Intra-Annual Variability of the Surface Ablation of the Aldegondabreen Glacier (Spitsbergen)

• Main Authors: U. Prokhorova V., A. Terekhov V., V. Demidov E., S. Verkulich R., B. Ivanov V., У. Прохорова В., А. Терехов В., В. Демидов Э., С. Веркулич Р., Б. Иванов В.
• Other Authors: The authors are grateful to the Russian Arctic Expedition on Svalbard (Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia) for providing logistics, equipment and for helping to carry out the field studies. This study was funded under Project 5.1.4, “Monitoring of State and Pollution of the Environment, Including the Cryosphere, in the Arctic Basin and in the Area of Scientific Station Ice Base Cape Baranov, hydrometeorological Observatory of Tiksi and Russian Scientific Centre on Spitsbergen”, within the Plan NITR of Roshydromet 2020–2024., Авторы выражают благодарность участникам Российской арктической экспедиции на архипелаге Шпицберген ААНИИ за предоставленное оборудование, за помощь в организации и проведении полевых работ. Исследование выполнено в рамках темы 5.1.4 Плана НИТР Росгидромета на 2020–2024 гг. “Мониторинг состояния и загрязнения природной среды, включая криосферу, в Арктическом бассейне и районах научно-исследовательского стационара “Ледовая база “Мыс Баранова”, гидрометеорологической обсерватории Тикси и Российского научного центра на архипелаге Шпицберген”.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Russian
• Published: IGRAS 2023
• Subjects: Arctic;Svalbard;glacier mass balance;short-wave radiation;heat wave; Арктика;Шпицберген;баланс массы ледника;коротковолновая радиация;волна тепла; Aldegondabreen; Arctic; Barentsburg; Svalbard; Svalbard Archipelago; Annals of Glaciology; Antarctic and Alpine Research; glacier; Polar Research; Арктика; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: https://ice-snow.igras.ru/jour/article/view/1221; https://doi.org/10.31857/S2076673423020138

The intra-annual variability of the surface ice ablation on the 5.5 km2 Aldegondabreen glacier (Spitsbergen Island, Barentsburg area) is presented. The ice ablation was measured during five seasons (2018–2022) at the two stakes, installed in the lower part of the glacier and at the index site, where the amount of ablation numerically coincides with the glacier-averaged value with the r = 0.99 agreement. The temporal resolution of the ice ablation data is uneven and varies from 3 to 45 days. To carry out the correlation analysis, meteorological data from the automated weather station located near the glacier terminus are used. The ice ablation rates, obtained after normalization for the number of days between stake readings, have a tight correlation with both the air temperature and the downwelling shortwave radiation flux for most of the seasons, in 2018– 2021 (r = 0.71–0.99). Surface air temperature and short-wave radiation are closely related; the above estimates indicate the leading role of short-wave radiation in the summer ablation of the glacier in the period 2018–2021. The year 2022 became anomalous, as the correlation with the shortwave radiation significantly decreased (r = 0.21–0.34). The European heat wave of 2022, which also affected the Svalbard archipelago, interrupted the ordinary intra-annual variability of the air temperature, causing the unprecedented ice melt on Aldegondabreen in September. The predicted increase in frequency and intensity of the future heat waves will result in an increased role of turbulent fluxes in the surface energy balance of the low-elevated Svalbard glaciers. The article demonstrates how the empirically identified dependencies can change from season to season in a non-stationary climate. Рассмотрена зависимость внутрисезонной изменчивости абляции льда на леднике Альдегонда (Шпицберген) от приземной температуры воздуха и потока коротковолновой радиации. В 2018– 2021 гг. абляция льда хорошо согласуется с обоими факторами (r = 0.80–0.98 и 0.71–0.99 соответственно). 2022 ...