From Doktor Kurowski's Schneegrenze to our modern glacier equilibrium line altitude (ELA)

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Author: R. J. Braithwaite
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2015
• Subjects: geo; envir; Ela; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2135-2015; http://www.the-cryosphere.net/9/2135/2015/tc-9-2135-2015.pdf; https://doaj.org/article/7485539288e345bebc6cea696a3717f4

Translated into modern terminology, Kurowski suggested in 1891 that the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of a glacier is equal to the mean altitude of the glacier when the whole glacier is in balance between accumulation and ablation. Kurowski's method has been widely misunderstood, partly due t...