Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada
Abstract Measurements made on traverses over ice caps in the Queen Elizabeth Islands show that there is a region of very high accumulation (>40 g cm –2 year –1 ) on the slopes facing Baffin Bay and one of low accumulation (<15 g cm –2 year –1 ) in the interior parts of northern Ellesme...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1979
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000014039 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000014039 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0022143000014039 2024-09-09T19:25:52+00:00 Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada Koerner, R. M. 1979 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000014039 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000014039 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) Journal of Glaciology volume 22, issue 86, page 25-41 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 1979 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000014039 2024-06-19T04:04:38Z Abstract Measurements made on traverses over ice caps in the Queen Elizabeth Islands show that there is a region of very high accumulation (>40 g cm –2 year –1 ) on the slopes facing Baffin Bay and one of low accumulation (<15 g cm –2 year –1 ) in the interior parts of northern Ellesmere Island. Ablation rates in summer show much less regional variation over the same ice caps except for lower rates along the north-west edge of the islands and possibly on the Baffin Bay slopes as well. However, there is a stronger relationship between ablation and elevation which is exponential below the firn line. From the fractional 18 O content of the snow it is shown that Baffin Bay contributes significant amounts of moisture (>20% of the total) to the Baffin Bay slopes. In addition the Arctic Ocean is seen as another, but much less significant, moisture source. The δ 18 O data show two effects on the condensation processes—an orographic one (i.e. adiabatic cooling) and a distance-from-source effect (isobaric cooling) where the source is somewhere to the south-east of the islands. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Ellesmere Island Journal of Glaciology Queen Elizabeth Islands Cambridge University Press Arctic Arctic Ocean Baffin Bay Ellesmere Island Canada Journal of Glaciology 22 86 25 41 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Measurements made on traverses over ice caps in the Queen Elizabeth Islands show that there is a region of very high accumulation (>40 g cm –2 year –1 ) on the slopes facing Baffin Bay and one of low accumulation (<15 g cm –2 year –1 ) in the interior parts of northern Ellesmere Island. Ablation rates in summer show much less regional variation over the same ice caps except for lower rates along the north-west edge of the islands and possibly on the Baffin Bay slopes as well. However, there is a stronger relationship between ablation and elevation which is exponential below the firn line. From the fractional 18 O content of the snow it is shown that Baffin Bay contributes significant amounts of moisture (>20% of the total) to the Baffin Bay slopes. In addition the Arctic Ocean is seen as another, but much less significant, moisture source. The δ 18 O data show two effects on the condensation processes—an orographic one (i.e. adiabatic cooling) and a distance-from-source effect (isobaric cooling) where the source is somewhere to the south-east of the islands. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Koerner, R. M. |
spellingShingle |
Koerner, R. M. Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada |
author_facet |
Koerner, R. M. |
author_sort |
Koerner, R. M. |
title |
Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada |
title_short |
Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada |
title_full |
Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Accumulation, Ablation, and Oxygen Isotope Variations on the Queen Elizabeth Islands Ice Caps, Canada |
title_sort |
accumulation, ablation, and oxygen isotope variations on the queen elizabeth islands ice caps, canada |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
1979 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000014039 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000014039 |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Baffin Bay Ellesmere Island Canada |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Baffin Bay Ellesmere Island Canada |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Ellesmere Island Journal of Glaciology Queen Elizabeth Islands |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean Baffin Bay Baffin Bay Baffin Ellesmere Island Journal of Glaciology Queen Elizabeth Islands |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 22, issue 86, page 25-41 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000014039 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
22 |
container_issue |
86 |
container_start_page |
25 |
op_container_end_page |
41 |
_version_ |
1809895581045227520 |