GIS, tracer test and water balance based hydrological analysis in Tarfala, Northern Sweden

Abstract: Current climate change poses a threat to the Arctic due to increasing temperatures, which cause the permafrost and glaciers to melt and thaw. This thesis focused on analyzing water balances in Tarfala catchment between 2000 and 2020 and using GIS as a support for tracer test results measured in Tarfala in 2021. The results suggest that high resolution DEM data are more useful compared to low resolution DEM when it comes to understanding local hydrology. In addition, analyses regarding tracer test data suggest that permafrost can act both as a hinder and water flow pathway changer in Tarfala. Water balance calculations show that the area is highly affected by snow, permafrost and climate change and may come to change towards wetter and snow and permafrost free conditions due to climate change.