The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66
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...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1970
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000022863 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000022863 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0022143000022863 2024-06-16T07:39:36+00:00 The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 Koerner, R.M. 1970 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000022863 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000022863 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) Journal of Glaciology volume 9, issue 57, page 325-336 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 1970 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000022863 2024-05-22T12:55:05Z 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 (b n ) 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Devon Island glacier* Ice cap Journal of Glaciology Northwest Territories Cambridge University Press Northwest Territories Canada Devon Island ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) Journal of Glaciology 9 57 325 336 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
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 (b n ) 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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Koerner, R.M. |
spellingShingle |
Koerner, R.M. The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 |
author_facet |
Koerner, R.M. |
author_sort |
Koerner, R.M. |
title |
The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 |
title_short |
The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 |
title_full |
The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 |
title_fullStr |
The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Mass Balance of the Devon Island Ice Cap, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1961-66 |
title_sort |
mass balance of the devon island ice cap, northwest territories, canada, 1961-66 |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
1970 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000022863 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000022863 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) |
geographic |
Northwest Territories Canada Devon Island |
geographic_facet |
Northwest Territories Canada Devon Island |
genre |
Devon Island glacier* Ice cap Journal of Glaciology Northwest Territories |
genre_facet |
Devon Island glacier* Ice cap Journal of Glaciology Northwest Territories |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 9, issue 57, page 325-336 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000022863 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
57 |
container_start_page |
325 |
op_container_end_page |
336 |
_version_ |
1802006363009712128 |