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Descripción
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| Ariebreen (77º 01' N, 15º 29' E) is a small valley glacier (ca. 0.36 km2 in August 2007) terminating on land, located at Hornsund, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, ca. 2.5 km to the west of Hornsund Polish Polar Station. Like many other Svalbard glaciers, it has experienced a significant recession at least since the 1930s, and most likely since the end of the Little Ice Age in the early 20th century, which has accelerated from the 1990s. In the case of Ariebreen, this recession has been manifested as retreating of the ice front and thinning of most of the glacier, except for a small zone in the uppermost area, where the ice thickness has remained rather stable. Ice-penetrating radar studies performed in summer 2006 and spring 2007 have suggested that Ariebreen is a cold glacier, in contrast with the polythermal structure of the neighbouring Hansbreen and Werenskioldbreen. This is mainly based on the following evidences: 1) nearly absence of endoglacial diffractions for both high (200 MHz) and low (25 MHz) frequency radar data; and 2) absence of any internal reflector which could be interpreted as an interface between cold and temperate ice layers, again true for both high and low frequencies. In this contribution, we explore the reasons that could explain the present cold hydrothermal state of Ariebreen, and a hypothetical transition from polythermal to cold structure even under a climate warming environment such as that observed in this region. | |
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Internacional
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Si |
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Comentarios Mérito
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Contribución a Congreso Internacional (IASC-NAG Meeting, Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada: 16-19 February 2009) cuyo libro de Abstracts carece de ISBN/ISSN. |