Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008
International audience By subtracting surface topographies from 1979, 1994, 2000 and 2008, we measured ice thinning rates increasing from 1 m a-1 (1979-1994) to more than 4 m a-1 (2000-2008) on the tongue of the Mer de Glace. The relative contributions of changes in surface mass balance and ice flux...
Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
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Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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HAL CCSD
2012
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992/document https://hal.science/hal-00743992/file/BerthierVincent_JOG_2012_Preprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 |
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English |
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[SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography |
spellingShingle |
[SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography Berthier, Etienne Vincent, Christian Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 |
topic_facet |
[SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography |
description |
International audience By subtracting surface topographies from 1979, 1994, 2000 and 2008, we measured ice thinning rates increasing from 1 m a-1 (1979-1994) to more than 4 m a-1 (2000-2008) on the tongue of the Mer de Glace. The relative contributions of changes in surface mass balance and ice fluxes to this acceleration in the thinning are estimated using field and remote sensing measurements. Between 1979-1994 and 2000-2008, surface mass balance diminished by 1.2 m w.e. a-1 mainly because of atmospheric warming. Mass balance changes induced by the growing debris-covered area and the evolving glacier hypsometry compensated each other. Meanwhile, the Mer de Glace slowed down and the ice fluxes through two cross-sections at 2200 m a.s.l. and 2050 m a.s.l. decreased by 60%. Between 1979-1994 and 2000-2008, two thirds of the increase in the thinning rates was caused by reduced ice fluxes and one third by rising surface ablation. However, those numbers need to be interpreted cautiously given our inability to respect mass conservation below our upper cross section. An important implication is that large errors would occur if one term of the continuity equation (e.g., surface mass balance) was deduced from the two others (e.g., elevation and ice flux changes). |
author2 |
GLACIO LEGOS Laboratoire d'études en Géophysique et océanographie spatiales (LEGOS) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE) Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG) Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Berthier, Etienne Vincent, Christian |
author_facet |
Berthier, Etienne Vincent, Christian |
author_sort |
Berthier, Etienne |
title |
Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 |
title_short |
Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 |
title_full |
Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 |
title_fullStr |
Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 |
title_sort |
relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the mer de glace (alps) over 1979-2008 |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992/document https://hal.science/hal-00743992/file/BerthierVincent_JOG_2012_Preprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 |
genre |
Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
ISSN: 0022-1430 EISSN: 1727-5652 Journal of Glaciology https://hal.science/hal-00743992 Journal of Glaciology, 2012, 58 (209), pp.501-512. ⟨10.3189/2012JoG11J083⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992/document https://hal.science/hal-00743992/file/BerthierVincent_JOG_2012_Preprint.pdf doi:10.3189/2012JoG11J083 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
58 |
container_issue |
209 |
container_start_page |
501 |
op_container_end_page |
512 |
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1810453602959884288 |
spelling |
ftmeteofrance:oai:HAL:hal-00743992v1 2024-09-15T18:15:40+00:00 Relative contribution of surface mass balance and ice flux changes to the accelerated thinning of the Mer de Glace (Alps) over 1979-2008 Berthier, Etienne Vincent, Christian GLACIO LEGOS Laboratoire d'études en Géophysique et océanographie spatiales (LEGOS) Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE) Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG) Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 2012 https://hal.science/hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992/document https://hal.science/hal-00743992/file/BerthierVincent_JOG_2012_Preprint.pdf https://doi.org/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 en eng HAL CCSD International Glaciological Society info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992 https://hal.science/hal-00743992/document https://hal.science/hal-00743992/file/BerthierVincent_JOG_2012_Preprint.pdf doi:10.3189/2012JoG11J083 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0022-1430 EISSN: 1727-5652 Journal of Glaciology https://hal.science/hal-00743992 Journal of Glaciology, 2012, 58 (209), pp.501-512. ⟨10.3189/2012JoG11J083⟩ [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2012 ftmeteofrance https://doi.org/10.3189/2012JoG11J083 2024-06-25T00:00:09Z International audience By subtracting surface topographies from 1979, 1994, 2000 and 2008, we measured ice thinning rates increasing from 1 m a-1 (1979-1994) to more than 4 m a-1 (2000-2008) on the tongue of the Mer de Glace. The relative contributions of changes in surface mass balance and ice fluxes to this acceleration in the thinning are estimated using field and remote sensing measurements. Between 1979-1994 and 2000-2008, surface mass balance diminished by 1.2 m w.e. a-1 mainly because of atmospheric warming. Mass balance changes induced by the growing debris-covered area and the evolving glacier hypsometry compensated each other. Meanwhile, the Mer de Glace slowed down and the ice fluxes through two cross-sections at 2200 m a.s.l. and 2050 m a.s.l. decreased by 60%. Between 1979-1994 and 2000-2008, two thirds of the increase in the thinning rates was caused by reduced ice fluxes and one third by rising surface ablation. However, those numbers need to be interpreted cautiously given our inability to respect mass conservation below our upper cross section. An important implication is that large errors would occur if one term of the continuity equation (e.g., surface mass balance) was deduced from the two others (e.g., elevation and ice flux changes). Article in Journal/Newspaper Journal of Glaciology Météo-France: HAL Journal of Glaciology 58 209 501 512 |