Low elevation of Svalbard glaciers drives high mass loss variability
| Autor: | Noël, Brice, Jakobs, C. L., van Pelt, W. J. J., Lhermitte, S., Wouters, B., Kohler, J., Hagen, J. O., Luks, B., Reijmer, C. H., van de Berg, W. J., van den Broeke, M. R., Sub Dynamics Meteorology, Marine and Atmospheric Research |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Sub Dynamics Meteorology, Marine and Atmospheric Research |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Cryospheric science
Hypsometry glacier SURFACE 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Naturgeografi Science General Physics and Astronomy SEA-LEVEL RISE 010502 geochemistry & geophysics 01 natural sciences Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Svalbard modelling GREENLAND ICE-SHEET RUNOFF lcsh:Science TIDEWATER GLACIER Meltwater Climate and Earth system modelling Sea level 0105 earth and related environmental sciences geography Science & Technology Multidisciplinary geography.geographical_feature_category Firn CLIMATE MODEL Glacier General Chemistry Snow Arctic ice pack mass loss Multidisciplinary Sciences Physical Geography BALANCE SIMULATION Science & Technology - Other Topics lcsh:Q Climate model Physical geography Geology |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications, 11(1). Nature Publishing Group Nature Communications, 11(1) Nature Communications Nature Communications, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | 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. Svalbard glaciers are among the lowest ice masses in the Arctic, with a peak in glacier area below 450 m elevation. Using a high-resolution climate model, here the authors show that a modest warming in the mid-1980s propagated meltwater runoff above the glacier area peak, amplifying Svalbard mass loss from all elevations. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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