Quantification of dead-ice melting in ice-cored moraines at the high-Arctic glacier Holmströmbreen, Svalbard
(2008) In Boreas 37(2). p.211-225- Abstract
- Abstract in Undetermined
An extensive dead-ice area has developed at the stagnant snout of the Holmstrombreen glacier, Svalbard, following its last advance during the Little Ice Age (LIA). The most common landform is ice-cored slopes hosting sediment gravity flows. Dead-ice melting is described and quantified through field studies and analyses of high-resolution, multi-temporal aerial photographs and QuickBird 2 satellite imagery. Field measurements of backwasting of ice-cored slopes indicate melting rates of 9.2 cm/day. Downwasting rates reveal a dead-ice surface lowering of 0.9 m/yr from 1984 to 2004. The volume of melted dead-ice in the marginal zone since the LIA is estimated at 2.72 km(3). Most prominently, dead-ice melting causes... (More) - Abstract in Undetermined
An extensive dead-ice area has developed at the stagnant snout of the Holmstrombreen glacier, Svalbard, following its last advance during the Little Ice Age (LIA). The most common landform is ice-cored slopes hosting sediment gravity flows. Dead-ice melting is described and quantified through field studies and analyses of high-resolution, multi-temporal aerial photographs and QuickBird 2 satellite imagery. Field measurements of backwasting of ice-cored slopes indicate melting rates of 9.2 cm/day. Downwasting rates reveal a dead-ice surface lowering of 0.9 m/yr from 1984 to 2004. The volume of melted dead-ice in the marginal zone since the LIA is estimated at 2.72 km(3). Most prominently, dead-ice melting causes the growth of an ice-walled lake with an area increasing near-exponentially over the last 40 years. Despite the high-Arctic setting, dead-ice melting progresses with similar rates as in humid sub-polar climates, stressing that melt rates are governed by processes and topography rather than climate. We suggest that the permafrost and lack of glacier karst prevent meltwater percolation, thus maintaining a liquefied debris-cover where new dead-ice is continuously exposed to melting. As long as backwasting and mass movement processes prevent build-up of an insulating debris-cover, the de-icing continues despite the continuous permafrost. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/634300
- author
- Schomacker, Anders LU and Kjær, Kurt H.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2008
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Boreas
- volume
- 37
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 211 - 225
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000254932200003
- scopus:55549126516
- ISSN
- 1502-3885
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2007.00014.x
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 2483b6d2-2172-4a68-97d9-5d6434b4e15a (old id 634300)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 11:41:36
- date last changed
- 2022-04-12 23:51:49
@article{2483b6d2-2172-4a68-97d9-5d6434b4e15a,
abstract = {{Abstract in Undetermined<br/>An extensive dead-ice area has developed at the stagnant snout of the Holmstrombreen glacier, Svalbard, following its last advance during the Little Ice Age (LIA). The most common landform is ice-cored slopes hosting sediment gravity flows. Dead-ice melting is described and quantified through field studies and analyses of high-resolution, multi-temporal aerial photographs and QuickBird 2 satellite imagery. Field measurements of backwasting of ice-cored slopes indicate melting rates of 9.2 cm/day. Downwasting rates reveal a dead-ice surface lowering of 0.9 m/yr from 1984 to 2004. The volume of melted dead-ice in the marginal zone since the LIA is estimated at 2.72 km(3). Most prominently, dead-ice melting causes the growth of an ice-walled lake with an area increasing near-exponentially over the last 40 years. Despite the high-Arctic setting, dead-ice melting progresses with similar rates as in humid sub-polar climates, stressing that melt rates are governed by processes and topography rather than climate. We suggest that the permafrost and lack of glacier karst prevent meltwater percolation, thus maintaining a liquefied debris-cover where new dead-ice is continuously exposed to melting. As long as backwasting and mass movement processes prevent build-up of an insulating debris-cover, the de-icing continues despite the continuous permafrost.}},
author = {{Schomacker, Anders and Kjær, Kurt H.}},
issn = {{1502-3885}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{211--225}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Boreas}},
title = {{Quantification of dead-ice melting in ice-cored moraines at the high-Arctic glacier Holmströmbreen, Svalbard}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1502-3885.2007.00014.x}},
doi = {{10.1111/j.1502-3885.2007.00014.x}},
volume = {{37}},
year = {{2008}},
}