Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers
The Svalbard archipelago is particularly sensitive to climate change due to the relatively low altitude of its main ice fields and its geographical location in the higher North Atlantic, where the effect of Arctic amplification is more significant. The largest temperature increases have been observe...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Copernicus Publications
2024
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 https://doaj.org/article/f6d1716dcd5f415086dff9eb6327af56 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:f6d1716dcd5f415086dff9eb6327af56 2024-02-11T10:01:06+01:00 Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers A. Spolaor F. Scoto C. Larose E. Barbaro F. Burgay M. P. Bjorkman D. Cappelletti F. Dallo F. de Blasi D. Divine G. Dreossi J. Gabrieli E. Isaksson J. Kohler T. Martma L. S. Schmidt T. V. Schuler B. Stenni C. Turetta B. Luks M. Casado J.-C. Gallet 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 https://doaj.org/article/f6d1716dcd5f415086dff9eb6327af56 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/307/2024/tc-18-307-2024.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/f6d1716dcd5f415086dff9eb6327af56 The Cryosphere, Vol 18, Pp 307-320 (2024) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 2024-01-21T01:41:03Z The Svalbard archipelago is particularly sensitive to climate change due to the relatively low altitude of its main ice fields and its geographical location in the higher North Atlantic, where the effect of Arctic amplification is more significant. The largest temperature increases have been observed during winter, but increasing summer temperatures, above the melting point, have led to increased glacier melt. Here, we evaluate the impact of this increased melt on the preservation of the oxygen isotope ( δ 18 O) signal in firn records. δ 18 O is commonly used as a proxy for past atmospheric temperature reconstructions, and, when preserved, it is a crucial parameter to date and align ice cores. By comparing four different firn cores collected in 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2019 at the top of the Holtedahlfonna ice field (1100 m a.s.l.), we show a progressive deterioration of the isotope signal, and we link its degradation to the increased occurrence and intensity of melt events. Our findings indicate that, starting from 2015, there has been an escalation in melting and percolation resulting from changes in the overall atmospheric conditions. This has led to the deterioration of the climate signal preserved within the firn or ice. Our observations correspond with the model's calculations, demonstrating an increase in water percolation since 2014, potentially reaching deeper layers of the firn. Although the δ 18 O signal still reflects the interannual temperature trend, more frequent melting events may in the future affect the interpretation of the isotopic signal, compromising the use of Svalbard ice cores. Our findings highlight the impact and the speed at which Arctic amplification is affecting Svalbard's cryosphere. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change glacier North Atlantic Svalbard The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Holtedahlfonna ENVELOPE(13.730,13.730,79.011,79.011) Svalbard Svalbard Archipelago The Cryosphere 18 1 307 320 |
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 A. Spolaor F. Scoto C. Larose E. Barbaro F. Burgay M. P. Bjorkman D. Cappelletti F. Dallo F. de Blasi D. Divine G. Dreossi J. Gabrieli E. Isaksson J. Kohler T. Martma L. S. Schmidt T. V. Schuler B. Stenni C. Turetta B. Luks M. Casado J.-C. Gallet Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The Svalbard archipelago is particularly sensitive to climate change due to the relatively low altitude of its main ice fields and its geographical location in the higher North Atlantic, where the effect of Arctic amplification is more significant. The largest temperature increases have been observed during winter, but increasing summer temperatures, above the melting point, have led to increased glacier melt. Here, we evaluate the impact of this increased melt on the preservation of the oxygen isotope ( δ 18 O) signal in firn records. δ 18 O is commonly used as a proxy for past atmospheric temperature reconstructions, and, when preserved, it is a crucial parameter to date and align ice cores. By comparing four different firn cores collected in 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2019 at the top of the Holtedahlfonna ice field (1100 m a.s.l.), we show a progressive deterioration of the isotope signal, and we link its degradation to the increased occurrence and intensity of melt events. Our findings indicate that, starting from 2015, there has been an escalation in melting and percolation resulting from changes in the overall atmospheric conditions. This has led to the deterioration of the climate signal preserved within the firn or ice. Our observations correspond with the model's calculations, demonstrating an increase in water percolation since 2014, potentially reaching deeper layers of the firn. Although the δ 18 O signal still reflects the interannual temperature trend, more frequent melting events may in the future affect the interpretation of the isotopic signal, compromising the use of Svalbard ice cores. Our findings highlight the impact and the speed at which Arctic amplification is affecting Svalbard's cryosphere. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
A. Spolaor F. Scoto C. Larose E. Barbaro F. Burgay M. P. Bjorkman D. Cappelletti F. Dallo F. de Blasi D. Divine G. Dreossi J. Gabrieli E. Isaksson J. Kohler T. Martma L. S. Schmidt T. V. Schuler B. Stenni C. Turetta B. Luks M. Casado J.-C. Gallet |
author_facet |
A. Spolaor F. Scoto C. Larose E. Barbaro F. Burgay M. P. Bjorkman D. Cappelletti F. Dallo F. de Blasi D. Divine G. Dreossi J. Gabrieli E. Isaksson J. Kohler T. Martma L. S. Schmidt T. V. Schuler B. Stenni C. Turetta B. Luks M. Casado J.-C. Gallet |
author_sort |
A. Spolaor |
title |
Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers |
title_short |
Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers |
title_full |
Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers |
title_fullStr |
Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers |
title_sort |
climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in svalbard glaciers |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 https://doaj.org/article/f6d1716dcd5f415086dff9eb6327af56 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(13.730,13.730,79.011,79.011) |
geographic |
Arctic Holtedahlfonna Svalbard Svalbard Archipelago |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Holtedahlfonna Svalbard Svalbard Archipelago |
genre |
Arctic Climate change glacier North Atlantic Svalbard The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change glacier North Atlantic Svalbard The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 18, Pp 307-320 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/18/307/2024/tc-18-307-2024.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/f6d1716dcd5f415086dff9eb6327af56 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
18 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
307 |
op_container_end_page |
320 |
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1790596845224853504 |