An inverse approach to the course of the ‘Little Ice Age’ glacier advance and the following deglaciation at Austerdalsisen, eastern Svartisen, northern Norway

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041-1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Løseth Jansen ◽  
Svein Olaf Dahl ◽  
Pål Ringkjøb Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Outlet Glacier ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Inverse Approach ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Outburst Floods ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
Glacier Advance

The course of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) in Scandinavia is characterized by large glacier advances that started at about AD 1300 and culminated at about AD 1750. The end of the LIA is marked as an unprecedented and ongoing glacier retreat that accelerated from the early 20th century. The course of the LIA is here presented based on fluctuations of Austerdalsisen, the largest valley outlet glacier draining the Austre Svartisen (Østisen) ice cap, Nordland, northern Norway. During the LIA glacierization, Austerdalsisen separated into two branches, and relative to the present glacier terminus, a western valley glacier advanced more than 4 km, whereas a SE valley glacier advanced about 3 km. At present, meltwater from Austerdalsisen drains towards SE. If the glacier obtains a critical magnitude, however, most of the meltwater is drained westwards across a higher overflow gap. Based on radiocarbon-dated lake sediments, distal proglacial glaciolacustrine/glaciofluvial sediments and historical observations, the course and chronology of the deglaciation following the LIA glacier maximum at Austerdalsisen are established. Because of high sedimentation rates due to low local bedrock resistance to glacier erosion beneath Austerdalsisen, however, cores from distal glacier-fed lakes covering the entire LIA/Holocene are hard to retrieve. Hence, an inverse approach to reconstruct the entire course of the LIA glacierization at Austerdalsisen is performed by suggesting little input of glacier-meltwater-induced sediments to the SE distal glacier-fed lake Litl Røvatnet, whenever Austerdalsisen rerouted meltwater westwards. If the terminus of Austerdalsisen was near the critical magnitude threshold, regular glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs) towards SE occurred.

scholarly journals Widespread and accelerating glacier retreat on the Lyngen Peninsula, northern Norway, since their ‘Little Ice Age’ maximum

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (243) ◽  
pp. 100-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS R. STOKES ◽  
LISS M. ANDREASSEN ◽  
MATTHEW R. CHAMPION ◽  
GEOFFREY D. CORNER
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Surface Hydrology ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Mountain Glaciers ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Outburst Floods ◽  
Glacial Lake Outburst Floods ◽  
Global Sea Level

ABSTRACTThe recession of mountain glaciers worldwide is increasing global sea level and, in many regions, human activities will have to adapt to changes in surface hydrology. Thus, it is important to provide up-to-date analyses of glacier change and the factors modulating their response to climate warming. Here we report changes in the extent of >120 glaciers on the Lyngen Peninsula, northern Norway, where glacier runoff is utilised for hydropower and where glacial lake outburst floods have occurred. Glaciers covered at least 114 km2 in 1953 and we compare this inventory with those from 1988, 2001 and a new one from 2014, and previously-dated Little Ice Age (LIA) limits. Results show a steady reduction in area (~0.3% a−1) between their LIA maximum (~1915) and 1988, consistent with increasing summer air temperatures, but recession paused between 1988 and 2001, coinciding with increased winter precipitation. Air temperatures increased 0.5°C per decade from the 1990s and the rate of recession accelerated to ~1% a−1 between 2001 and 2014 when glacier area totalled ~95.7 km2. Small glaciers (<0.05 km2) with low maximum elevations (<1400 m) experienced the largest percentage losses and, if warming continues, several glaciers may disappear within the next two decades.

Ice-Core Pollen Record of Climatic Changes in the Central Andes during the last 400 yr

2005 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kam-biu Liu ◽  
Carl A. Reese ◽  
Lonnie G. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Striking Similarity ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Proxy Records ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Ice Accumulation

AbstractThis paper presents a high-resolution ice-core pollen record from the Sajama Ice Cap, Bolivia, that spans the last 400 yr. The pollen record corroborates the oxygen isotopic and ice accumulation records from the Quelccaya Ice Cap and supports the scenario that the Little Ice Age (LIA) consisted of two distinct phases�"a wet period from AD 1500 to 1700, and a dry period from AD 1700 to 1880. During the dry period xerophytic shrubs expanded to replace puna grasses on the Altiplano, as suggested by a dramatic drop in the Poaceae/Asteraceae (P/A) pollen ratio. The environment around Sajama was probably similar to the desert-like shrublands of the Southern Bolivian Highlands and western Andean slopes today. The striking similarity between the Sajama and Quelccaya proxy records suggests that climatic changes during the Little Ice Age occurred synchronously across the Altiplano.

scholarly journals High‐resolution proglacial lake records of pre‐Little Ice Age glacier advance, northeast Greenland

Boreas ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Adamson ◽  
Timothy Lane ◽  
Matthew Carney ◽  
Thomas Bishop ◽  
Cathy Delaney
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Proglacial Lake ◽  
Glacier Advance

scholarly journals Neoglacial history of Robson Glacier, British Columbia

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1153-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.H. Luckman ◽  
M.H. Masiokas ◽  
K. Nicolussi
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Tree Line ◽  
Canadian Rockies ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
History Of ◽  
Subfossil Wood ◽  
Glacier Advance

As glaciers in the Canadian Rockies recede, glacier forefields continue to yield subfossil wood from sites overridden by these glaciers during the Holocene. Robson Glacier in British Columbia formerly extended below tree line, and recession over the last century has progressively revealed a number of buried forest sites that are providing one of the more complete records of glacier history in the Canadian Rockies during the latter half of the Holocene. The glacier was advancing ca. 5.5 km upvalley of the Little Ice Age terminus ca. 5.26 cal ka BP, at sites ca. 2 km upvalley ca. 4.02 cal ka BP and ca. 3.55 cal ka BP, and 0.5–1 km upvalley between 1140 and 1350 A.D. There is also limited evidence based on detrital wood of an additional period of glacier advance ca. 3.24 cal ka BP. This record is more similar to glacier histories further west in British Columbia than elsewhere in the Rockies and provides the first evidence for a post-Hypsithermal glacier advance at ca. 5.26 cal ka BP in the Rockies. The utilization of the wiggle-matching approach using multiple 14C dates from sample locations determined by dendrochronological analyses enabled the recognition of 14C outliers and an increase in the precision and accuracy of the dating of glacier advances.

scholarly journals Glacier dynamics at Helheim and Kangerdlugssuaq glaciers, southeast Greenland, since the Little Ice Age

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 1497-1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Khan ◽  
K. K. Kjeldsen ◽  
K. H. Kjær ◽  
S. Bevan ◽  
A. Luckman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Velocity Change ◽  
Outlet Glacier ◽  
Episodic Events ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
Speed Up

Abstract. Observations over the past decade show significant ice loss associated with the speed-up of glaciers in southeast Greenland from 2003, followed by a deceleration from 2006. These short-term, episodic, dynamic perturbations have a major impact on the mass balance on the decadal scale. To improve the projection of future sea level rise, a long-term data record that reveals the mass balance beyond such episodic events is required. Here, we extend the observational record of marginal thinning of Helheim and Kangerdlugssuaq glaciers from 10 to more than 80 years. We show that, although the frontal portion of Helheim Glacier thinned by more than 100 m between 2003 and 2006, it thickened by more than 50 m during the previous two decades. In contrast, Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier underwent minor thinning of 40–50 m from 1981 to 1998 and major thinning of more than 100 m after 2003. Extending the record back to the end of the Little Ice Age (prior to 1930) shows no thinning of Helheim Glacier from its maximum extent during the Little Ice Age to 1981, while Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier underwent substantial thinning of 230 to 265 m. Comparison of sub-surface water temperature anomalies and variations in air temperature to records of thickness and velocity change suggest that both glaciers are highly sensitive to short-term atmospheric and ocean forcing, and respond very quickly to small fluctuations. On century timescales, however, multiple external parameters (e.g. outlet glacier shape) may dominate the mass change. These findings suggest that special care must be taken in the projection of future dynamic ice loss.

scholarly journals Climate reconstruction since the Little Ice Age by modelling Koryto glacier, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (184) ◽  
pp. 125-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Yamaguchi ◽  
Renji Naruse ◽  
Takayuki Shiraiwa
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Kamchatka Peninsula ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Glacier Terminus ◽  
Tree Ring Data

AbstractBased on the field data at Koryto glacier, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, we constructed a one-dimensional numerical glacier model which fits the behaviour of the glacier. The analysis of meteorological data from the nearby station suggests that the recent rapid retreat of the glacier since the mid-20th century is likely to be due to a decrease in winter precipitation. Using the geographical data of the glacier terminus variations from 1711 to 1930, we reconstructed the fluctuation in the equilibrium-line altitude by means of the glacier model. With summer temperatures inferred from tree-ring data, the model suggests that the winter precipitation from the mid-19th to the early 20th century was about 10% less than that at present. This trend is close to consistent with ice-core results from the nearby ice cap in the central Kamchatka Peninsula.

scholarly journals Helicopter-borne radio-echo sounding of Svartisen, Norway

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 23-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kennett ◽  
Tron Laumann ◽  
Cecilie Lund
Keyword(s):  
Low Frequency ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Digital Receiver ◽  
Outlet Glacier ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
Depth Sounding ◽  
Ice Radar

A helicopter-mounted low frequency ice-radar has been developed for the depth sounding of temperate glaciers. The radar consists of standard transmitter and digital receiver equipment. The long antennae are supported on a special aluminium and fibreglass construction which hangs 20 m below the helicopter. The radar has been used on Engabreen, an outlet glacier of the Svartisen Ice Cap in northern Norway, where ice thicknesses of up to 350 m were obtained. The results have been used to construct a map of bed topography of the lower part of Engabreen. This map is largely consistent with ice thickness data obtained by drilling.

Late Pleistocene Cosmogenic 36Cl Glacial Chronology of the Southwestern Ahklun Mountains, Alaska

2001 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason P. Briner ◽  
Terry W. Swanson ◽  
Marc Caffee
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Outlet Glacier ◽  
Ice Volume ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Global Ice Volume ◽  
Exposure Age ◽  
Alpine Glaciers ◽  
Glacial Chronology ◽  
Glacier Advance ◽  
Exposure Ages

AbstractThirty-two cosmogenic 36Cl surface exposure ages constrain the timing of two late Pleistocene glacial advances in the western Ahklun Mountains, southwestern Alaska. Boulders were sampled from one early Wisconsin (sensu lato) and six late Wisconsin moraines deposited by ice-cap outlet glaciers and local alpine glaciers. Four moraine boulders deposited during an extensive early Wisconsin ice-cap outlet glacier advance have a mean surface exposure age of 60,300±3200 yr. A moraine deposited by an ice-cap outlet glacier during the restricted late Wisconsin advance has a mean surface exposure age of 19,600±1400 yr. Five moraines deposited by late Wisconsin alpine glaciers have mean ages that range between 30,000 and 17,000 yr. The 36Cl ages are consistent with limiting 14C and thermoluminescence ages from related deposits and indicate that Ahklun Mountains glaciers reached their most extensive position of the last glaciation early during the late Pleistocene, in contrast to the deep-sea isotopic record of global ice volume.1

scholarly journals Episodic Neoglacial expansion and rapid 20th century retreat of a small ice cap on Baffin Island, Arctic Canada, and modeled temperature change

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1527-1537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon L. Pendleton ◽  
Gifford H. Miller ◽  
Robert A. Anderson ◽  
Sarah E. Crump ◽  
Yafang Zhong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Change ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Baffin Island ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Climate Model Simulations ◽  
Glacier Advance

Abstract. Records of Neoglacial glacier activity in the Arctic constructed from moraines are often incomplete due to a preservation bias toward the most extensive advance, often the Little Ice Age. Recent warming in the Arctic has caused extensive retreat of glaciers over the past several decades, exposing preserved landscapes complete with in situ tundra plants previously entombed by ice. The radiocarbon ages of these plants define the timing of snowline depression and glacier advance across the site, in response to local summer cooling. Erosion rapidly removes most dead plants that have been recently exposed by ice retreat, but where erosive processes are unusually weak, dead plants may remain preserved on the landscape for decades. In such settings, a transect of plant radiocarbon ages can be used to construct a near-continuous chronology of past ice margin advance. Here we present radiocarbon dates from the first such transect on Baffin Island, which directly dates the advance of a small ice cap over the past two millennia. The nature of ice expansion between 20 BCE and ∼ 1000 CE is still uncertain, but episodic advances at ∼ 1000 CE, ∼ 1200, and  ∼ 1500 led to the maximum Neoglacial dimensions ~ 1900 CE. We employ a two-dimensional numerical glacier model calibrated using the plant radiocarbon ages ice margin chronology to assess the sensitivity of the ice cap to temperature change. Model experiments show that at least ∼ 0.44 °C of cooling over the past 2 kyr is required for the ice cap to reach its 1900 CE margin, and that the period from ∼ 1000 to 1900 CE must have been at least 0.25° C cooler than the previous millennium, results that agree with regional temperature reconstructions and climate model simulations. However, significant warming since 1900 CE is required to explain retreat to its present position, and, at the same rate of warming, the ice cap will disappear before 2100 CE.

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