Geometric changes of three glaciers in Dickson Land, central Spitsbergen, during the period 1990-2015
Abstract
Glaciers of the Svalbard archipelago react very rapidly to climate change in the polar environment. Combining the study of aerial photographs, digital elevation models and in situ measurements, it is possible to measure glacier geometric changes.
Apart from the standard remote sensing data evaluation we focus on in situ measurements by ground penetrating radar. This study calculates length, area, volume and elevation changes of three glaciers in Dickson Land, central Spitsbergen, during the period 1990-2015.
Ground penetrating radar surveys indicate ice thickness, which was used for calculating the volume and the bed topography of the glaciers. The mean ice thickness ranges from 21.2 to 52.4 m.
Between 1990 and 2015, the glacierized area decreased from 5.37 +- 1.02 km2 to 4.45 +- 0.25 km2 (- 17.5%) and the volume reduced from 309.93 +- 4.75 mil m3 to 215. 44 +- 1.27 mil m3 (- 30.5%). The mean surface elevation decreased by 23.0 +- 8.4 m (Bertilbreen), 22.3 +- 10.2 (Ferdinandbreen) and 10.7 +- 7.8 m (Elsabreen).
The average surface elevation (0.4 +- 0.3 to 1.0 +- 0.4 m a-1) and volumetric (- 0.22 +- 0.02 to - 3.61 +- 0.12 mil m3 a-1) changes correspond to values reported from this and other regions of Svalbard.