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).