Chemistry (all); Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (all); Multidisciplinary; Physics and Astronomy (all); General Physics and Astronomy; General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; General Chemistry
Abstract :
[en] Compared to other Arctic ice masses, Svalbard glaciers are low-elevated with flat interior accumulation areas, resulting in a marked peak in their current hypsometry (area-elevation distribution) at ~450 m above sea level. Since summer melt consistently exceeds winter snowfall, these low-lying glaciers can only survive by refreezing a considerable fraction of surface melt and rain in the porous firn layer covering their accumulation zones. We use a high-resolution climate model to show that modest atmospheric warming in the mid-1980s forced the firn zone to retreat upward by ~100 m to coincide with the hypsometry peak. This led to a rapid areal reduction of firn cover available for refreezing, and strongly increased runoff from dark, bare ice areas, amplifying mass loss from all elevations. As the firn line fluctuates around the hypsometry peak in the current climate, Svalbard glaciers will continue to lose mass and show high sensitivity to temperature perturbations.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Noël, Brice ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Climatologie et Topoclimatologie ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, Netherlands. b.p.y.noel@uu.nl
Jakobs, C L ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, Netherlands
van Pelt, W J J ; Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, SE 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
Lhermitte, S ; Department of Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, 2600 AA, Delft, Netherlands
Wouters, B ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, Netherlands ; Department of Geoscience & Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, 2600 AA, Delft, Netherlands
Kohler, J; Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296, Tromsø, Norway
Hagen, J O; Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, 0371, Oslo, Norway
Luks, B ; Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 01-452, Warsaw, Poland
Reijmer, C H ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, Netherlands
van de Berg, W J; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, Netherlands
van den Broeke, M R ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric research Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CC, Utrecht, Netherlands
Language :
English
Title :
Low elevation of Svalbard glaciers drives high mass loss variability.
NWO - Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [NL]
Funding text :
B.N. was funded by NWO VENI grant VI.Veni.192.019. C.L.J., C.H.R., W.J.B., and M.R.B. acknowledge support from the Polar Programme of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO/ALW) and the Netherlands Earth System Science Centre (NESSC). B.W. was funded by NWO VIDI grant 016.Vidi.171.063.
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