Response of the climatic mass balance of Hurd and Johnsons glaciers, Livingston Island, to the transient cooling period of the northern Antarctic Peninsula in the early 21st century

• Main Authors: Recio-Blitz, Cayetana, de Corcuera, María Isabel, Machío, Francisco, Rodríguez-Cielos, Ricardo, Navarro, Francisco
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Masaryk Univerzity 2024
• Subjects: accumulation; ablation; Hurd Peninsula; South Shetland Islands; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Hurd; Hurd peninsula; Johnsons; Livingston Island; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://journals.muni.cz/CPR/article/view/38143

We calculated and analysed the climatic mass balance of Hurd and Johnsons glaciers, Livingston Island, northern Antarctic Peninsula region, over the period 2002−2016. This period is nearly coincident with the transient period of sustained cooling occurred in the northern Antarctic Peninsula region in the early 21st century. A positive trend for the climatic mass balance of ~0.5-0.6 m w.e. decade-1 was observed, in parallel with a striking negative trend of the equilibrium line altitude of ~ -100-200 m decade-1, and a positive trend of the accumulation area ratio of ~3-6% decade-1. Other glaciers monitored in the South Shetland Islands and the periphery of the northernmost Antarctic Peninsula have shown a similar behavior, with the changes observed in the former being more marked.