Multi-decadal glacier surface lowering in the Antarctic Peninsula
Permanent Link:

Material Information

Title:
Multi-decadal glacier surface lowering in the Antarctic Peninsula
Series Title:
Geophysical Research Letters Volume 39
Creator:
Kunz, Matthias
King, Matt A.
Mills, Jon P.
Miller, Pauline E.
Fox, Adrian J.
Vaughan, David G.
Marsh, Stuart H.
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change ( lcsh )
Glaciers ( lcsh )
unknownAntarctica ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
From approximately 400 glaciers of the western Antarctic Peninsula, no in situ records of mass balance exist and their recent contribution to sea level is consequently poorly constrained. We seek to address this shortcoming by using surface elevations from USGS and BAS airborne (1948–2005) and ASTER spaceborne (2001–2010) stereo imagery, combined by using a rigorous semi-automated registration approach, to determine multi-decadal glacier surface elevation changes in the western Antarctic Peninsula for 12 glaciers. All observed glaciers show near-frontal surface lowering and an annual mean lowering rate of 0.28, plus or minus, 0.03 m/yr at the lower portion of the glaciers during the ca.4 decades following the mid-1960s, with higher rates for the glaciers in the north-west parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. Increased lowering of up to 0.6 m/yr can be observed since the 1990s, in close correspondence to increased atmospheric positive degree days. In all cases, surface lowering reduces to zero within 5 km of the glacier front at around 400 m altitude. This lowering may have been at least partially compensated for by increased highaltitude accumulation. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise