The Meighen Ice Cap, Arctic Canada: Accumulation, Ablation and Flow

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Paterson, W. S. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1969
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Arctic; Canada; Ice cap; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000026939; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000026939

Abstract Accumulation on the Meighen Ice Cap appears to be about normal for the region, but ablation seems abnormally low. Statistical analyses of several years’ data reveal the following trends: accumulation increases towards the north; ablation decreases with increase of elevation, decreases towards the north and west, and is greater on south-facing slopes than elsewhere. Because ice movement is very small, these trends explain the surface topography of the ice cap quite well. Other topics discussed are the significance of changes in the margins of a stagnant ice cap, and the rate at which net mass balance changes with elevation.