Multi-technique monitoring of climate change signature in Svalbard

• Main Authors: Nicolas, J., Verdun, J., Baltzer, A., Boy, J., Tafflet, A., Durand, F., Lemoine, J., Perosanz, F.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Kronebreen; Svalbard; Svalbard Archipelago; glacier
• Online Access: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5017777

The Svalbard archipelago is strongly impacted by past and present-day ice melting. This area offers the benefit that several in situ and space datasets are available at different spatial and temporal resolutions. We perform a multi-technique intercomparison for a better understanding of the different processes and extract common climate-related signals, allowing climate change signature analysis. Space geodetic techniques provide time series of daily crustal deformation and monthly gravity field variations over several years at local and regional scales. Seasonal signals included in these time series are mainly caused by the (visco)elastic response of variable mass load due to ice and snow accumulation. GNSS positioning and GRACE equivalent water height time series are compared to geophysical models based on mass redistributions and snow models. For this, we applied specific data analysis methods to accurately separate the different sources and reveal climate change signature from seasonal signals. In addition, ground gravimetry, field datasets, sediment analysis, Sentinel observations, aerial photography, and laser telescan are used to characterize the evolution of the area. These datasets are used to produce maps representing the marine sedimentary facies and glacial environments of different glaciers. We estimate the footprints of glacier retreat and ice thickness loss by monitoring the evolution of the coastline and follow the hydrological network for different glaciers (Kronebreen and Lovenbreen) and fjords to show the contraction of the glacier's drainage during melting. The joint analysis of the maps and space geodesy time series gives the estimation of crustal uplift due to glacier melt.