scholarly journals Mass Balance of Two High Arctic Plateau Ice Caps

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (113) ◽  
pp. 123-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond S. Bradley ◽  
Mark C. Serreze
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Mass Losses ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Contemporary Climate ◽  
Significant Mass

AbstractMass-balance measurements have been renewed on two small ice caps on north-eastern Ellesmere Island. Original stake networks were established in 1972 and 1976. Since then, both ice caps have experienced significant mass losses averaging –70 to –140 kg m−2a−1. They have also decreased in area. The equilibrium line in this area has averaged around 1150 m for the last decade or so. The ice caps are remnants of former climatic conditions and are out of equilibrium with contemporary climate.

scholarly journals Mass Balance of Two High Arctic Plateau Ice Caps

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (113) ◽  
pp. 123-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond S. Bradley ◽  
Mark C. Serreze
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Mass Losses ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Contemporary Climate ◽  
Significant Mass

AbstractMass-balance measurements have been renewed on two small ice caps on north-eastern Ellesmere Island. Original stake networks were established in 1972 and 1976. Since then, both ice caps have experienced significant mass losses averaging –70 to –140 kg m−2 a−1. They have also decreased in area. The equilibrium line in this area has averaged around 1150 m for the last decade or so. The ice caps are remnants of former climatic conditions and are out of equilibrium with contemporary climate.

scholarly journals Milne Glacier, Northern Ellesmere Island, N.W.T., Canada: a Surging Glacier?

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (105) ◽  
pp. 251-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin O. Jeffries
Keyword(s):  
Critical Condition ◽  
Maximum Rate ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Ellesmere Island ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Reservoir Area ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
Glacier Surges

AbstractDuring the period 1966 to 1983 Milne Glacier advanced 4.25 km at a mean annual rate of 250 m a−1. Since surges commonly occur over a two or three year period the maximum rate of advance could have been greater than 2 km a−1. The glacier terminus has a number of features indicative of past surge behaviour. Of these, at least three looped moraines suggest surges of the main valley glacier and tributary glaciers. As Milne Glacier is a cold glacier, surges may possibly be thermally regulated Accumulation rates on the ice caps of northern Ellesmere Island are low hence a critical condition in the “reservoir area” will be only slowly attained. As a consequence the periodicity of surges in Milne Glacier and other High Arctic glaciers is expected to be high.

scholarly journals Mass Balance of Four Cirque Glaciers in the Torngat Mountains of Northern Labrador, Canada

1986 ◽  
Vol 32 (111) ◽  
pp. 208-218
Author(s):  
Robert J. Rogerson
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Spatial Variations ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Negative Mass ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Debris Cover

AbstractThe net mass balance of four small cirque glaciers (0.7–1.4 km2) in the Torngat Mountains of northern Labrador was measured for 1981–84, allowing three complete mass-balance years to be calculated. The two largest glaciers experienced positive mass-balance conditions in 1982 while all the glaciers were negative in 1983. The temporal pattern relates directly to general climatic conditions, in particular winter snowfall. Spatial variations of mass balance on the glaciers are the result of several factors including altitude, extent of supraglacial debris cover, slope, proximity to side and backwalls of the enclosing cirque, and the height of the backwall above the ice surface. Abraham Glacier, the smallest studied and with consistently the largest negative mass balance (–1.28 m in 1983), re-advanced an average of 1.2 m each year between 1981 and 1984. Mean equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) for the four glaciers is 1050 m, varying substantially from one glacier to another (+240 to –140 m) and from year to year (+60 to –30 m).

scholarly journals Equilibrium-Line Altitudes, Mass Balance, and July Freezing-Level Heights in the Canadian High Arctic

1975 ◽  
Vol 14 (71) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
North West ◽  
Freezing Level ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
The North ◽  
Devon Ice Cap ◽  
Axel Heiberg Island

Equilibrium-line altitudes on the White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, and the north-west sector of the Devon Ice Cap are shown to be closely related to mean July freezing-level heights at nearby upper-air weather stations. An inverse relationship between July freezing-level heights and mass balance on the Devon Ice Cap is also shown. Reasons for such correlations are suggested and some limitations of the relationship are outlined. Recent lowering of the freezing level in July is discussed in relation to the theoretical “steady-state” equilibrium-line altitudes in the Canadian high Arctic. It is suggested that positive mass-balance years have predominated over a large part of northern Ellesmere Island and north-central Axel Heiberg Island since 1963, and some glaciological evidence supporting this hypothesis is given.

scholarly journals Surface mass balance of small glaciers on James Ross Island, north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula, during 2009–2015

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (245) ◽  
pp. 349-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZBYNĚK ENGEL ◽  
KAMIL LÁSKA ◽  
DANIEL NÝVLT ◽  
ZDENĚK STACHOŇ
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
James Ross Island ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACTTwo small glaciers on James Ross Island, the north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula, experienced surface mass gain between 2009 and 2015 as revealed by field measurements. A positive cumulative surface mass balance of 0.57 ± 0.67 and 0.11 ± 0.37 m w.e. was observed during the 2009–2015 period on Whisky Glacier and Davies Dome, respectively. The results indicate a change from surface mass loss that prevailed in the region during the first decade of the 21st century to predominantly positive surface mass balance after 2009/10. The spatial pattern of annual surface mass-balance distribution implies snow redistribution by wind on both glaciers. The mean equilibrium line altitudes for Whisky Glacier (311 ± 16 m a.s.l.) and Davies Dome (393 ± 18 m a.s.l.) are in accordance with the regional data indicating 200–300 m higher equilibrium line on James Ross and Vega Islands compared with the South Shetland Islands. The mean accumulation-area ratio of 0.68 ± 0.09 and 0.44 ± 0.09 determined for Whisky Glacier and Davies Dome, respectively, is similar to the value reported for Vega Island and within the range of typical values for high-latitude glaciers.

scholarly journals Equilibrium-Line Altitudes, Mass Balance, and July Freezing-Level Heights in the Canadian High Arctic

1975 ◽  
Vol 14 (71) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
North West ◽  
Freezing Level ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
The North ◽  
Devon Ice Cap ◽  
Axel Heiberg Island

AbstractEquilibrium-line altitudes on the White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, and the north-west sector of the Devon Ice Cap are shown to be closely related to mean July freezing-level heights at nearby upper-air weather stations. An inverse relationship between July freezing-level heights and mass balance on the Devon Ice Cap is also shown. Reasons for such correlations are suggested and some limitations of the relationship are outlined. Recent lowering of the freezing level in July is discussed in relation to the theoretical “steady-state” equilibrium-line altitudes in the Canadian high Arctic. It is suggested that positive mass-balance years have predominated over a large part of northern Ellesmere Island and north-central Axel Heiberg Island since 1963, and some glaciological evidence supporting this hypothesis is given.

scholarly journals Modelled glacier equilibrium line altitudes during the mid-Holocene in the southern mid-latitudes

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1575-1586 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bravo ◽  
M. Rojas ◽  
B. M. Anderson ◽  
A. N. Mackintosh ◽  
E. Sagredo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Climate Conditions

Abstract. Glacier behaviour during the mid-Holocene (MH, 6000 years BP) in the Southern Hemisphere provides observational data to constrain our understanding of the origin and propagation of palaeoclimate signals. In this study we examine the climatic forcing of glacier response in the MH by evaluating modelled glacier equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) and climatic conditions during the MH compared with pre-industrial time (PI, year 1750). We focus on the middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically Patagonia and the South Island of New Zealand. Climate conditions for the MH were obtained from PMIP2 model simulations, which in turn were used to force a simple glacier mass balance model to simulate changes in ELA. In Patagonia, the models simulate colder conditions during the MH in austral summer (−0.2 °C), autumn (−0.5 °C), and winter (−0.4), and warmer temperatures (0.2 °C) during spring. In the Southern Alps the models show colder MH conditions in autumn (−0.7 °C) and winter (−0.4 °C), warmer conditions in spring (0.3 °C), and no significant change in summer temperature. Precipitation does not show significant changes but exhibits a seasonal shift, with less precipitation from April to September and more precipitation from October to April during the MH in both regions. The mass balance model simulates a climatic ELA that is 15–33 m lower during the MH compared with PI conditions. We suggest that the main causes of this difference are driven mainly by colder temperatures associated with the MH simulation. Differences in temperature have a dual effect on glacier mass balance: (i) less energy is available for ablation during summer and early autumn and (ii) lower temperatures cause more precipitation to fall as snow rather than rain in late autumn and winter, resulting in more accumulation and higher surface albedo. For these reasons, we postulate that the modelled ELA changes, although small, may help to explain larger glacier extents observed by 6000 years BP in South America and New Zealand.

scholarly journals Quantifying the Mass Balance of Ice Caps on Severnaya Zemlya, Russian High Arctic. I: Climate and Mass Balance of the Vavilov Ice Cap

2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Bassford ◽  
M. J. Siegert ◽  
J. A. Dowdeswell ◽  
J. Oerlemans ◽  
A. F. Glazovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Severnaya Zemlya

scholarly journals Mass balance of glaciers in the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut, Canada

2005 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 417-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy M. Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Canadian High Arctic ◽  
Laser Altimetry ◽  
Northeast Section ◽  
Ice Caps ◽  
Laser Measurements ◽  
Devon Island ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Devon Ice Cap

AbstractMass-balance measurements began in the Canadian High Arctic in 1959. This paper considers the >40 years of measurements made since then, principally on two stagnant ice caps (on Meighen and Melville Islands), parts of two ice caps (the northeast section of Agassiz Ice Cap on northern Ellesmere Island and the northwest part of Devon Ice Cap on Devon Island) and two glaciers (White and Baby Glaciers, Axel Heiberg Island). The results show continuing negative balances. All the glaciers and ice caps except Meighen Ice Cap show weak but significant trends with time towards increasingly negative balances. Meighen Ice Cap may owe its lack of a trend to a cooling feedback from the increasingly open Arctic Ocean nearby (Johannessen and others, 1995). Feedback from this ocean has been shown to be the main cause of this ice cap’s growth and persistence at such a low elevation of <300 ma.s.l. (Alt, 1979). There may be a similar feedback in the lower elevations on Sverdrup Glacier which drains the northwest sector of Devon Ice Cap. The ablation rates there have not increased to the same extent as they have at higher elevations on the same glacier. Although evidence from the meteorological stations in the area shows that the eastern Arctic has either been cooling or has shown no change on an annual basis between 1950 and 1998, the same records show that the summers are showing a slight warming (Zhang and others, 2000). The summer warming, although slight (<1.0˚C over 48 years), is the cause of the weak trend to increasingly negative balances. This is because the mass-balance variability is dominated by the year-to-year variations in the summer balance; there is a very low variability, and no trend over time even within sections of the time series, of the winter balance of the various ice caps and glaciers. Repeat laser altimetry of ice caps by NASA for the period 1995–2000 over most of the ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (Abdalati and others, 2004) has shown that the ablation zones are thinning while the accumulation zones show either a slight thickening or very little elevation change. Laser altimetry is revealing similar patterns of change in Greenland (Krabill and others, 2000) and Svalbard (Bamber and others, 2004). The thickening of the accumulation zones in the Canadian case may be due to higher accumulation rates, not just between the two years of laser measurements, but over a period substantially longer than the >40 years of ground-based measurements.

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