scholarly journals Mass Balance of “Vesper” Glacier, Washington, U.S.A.

1981 ◽  
Vol 27 (96) ◽  
pp. 271-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
David P. Dethier ◽  
Jan E. Frederick
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Cascade Range ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
The North ◽  
Snow Line ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Geologic Data

AbstractDuring 1974–75 glaciologic and geologic studies were conducted on a small (0.17 km2) avalanche-nourished glacier in the North Cascade Range of Washington. The approximate equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) for this ice body, informally called “Vesper” glacier, lies at 1475 m, some 300 m below the regional ELA value. Estimated annual accumulation was 6 100±675 mm during the two years of study; 15 to 30% of this flux resulted from avalanche and wind–transported snow. Average annual ablation during the period was 5 350 mm, giving a total net balance of + 1 600 mm for the two-year study period. “Vesper” glacier persists well below the regional snow-line because of excessive local precipitation, substantial avalanche contributions, and a favourable north-facing aspect.Neoglacial moraines indicate that maximum ELA lowering in this period was approximately 165 m and occurred prior to a.d. 1670. Minor re-advances occurred during the nineteenth century. These reconnaissance measurements are consistent with the sparse geologic data reported from other glaciers in the Cascade Range. While the relationship between regional lowering of snow-line and avalanche activity is uncertain at present, these data suggest that avalanche-nourished glaciers provide a useful record of climatic fluctuations.

scholarly journals Mass Balance of “Vesper” Glacier, Washington, U.S.A.

1981 ◽  
Vol 27 (96) ◽  
pp. 271-282
Author(s):  
David P. Dethier ◽  
Jan E. Frederick
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Cascade Range ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
The North ◽  
Snow Line ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Geologic Data

AbstractDuring 1974–75 glaciologic and geologic studies were conducted on a small (0.17 km2) avalanche-nourished glacier in the North Cascade Range of Washington. The approximate equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) for this ice body, informally called “Vesper” glacier, lies at 1475 m, some 300 m below the regional ELA value. Estimated annual accumulation was 6 100±675 mm during the two years of study; 15 to 30% of this flux resulted from avalanche and wind–transported snow. Average annual ablation during the period was 5 350 mm, giving a total net balance of + 1 600 mm for the two-year study period. “Vesper” glacier persists well below the regional snow-line because of excessive local precipitation, substantial avalanche contributions, and a favourable north-facing aspect.Neoglacial moraines indicate that maximum ELA lowering in this period was approximately 165 m and occurred prior to a.d. 1670. Minor re-advances occurred during the nineteenth century. These reconnaissance measurements are consistent with the sparse geologic data reported from other glaciers in the Cascade Range. While the relationship between regional lowering of snow-line and avalanche activity is uncertain at present, these data suggest that avalanche-nourished glaciers provide a useful record of climatic fluctuations.

Mendelssohn and the Idea of the North

2020 ◽  
pp. 115-139
Author(s):  
Sarah Clemmens Waltz
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe ◽  
Folk Song ◽  
German Culture ◽  
Early Nineteenth Century ◽  
The North ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter re-evaluates Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Scottish’ works by placing them in the context of the early-nineteenth-century North German view of Scotland, especially as channelled through Mendelssohn’s mentors Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Carl Friedrich Zelter. Such interest in Scotland was undergirded by a belief in a shared German-Celtic past and a sense that Scottish culture was not exotic but rather essentially German. Figures in Mendelssohn’s circle participated in deliberate attempts to claim a general northern antiquity for German culture, using arguments concerning the relationship of climate, race, and character. A recontextualization of Scotland as representing a lost German past may signal additional reinterpretations of Mendelssohn’s anticipations of travel, his travel experiences, and his statements concerning folk song, as well as his Fantasy, Op. 28, originally titled Sonate écossaise.

The Annual Balance of North Cascade Glaciers, Washington, U.S.A., Measured and Predicted Using An Activity-Index Method

1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (117) ◽  
pp. 194-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauri S. Pelto
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Prediction Method ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Area Ratio ◽  
Index Method ◽  
The North ◽  
Snow Line ◽  
Accumulation Area Ratio ◽  
Annual Balance

AbstractThe annual balance has been measured for ten North Cascade glaciers in 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, and 1986–87 (1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987). Based on these data, an annual balance prediction method was designed and tested. Comparison of measured versus predicted annual balances indicates an accuracy of ±0.22–0.30 m. The method is based on annual measurement of the accumulation area ratio (AAR), and determination of the perennially constant activity index and area-altitude distribution on each glacier. The accumulation area ratio is determined from aerial and ground photographs at the end of the ablation season. The activity index is identified from observation of the rise of the snow line with time, compared to measured snow depths above the snow line. The AAR-activity index method was used to calculate the annual balance of 47 North Cascade glaciers in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987. The mean balance during the 4 year period was —0.33 m.From the mass-balance records, it is apparent that North Cascade glaciers can be divided into six climatic sensitivity groups. Each glacier type responds differently to specific climatic conditions. The mass-balance variation for glaciers of the same type is small.Since 1977, warmer, drier climatic conditions have prevailed in the North Cascades, resulting in the retreat of 42 of the 47 glaciers examined.

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

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 603-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bravo ◽  
M. Rojas ◽  
B. M. Anderson ◽  
A. N. Mackintosh ◽  
E. Sagredo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Precipitation Changes ◽  
Autumn And Winter

Abstract. Glacier behaviour during the mid-Holocene (MH, 6000 year BP) in the Southern Hemisphere provides observational data to constrain our understanding of the origin and propagation of palaeo-climatic signals. We examine the climatic forcing of glacier expansion in the MH by evaluating modelled glacier equilibrium line altitude (ELA) and climate conditions during the MH compared with pre-industrial time (PI, year 1750) in the mid latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere, specifically in Patagonia and the South Island of New Zealand. Climate conditions for the MH are obtained from PMIP2 models simulations, which in turn force a simple glacier mass balance model to simulate changes in equilibrium-line altitude during this period. Climate conditions during the MH show significantly (p ≤ 0.05) colder temperatures in summer, autumn and winter, and significantly (p ≤ 0.05) warmer temperatures in spring. These changes are a consequence of insolation differences between the two periods. Precipitation does not show significant changes, but exhibits a temporal pattern with less precipitation from August to September and more precipitation from October to April during the MH. In response to these climatic changes, glaciers in both analysed regions have an ELA that is 15–33 m lower than PI during the MH. The main causes of this difference are the colder temperature during the MH, reinforcing previous results that mid-latitude glaciers are more sensitive to temperature change compared to precipitation changes. Differences in temperature have a dual effect on mass balance. First, during summer and early autumn less energy is available for melting. Second in late autumn and winter, lower temperatures cause more precipitation to fall as snow rather than rain, 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 in the mid Holocene in both South America and New Zealand.

scholarly journals Can the Mass Balance of a Glacier be Estimated from its Equilibrium-Line Altitude?

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (106) ◽  
pp. 364-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger J. Braithwaite
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Sufficient Accuracy ◽  
Statistical Analyses ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Balanced Budget ◽  
Two Parameters

AbstractThe possibility of replacing or supplementing direct measurements of mass balance by estimates calculated from equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) measurements is investigated by statistical analyses of data from 31 glaciers. A linear relationship between mass balance and ELA in terms of two parameters, the effective balance gradient and the balanced-budget ELA, is tested. It is concluded that existing mass-balance series can be usefully extrapolated by using ELA data for additional years. However, accurate mass balance cannot be calculated for glaciers where no such measurements have been made because of the difficulties in prescribing the two model parameters with sufficient accuracy. For example, the effective balance gradient is of the order of 5 mm water/m so that errors of only a few decametres in the estimation of the balanced-budget ELA can have a great effect upon calculations of mass balance.

scholarly journals The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66

1970 ◽  
Vol 9 (57) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M. Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Accumulation Pattern ◽  
North West ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Devon Island ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
The North ◽  
West Part ◽  
The Mean

Methods used in measuring the mass balance of the Devon Island ice cap are described. The use of dyes and melt trays is recommended in the superimposed-ice and firn zones of sub-polar glaciers. The north-west part of the ice cap was studied in most detail and has had a slightly negative net balance for the period 1961-66. An inverse relationship between mean net balance(bn)and elevation of the equilibrium line in the north-west part of the ice cap indicates that the mean net balance there would be zero with an equilibrium line at 920 m (±80 m) elevation. Accumulation on the ice cap is greatest in the south-east but the measurements suggest that the mean net balance there is similar to the mean net balance on the rest of the ice cap. It is concluded that the present accumulation pattern must have existed for several hundreds, and possibly thousands of years. A study of firn stratigraphy and of variations in the elevation of the firn and equilibrium lines indicates that between 1961 and 1966 only 1962 had a more negative mean net balance than the average value for the period 1934-60. During the same 26 year period the net balance at 1 787 m elevation has varied, but summer conditions do not appear to have changed significantly.

scholarly journals Mass balance of White Glacier, Axel Heiberg Island, N.W.T., Canada, 1960–91

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (142) ◽  
pp. 548-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.Graham Cogley ◽  
W. P. Adams ◽  
M. A. Ecclestone ◽  
F. Jung-Rothenhäusler ◽  
C. S. L. Ommanney
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Fold Reduction ◽  
Random Samples ◽  
Measurements Errors ◽  
Standard Techniques

AbstractWhite Glacier is a valley glacier at 79.5°N with an area of 38.7 km2. Its mass balance has been measured, over 32 years with a 3 year gap, by standard techniques using the stratigraphic system with a stake density of the order of one stake per km2. Errors in stake mass balance are about ±(200–250) mm, due largely to the local unrepresentativeness of measurements. Errors in the whole-glacier mass balanceBare of the same order as single-slake errors. However, the lag-1 autocorrelation in the time series ofBis effectively zero, so it consists of independent random samples, and the error in the long-term “balance normal”〈B〉is noticeably less.〈B〉is −100 ± 48 mm. The equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) averages 970 m. with a range of 470–1400 m. Mass balance is well correlated with ELA, but detailed modelling shows that the equilibrium line is undetectable on visible-band satellite images. A reduced network of a few stakes could give acceptable but less accurate estimates of the mass balance, as could estimates based on data from a weather station 120 km away. There is no evidence of a trend in the mass balance of White Glacier. To detect a climatologically plausible trend will require a ten-fold reduction of measurement error, a conclusion which may well apply to most estimates of mass balance based on similar stake densities.

scholarly journals Relation between the Mass Balance of Western Canadian Mountain Glaciers and Meteorological Data

1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (116) ◽  
pp. 11-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Letréguilly
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Mountain Glaciers

AbstractThe mass balance, summer balance, winter balance, and equilibrium-line altitude of three Canadian glaciers (Peyto, Place, and Sentinel Glaciers) are compared with the meteorological records of neighbouring stations for the period 1966—84. While Peyto Glacier’s mass balance is almost entirely related to summer temperature, Sentinel Glacier’s mass balance is mostly controlled by winter precipitation. Place Glacier is influenced by both elements. Statistical reconstructions are presented for the three glaciers, using the best regression equations with the meteorological records since 1938.

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