Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica
The mass budget of the ice caps surrounding the Antarctica Peninsula and, in particular, the partitioning of its main components are poorly known. Here we approximate frontal ablation (i.e. the sum of mass losses by calving and submarine melt) and surface mass balance of the ice cap of Livingston Is...
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Copernicus Publications
2014
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:386c5386a885477ca548cb463aeeaea3 2023-05-15T13:56:51+02:00 Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica B. Osmanoglu F. J. Navarro R. Hock M. Braun M. I. Corcuera 2014-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014 https://doaj.org/article/386c5386a885477ca548cb463aeeaea3 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1807/2014/tc-8-1807-2014.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014 https://doaj.org/article/386c5386a885477ca548cb463aeeaea3 The Cryosphere, Vol 8, Iss 5, Pp 1807-1823 (2014) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2014 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014 2022-12-31T15:41:01Z The mass budget of the ice caps surrounding the Antarctica Peninsula and, in particular, the partitioning of its main components are poorly known. Here we approximate frontal ablation (i.e. the sum of mass losses by calving and submarine melt) and surface mass balance of the ice cap of Livingston Island, the second largest island in the South Shetland Islands archipelago, and analyse variations in surface velocity for the period 2007–2011. Velocities are obtained from feature tracking using 25 PALSAR-1 images, and used in conjunction with estimates of glacier ice thicknesses inferred from principles of glacier dynamics and ground-penetrating radar observations to estimate frontal ablation rates by a flux-gate approach. Glacier-wide surface mass-balance rates are approximated from in situ observations on two glaciers of the ice cap. Within the limitations of the large uncertainties mostly due to unknown ice thicknesses at the flux gates, we find that frontal ablation (−509 ± 263 Mt yr −1 , equivalent to −0.73 ± 0.38 m w.e. yr −1 over the ice cap area of 697 km 2 ) and surface ablation (−0.73 ± 0.10 m w.e. yr −1 ) contribute similar shares to total ablation (−1.46 ± 0.39 m w.e. yr −1 ). Total mass change (δ M = −0.67 ± 0.40 m w.e. yr −1 ) is negative despite a slightly positive surface mass balance (0.06 ± 0.14 m w.e. yr −1 ). We find large interannual and, for some basins, pronounced seasonal variations in surface velocities at the flux gates, with higher velocities in summer than in winter. Associated variations in frontal ablation (of ~237 Mt yr −1 −0.34 m w.e. yr −1 ) highlight the importance of taking into account the seasonality in ice velocities when computing frontal ablation with a flux-gate approach. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Ice cap Livingston Island South Shetland Islands The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles South Shetland Islands Livingston Island ENVELOPE(-60.500,-60.500,-62.600,-62.600) The Cryosphere 8 5 1807 1823 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 B. Osmanoglu F. J. Navarro R. Hock M. Braun M. I. Corcuera Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The mass budget of the ice caps surrounding the Antarctica Peninsula and, in particular, the partitioning of its main components are poorly known. Here we approximate frontal ablation (i.e. the sum of mass losses by calving and submarine melt) and surface mass balance of the ice cap of Livingston Island, the second largest island in the South Shetland Islands archipelago, and analyse variations in surface velocity for the period 2007–2011. Velocities are obtained from feature tracking using 25 PALSAR-1 images, and used in conjunction with estimates of glacier ice thicknesses inferred from principles of glacier dynamics and ground-penetrating radar observations to estimate frontal ablation rates by a flux-gate approach. Glacier-wide surface mass-balance rates are approximated from in situ observations on two glaciers of the ice cap. Within the limitations of the large uncertainties mostly due to unknown ice thicknesses at the flux gates, we find that frontal ablation (−509 ± 263 Mt yr −1 , equivalent to −0.73 ± 0.38 m w.e. yr −1 over the ice cap area of 697 km 2 ) and surface ablation (−0.73 ± 0.10 m w.e. yr −1 ) contribute similar shares to total ablation (−1.46 ± 0.39 m w.e. yr −1 ). Total mass change (δ M = −0.67 ± 0.40 m w.e. yr −1 ) is negative despite a slightly positive surface mass balance (0.06 ± 0.14 m w.e. yr −1 ). We find large interannual and, for some basins, pronounced seasonal variations in surface velocities at the flux gates, with higher velocities in summer than in winter. Associated variations in frontal ablation (of ~237 Mt yr −1 −0.34 m w.e. yr −1 ) highlight the importance of taking into account the seasonality in ice velocities when computing frontal ablation with a flux-gate approach. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
B. Osmanoglu F. J. Navarro R. Hock M. Braun M. I. Corcuera |
author_facet |
B. Osmanoglu F. J. Navarro R. Hock M. Braun M. I. Corcuera |
author_sort |
B. Osmanoglu |
title |
Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica |
title_short |
Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica |
title_full |
Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Surface velocity and mass balance of Livingston Island ice cap, Antarctica |
title_sort |
surface velocity and mass balance of livingston island ice cap, antarctica |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014 https://doaj.org/article/386c5386a885477ca548cb463aeeaea3 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-60.500,-60.500,-62.600,-62.600) |
geographic |
South Shetland Islands Livingston Island |
geographic_facet |
South Shetland Islands Livingston Island |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Ice cap Livingston Island South Shetland Islands The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Ice cap Livingston Island South Shetland Islands The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 8, Iss 5, Pp 1807-1823 (2014) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1807/2014/tc-8-1807-2014.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014 https://doaj.org/article/386c5386a885477ca548cb463aeeaea3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1807 |
op_container_end_page |
1823 |
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1766264426312237056 |