Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska
The meltwater from glaciers in Alaska contributes strongly to global sea-level rise, but accurate determination is challenging as only two comparatively small glaciers have long-term measurements of annual mass balance (Gulkana and Wolverine). Simple upscaling of their values to the entire region is...
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ftunivzuerich:oai:www.zora.uzh.ch:119231 2024-06-23T07:45:37+00:00 Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska Le Bris, Raymond Paul, Frank 2015 application/pdf https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/119231/ https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/119231/1/anngl70_lebris_paul_alaska_elev_change.pdf https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-119231 https://doi.org/10.3189/2015AoG70A227 eng eng International Glaciological Society https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/119231/1/anngl70_lebris_paul_alaska_elev_change.pdf doi:10.5167/uzh-119231 doi:10.3189/2015AoG70A227 urn:issn:0260-3055 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Le Bris, Raymond; Paul, Frank (2015). Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska. Annals of Glaciology, 56(70):184-192. Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel Journal Article PeerReviewed info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2015 ftunivzuerich https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-11923110.3189/2015AoG70A227 2024-05-29T00:30:37Z The meltwater from glaciers in Alaska contributes strongly to global sea-level rise, but accurate determination is challenging as only two comparatively small glaciers have long-term measurements of annual mass balance (Gulkana and Wolverine). Simple upscaling of their values to the entire region is error-prone as their representativeness is unknown and might be biased. Alternatively, differencing digital elevation models (DEMs) from two epochs provides overall volume changes for a longer period of time that can be converted to mass changes using appropriate density assumptions. Here we combine outlines from two glacier inventories to determine glacier-specific elevation changes over a 50 year period for 3180 glaciers in western Alaska using DEM differencing. This allows us to determine the representativeness of the land-terminating Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers for the entire region and to exclude calving glaciers (marine and lacustrine) from the sample. Mean changes for all land-terminating, lake-terminating and tidewater glaciers are –0.23 ± 0.44, –0.63 ± 0.40 and –0.64 ± 0.66ma⁻¹, respectively, and –0.7 and –0.6ma⁻¹ for the two mass-balance or benchmark glaciers. Thus fortuitously their changes better represent calving glaciers and the overall mean (–0.63 ± 1.14ma⁻¹) than the change of land-terminating glaciers, i.e. they are not representative for their own type. Different methods of considering potential DEM artefacts provide variable mean changes but the same general result. Article in Journal/Newspaper Annals of Glaciology glacier glaciers Tidewater Alaska University of Zurich (UZH): ZORA (Zurich Open Repository and Archive |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Zurich (UZH): ZORA (Zurich Open Repository and Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivzuerich |
language |
English |
topic |
Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel |
spellingShingle |
Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel Le Bris, Raymond Paul, Frank Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska |
topic_facet |
Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel |
description |
The meltwater from glaciers in Alaska contributes strongly to global sea-level rise, but accurate determination is challenging as only two comparatively small glaciers have long-term measurements of annual mass balance (Gulkana and Wolverine). Simple upscaling of their values to the entire region is error-prone as their representativeness is unknown and might be biased. Alternatively, differencing digital elevation models (DEMs) from two epochs provides overall volume changes for a longer period of time that can be converted to mass changes using appropriate density assumptions. Here we combine outlines from two glacier inventories to determine glacier-specific elevation changes over a 50 year period for 3180 glaciers in western Alaska using DEM differencing. This allows us to determine the representativeness of the land-terminating Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers for the entire region and to exclude calving glaciers (marine and lacustrine) from the sample. Mean changes for all land-terminating, lake-terminating and tidewater glaciers are –0.23 ± 0.44, –0.63 ± 0.40 and –0.64 ± 0.66ma⁻¹, respectively, and –0.7 and –0.6ma⁻¹ for the two mass-balance or benchmark glaciers. Thus fortuitously their changes better represent calving glaciers and the overall mean (–0.63 ± 1.14ma⁻¹) than the change of land-terminating glaciers, i.e. they are not representative for their own type. Different methods of considering potential DEM artefacts provide variable mean changes but the same general result. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Le Bris, Raymond Paul, Frank |
author_facet |
Le Bris, Raymond Paul, Frank |
author_sort |
Le Bris, Raymond |
title |
Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska |
title_short |
Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska |
title_full |
Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska |
title_sort |
glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western alaska |
publisher |
International Glaciological Society |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/119231/ https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/119231/1/anngl70_lebris_paul_alaska_elev_change.pdf https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-119231 https://doi.org/10.3189/2015AoG70A227 |
genre |
Annals of Glaciology glacier glaciers Tidewater Alaska |
genre_facet |
Annals of Glaciology glacier glaciers Tidewater Alaska |
op_source |
Le Bris, Raymond; Paul, Frank (2015). Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska. Annals of Glaciology, 56(70):184-192. |
op_relation |
https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/119231/1/anngl70_lebris_paul_alaska_elev_change.pdf doi:10.5167/uzh-119231 doi:10.3189/2015AoG70A227 urn:issn:0260-3055 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-11923110.3189/2015AoG70A227 |
_version_ |
1802641520871866368 |