Surface mass balance and ice flow of the glaciers Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen, Svalbard, Arctic

Xu Mingxing, Yan Ming, Ren Jiawen, Ai Songtao, Kang Jiancheng, E Dongchen

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Advances in Polar Science ›› 2010, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (2) : 147-159.

Surface mass balance and ice flow of the glaciers Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen, Svalbard, Arctic

  • Xu Mingxing1,2, Yan Ming1*, Ren Jiawen3, Ai Songtao4, Kang Jiancheng2, E Dongchen4
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Abstract

The glaciers Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen are located at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. The surface mass balance and ice flow velocity of both glaciers have been determined from the first year of observations (2005/2006), while the front edge of Austre Lovénbreen was also surveyed. The results are as follows: (1) The net mass balances of Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen are — 0.44 and —0.20 m w.e., the annual ablation is —0.99 and —0.94 m w.e., and the corresponding equilibrium line altitudes are 478.10 and 494.87 m, respectively. (2) Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen are characterized as ice flow models of surge-type glaciers in Svalbard. The horizontal vectors of the ice flow velocities are parallel or converge to the central lines of both glaciers, with lower velocities in the lower ablation areas and higher velocities in the middle and upper reaches of the glaciers. The vertical vectors of ice flow velocities show that there is a mass loss in the ablation areas, which reduces with increasing altitude, while there is a mass gain near the equilibrium line of Austre Lovénbreen. (3) The front edge of Austre Lovénbreen receded at an average rate of 21.83 m · a-1, with remarkable variability-a maximum rate of 77.30 m · a-1 and a minimum rate of 2.76 m · a-1.

Key words

Svalbard

/ Glacier / Mass balance / Ice flow

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Xu Mingxing, Yan Ming, Ren Jiawen, Ai Songtao, Kang Jiancheng, E Dongchen. Surface mass balance and ice flow of the glaciers Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen, Svalbard, Arctic. Advances in Polar Science. 2010, 21(2): 147-159

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