Ice volume changes (1936–1990–2007) and ground-penetrating radar studies of Ariebreen, Hornsund, Spitsbergen

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Javier Lapazaran, Michal Petlicki, Francisco Navarro, Francisco Machío, Darek Puczko, Piotr Glowacki, Adam Nawrot
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2013
• Subjects: Ice-volume changes; ground-penetrating radar; thinning rate; Ariebreen; Spitsbergen; Svalbard; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Oceanography; GC1-1581; Hornsund; glacier; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v32i0.11068; https://doaj.org/article/5a977daee5584713bd32adfb68836007

Ariebreen is a small (0.37 km2)-valley glacier located in southern Spitsbergen. Our ground-penetrating radar surveys of the glacier show that it is less than 30 m thick on average, with a maximum thickness of 82 m, and it appears to be entirely cold. By analysing digital terrain models of the ice surface from different dates, we determine the area and volume changes during two periods, 1936–1990 and 1990–2007. The total ice volume of the glacier has decreased by 73% during the entire period 1936–2007, which is equivalent to a mean mass balance rate of −0.61±0.17 m y−1 w.eq. The glacier thinning rate has increased markedly between the first and second periods, from −0.50±0.22 to −0.95±0.17 m y−1 w.eq.