New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers

This is chapter 4 of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2019 ( https://sios-svalbard.org/SESS_Issue2 ). Glacier mass balance is the budget between snow accumulation and melting of snow and ice. Where glaciers terminate in the ocean, calving of icebergs constitutes an additi...

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Main Authors: Schuler, Thomas V, Glazovsky, Andrey, Hagen, Jon Ove, Hodson, Andrew, Jania, Jacek, Kääb, Andreas, Kohler, Jack, Luks, Bartłomiej, Malecki, Jakub, Moholdt, Geir, Pohjola, Veijo, Van Pelt, Ward
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704575
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spelling ftzenodo:oai:zenodo.org:4704575 2024-09-09T19:28:10+00:00 New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers Schuler, Thomas V Glazovsky, Andrey Hagen, Jon Ove Hodson, Andrew Jania, Jacek Kääb, Andreas Kohler, Jack Luks, Bartłomiej Malecki, Jakub Moholdt, Geir Pohjola, Veijo Van Pelt, Ward 2020-01-13 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704575 eng eng Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System https://zenodo.org/communities/sios https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704574 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704575 oai:zenodo.org:4704575 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode Arctic glaciers mass balance calving surges glacier-climate relationship info:eu-repo/semantics/report 2020 ftzenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.470457510.5281/zenodo.4704574 2024-07-25T13:40:36Z This is chapter 4 of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2019 ( https://sios-svalbard.org/SESS_Issue2 ). Glacier mass balance is the budget between snow accumulation and melting of snow and ice. Where glaciers terminate in the ocean, calving of icebergs constitutes an additional mechanism of mass loss, though it is more difficult to assess than snow accumulation and surface melting. The SvalGlac report reviews new technologies and new data that have become available in the past 20 years to update previous assessments. We find that glaciers all over Svalbard are losing mass, with rates depending on geographical location and glacier size. Smaller glaciers in southern Spitsbergen experience highest rates of mass loss while large ice caps in Northeast Svalbard are closer to a balance situation. However, variations from year to year are large and long-term observations are needed to recognise trends. These spatial patterns and temporal evolution are also supported by modelling studies that calculate surface mass balance based on meteorological data, and by studies applying satellite remote sensing. The only available estimate of calving needs updating, especially with regard to year-to-year and seasonal variations. Several large surges have occurred in the past few years, strongly influencing the amount of ice discharged into the ocean. A glacier surge is a switch from a slow to fast flowing mode, sometimes happening periodically. The mechanisms responsible for surges are not well understood but several Svalbard-based studies shed new light on these processes. The most important gaps are: • our incomplete understanding of surging, both the process itself and its implications for Svalbard glacier mass balance • incomplete basic data coverage for quantification of calving and • limited information about glacier mass balance and meltwater runoff in a future climate. Report Arctic glacier Iceberg* Svalbard Spitsbergen Zenodo Arctic Svalbard
institution Open Polar
collection Zenodo
op_collection_id ftzenodo
language English
topic Arctic glaciers
mass balance
calving
surges
glacier-climate relationship
spellingShingle Arctic glaciers
mass balance
calving
surges
glacier-climate relationship
Schuler, Thomas V
Glazovsky, Andrey
Hagen, Jon Ove
Hodson, Andrew
Jania, Jacek
Kääb, Andreas
Kohler, Jack
Luks, Bartłomiej
Malecki, Jakub
Moholdt, Geir
Pohjola, Veijo
Van Pelt, Ward
New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers
topic_facet Arctic glaciers
mass balance
calving
surges
glacier-climate relationship
description This is chapter 4 of the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2019 ( https://sios-svalbard.org/SESS_Issue2 ). Glacier mass balance is the budget between snow accumulation and melting of snow and ice. Where glaciers terminate in the ocean, calving of icebergs constitutes an additional mechanism of mass loss, though it is more difficult to assess than snow accumulation and surface melting. The SvalGlac report reviews new technologies and new data that have become available in the past 20 years to update previous assessments. We find that glaciers all over Svalbard are losing mass, with rates depending on geographical location and glacier size. Smaller glaciers in southern Spitsbergen experience highest rates of mass loss while large ice caps in Northeast Svalbard are closer to a balance situation. However, variations from year to year are large and long-term observations are needed to recognise trends. These spatial patterns and temporal evolution are also supported by modelling studies that calculate surface mass balance based on meteorological data, and by studies applying satellite remote sensing. The only available estimate of calving needs updating, especially with regard to year-to-year and seasonal variations. Several large surges have occurred in the past few years, strongly influencing the amount of ice discharged into the ocean. A glacier surge is a switch from a slow to fast flowing mode, sometimes happening periodically. The mechanisms responsible for surges are not well understood but several Svalbard-based studies shed new light on these processes. The most important gaps are: • our incomplete understanding of surging, both the process itself and its implications for Svalbard glacier mass balance • incomplete basic data coverage for quantification of calving and • limited information about glacier mass balance and meltwater runoff in a future climate.
format Report
author Schuler, Thomas V
Glazovsky, Andrey
Hagen, Jon Ove
Hodson, Andrew
Jania, Jacek
Kääb, Andreas
Kohler, Jack
Luks, Bartłomiej
Malecki, Jakub
Moholdt, Geir
Pohjola, Veijo
Van Pelt, Ward
author_facet Schuler, Thomas V
Glazovsky, Andrey
Hagen, Jon Ove
Hodson, Andrew
Jania, Jacek
Kääb, Andreas
Kohler, Jack
Luks, Bartłomiej
Malecki, Jakub
Moholdt, Geir
Pohjola, Veijo
Van Pelt, Ward
author_sort Schuler, Thomas V
title New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers
title_short New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers
title_full New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers
title_fullStr New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers
title_full_unstemmed New data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of Svalbard glaciers
title_sort new data, new techniques and new challenges for updating the state of svalbard glaciers
publisher Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System
publishDate 2020
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704575
geographic Arctic
Svalbard
geographic_facet Arctic
Svalbard
genre Arctic
glacier
Iceberg*
Svalbard
Spitsbergen
genre_facet Arctic
glacier
Iceberg*
Svalbard
Spitsbergen
op_relation https://zenodo.org/communities/sios
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704574
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4704575
oai:zenodo.org:4704575
op_rights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.470457510.5281/zenodo.4704574
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