Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend
Abstract An end of summer snowline (EOSS) photographic dataset for Aotearoa New Zealand contains over four decades of equilibrium line altitude (ELA) observations for more than 50 index glaciers. This dataset provides an opportunity to create a climatological ELA reference series that has several ap...
Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.27 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143022000272 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2022.27 2024-06-23T07:54:15+00:00 Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend Lorrey, Andrew M. Vargo, Lauren Purdie, Heather Anderson, Brian Cullen, Nicolas J. Sirguey, Pascal Mackintosh, Andrew Willsman, Andrew Macara, Gregor Chinn, Warren National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research 2022 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.27 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143022000272 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology volume 68, issue 272, page 1127-1140 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 2022 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.27 2024-06-12T04:03:18Z Abstract An end of summer snowline (EOSS) photographic dataset for Aotearoa New Zealand contains over four decades of equilibrium line altitude (ELA) observations for more than 50 index glaciers. This dataset provides an opportunity to create a climatological ELA reference series that has several applications. Our work screened out EOSS sites that had low temporal coverage and also removed limited observations when the official survey did not take place. Snowline data from 41 of 50 glaciers in the EOSS dataset were retained and included in a normalised master snowline series that spans 1977–2020. Application of the regionally representative normalised master snowline series in monthly and seasonally resolved climate response function analyses showed consistently strong relationships with austral warm-season temperatures for land-based stations west of the Southern Alps and the central Tasman Sea. There is a trend towards higher regional snowlines since the 1990s that has been steepening in recent decades. If contemporary decadal normalised master snowline series trends are maintained, the average Southern Alps snowline elevation will be displaced at least 200 m higher than normal by the 2025–2034 decade. More frequent extremely high snowlines are expected to drive more extreme cumulative mass-balance losses that will reduce the glacierised area of Aotearoa New Zealand. Article in Journal/Newspaper Journal of Glaciology Cambridge University Press Austral Ela ENVELOPE(9.642,9.642,63.170,63.170) New Zealand Journal of Glaciology 1 14 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract An end of summer snowline (EOSS) photographic dataset for Aotearoa New Zealand contains over four decades of equilibrium line altitude (ELA) observations for more than 50 index glaciers. This dataset provides an opportunity to create a climatological ELA reference series that has several applications. Our work screened out EOSS sites that had low temporal coverage and also removed limited observations when the official survey did not take place. Snowline data from 41 of 50 glaciers in the EOSS dataset were retained and included in a normalised master snowline series that spans 1977–2020. Application of the regionally representative normalised master snowline series in monthly and seasonally resolved climate response function analyses showed consistently strong relationships with austral warm-season temperatures for land-based stations west of the Southern Alps and the central Tasman Sea. There is a trend towards higher regional snowlines since the 1990s that has been steepening in recent decades. If contemporary decadal normalised master snowline series trends are maintained, the average Southern Alps snowline elevation will be displaced at least 200 m higher than normal by the 2025–2034 decade. More frequent extremely high snowlines are expected to drive more extreme cumulative mass-balance losses that will reduce the glacierised area of Aotearoa New Zealand. |
author2 |
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lorrey, Andrew M. Vargo, Lauren Purdie, Heather Anderson, Brian Cullen, Nicolas J. Sirguey, Pascal Mackintosh, Andrew Willsman, Andrew Macara, Gregor Chinn, Warren |
spellingShingle |
Lorrey, Andrew M. Vargo, Lauren Purdie, Heather Anderson, Brian Cullen, Nicolas J. Sirguey, Pascal Mackintosh, Andrew Willsman, Andrew Macara, Gregor Chinn, Warren Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
author_facet |
Lorrey, Andrew M. Vargo, Lauren Purdie, Heather Anderson, Brian Cullen, Nicolas J. Sirguey, Pascal Mackintosh, Andrew Willsman, Andrew Macara, Gregor Chinn, Warren |
author_sort |
Lorrey, Andrew M. |
title |
Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
title_short |
Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
title_full |
Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
title_fullStr |
Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
title_full_unstemmed |
Southern Alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
title_sort |
southern alps equilibrium line altitudes: four decades of observations show coherent glacier–climate responses and a rising snowline trend |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.27 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143022000272 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(9.642,9.642,63.170,63.170) |
geographic |
Austral Ela New Zealand |
geographic_facet |
Austral Ela New Zealand |
genre |
Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 68, issue 272, page 1127-1140 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.27 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
14 |
_version_ |
1802646355177373696 |