Results

Habitat conditions

Water turbidity (i.e., sediment concentration) was mostly differing among sites and positively linked to glacier cover in the catchment (% GCC, Fig. 2A). Along the gradient of decreasing glaciation, sediment concentration and sediment load (product of concentration and runoff, in g s-1) decreased exponentially from 30% to 0% glaciation (with an average rate of -12% and -21% per 1%-decrease in GCC, for sediment concentration and sediment load, respectively) (Fig. 2).
The concentration of nitrate, dissolved nitrogen and dissolved/total phosphorus was not related with the glacier cover in both years (p>0.05). Similarly, averaged water temperature metrics for July 2022 (daily means, daily ranges, daily maxima and minima) were not related to the glacier cover of the catchments (linear models, p>0.05, Fig. S1).