In a temperate glacier there are typically one to several meltwater reservoirs affecting the shape and timing of the glacier's meltwater hydrograph. This study applies recessional analysis to define the number of meltwater reservoirs at the Matanuska Glacier, a large valley glacier (379km super(2)) in south-central Alaska with a relatively long discharge record (1995-2002). Three meltwater reservoirs were identified with mean residence times ( K) of 21.0, 37.1 and 88.8 hours. Annual mean K values show a significant drop to their lowest values in 1996, followed by a general increase from 1996 to 1998. During the interval 1999 to 2002, annual mean K values appear relatively stable and show little variation, with values near to those [...]
