Quiescent-phase changes in velocity and geometry of Finsterwalderbreen, a surge-type glacier in Svalbard

• Main Authors: Nuttall, AM, Hagen, JO, Dowdeswell, J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 1997
• Subjects: Finsterwalderbreen; Svalbard; Annals of Glaciology; glacier; Spitsbergen
• Online Access: https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/36b98c54-764d-4017-ac6c-2a47ad2a9d2c; http://www.igsoc.org:8080/annals/24/igs_annals_vol24_year1997_pg249-254.pdf

Finsterwalderbreen is a 35 km2, poly thermal glacier in southern Spitsbergen, which last surged at around the start of the 20th century, and is still in the quiescent phase. Surface elevations measured several times since 1898 show strong thinning and retreat at the front, and gradual build-up in the accumulation area. Present-day annual velocities increase from about 1 ma I at the snout to a maximum of 13 ma I near the equilibrium line, then drop to 5 m aI at the bergschrund. Summer velocities are higher than the annual .