the Central Massif. During the snowmelt period, the lakes begin to fill with water, as they are all dammed by blowing snow. As a result, all the upper lakes outburst water as cascade into the lower lake. The lower lake outbreaks through when the water level in it rises by 3-4 m. Water mineralization and water temperature were less than in Stantsionnyj Stream. The comparison showed more differences than similarities between two streams.