Response of the climatic mass balance of Hurd and Johnsons glaciers, Livingston Island, to the transient cooling period of the northern Antarctic Peninsula in the early 21st century

• Published in: Czech Polar Reports
• Main Authors: Recio-Blitz, Cayetana, De Corcuera, María Isabel, Machío, Francisco, Rodríguez-Cielos, Ricardo, Navarro, Francisco
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Masaryk University Press 2024
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Livingston Island; South Shetland Islands
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5817/cpr2023-2-19; https://journals.muni.cz/CPR/article/download/38143/32442

We calculated and analysed the climatic mass balance of Hurd and Johnsons glaciers, Livingston Island, northern Antarctic Peninsula region, over the period 2002−2016. This period is nearly coincident with the transient period of sustained cooling occurred in the northern Antarctic Peninsula region in the early 21st century. A positive trend for the climatic mass balance of ~0.5-0.6 m w.e. decade-1 was observed, in parallel with a striking negative trend of the equilibrium line altitude of ~ -100-200 m decade-1, and a positive trend of the accumulation area ratio of ~3-6% decade-1. Other glaciers monitored in the South Shetland Islands and the periphery of the northernmost Antarctic Peninsula have shown a similar behavior, with the changes observed in the former being more marked.