Slow change since the Little Ice Age at a far northern glacier with the potential for system reorganization: Thores Glacier, northern Ellesmere Island, Canada

Relatively little is known about the glaciers of northern Ellesmere Island, Canada. Here we describe the first field and remote sensing observations of Thores Glacier, located 50 km inland from the Arctic Ocean. The glacier is slow-moving, with maximum velocities of 26 m a−1 and a maximum observed t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic Science
Main Authors: Will Kochtitzky, Luke Copland, Trudy Wohlleben, Pilipoosie Iqaluk, Catherine Girard, Warwick F. Vincent, Alexander I. Culley
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
French
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2023
Subjects:
Arctic
climate change
glaciers
proglacial lake
Little Ice Age
Last ice area
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Environmental engineering
TA170-171
Arctic Ocean
Canada
Ellesmere Island
Thores Lake
Climate change
glacier*
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0012
https://doaj.org/article/d58390c45c2c4328a0b9f7644062a303
Description
Summary:Relatively little is known about the glaciers of northern Ellesmere Island, Canada. Here we describe the first field and remote sensing observations of Thores Glacier, located 50 km inland from the Arctic Ocean. The glacier is slow-moving, with maximum velocities of 26 m a−1 and a maximum observed thickness of 360 ± 4.3 m. There has been little change in terminus position since at least 1959, with a maximum advance of 170 m at the northwest terminus ending on land and retreat up to 130 m at the southeast terminus ending in Thores Lake. There is little evidence for change since the Little Ice Age as bedrock weathering patterns suggest retreat of no more than 20–30 m around most of the glacier margin. The supraglacial drainage network is generally poorly developed, without moulins and with few crevasses, and therefore no evidence of water reaching the glacier bed. This is supported by one-dimensional modelling, which suggests current basal temperatures of −7.0 °C to −12.0 °C along the centerline. Thores Glacier currently dams Thores Lake, which causes drainage to flow to the southeast. However, if the glacier thins or retreats sufficiently, regional drainage will reverse and flow to the north, and Thores Lake would no longer exist.

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