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You are browsing the archive for hornsund glacier retreat Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.

August 16, 2020

Mendeleevbreen/Øydebreen, Svalbard Terminus Retreat and Snowline Rise

Øydebreen (O) and Mendeleevbreen (M) in 2002 and 2020 Landsat images.  Red arrow is the 1990/2002 terminus, yellow arrow the 2020 terminus and purple dots the snowline. Øydebreen and Mendeleevbreen are a pair of glaciers in Sørkapp Land, Svalbard that a share a divide. Mendeleevbreen flows north to Hornsund and Øydebreen south to Isbutka, meeting at the ice divide at 300 m.  The Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy have maintained …

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November 9, 2017

Storbreen, Svalbard Major Retreat Opens New Fjord

Storbreen, Svalbard in 1990 and 2017 Landsat images.  The red arrows indicate 1990 terminus , yellow arrow the 2017 terminus and purple dots the snowline in 1990.  A recent snow storm has obscured the actual snowline in Aug 2017.  Storbreen Glacier (ST) terminates on the north side of Hornsund in southern Svalbard.  From 1990 to 2017 Storbreen has experienced a substantial retreat opening a new fjord and separating from Hornbreen …

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November 23, 2015

Paierbreen Rapid Calving Retreat, Svalbard

1990 and 2014 Landsat images indicating Paierbreen (P), Muhlbacherbreen (MU) and Hansbreen (H). The red arrow and red dots indicate the 1990 terminus location and yellow arrows and yellow dots the 2014 terminus location. The purple arrow indicates the location of a supraglacial lake that was persistent in the 1990’s but is no longer evident in 2013, 2014 and 2015. From 1990 to 2014 all four of the glaciers terminating …

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July 15, 2015

Samarinbreen, Svalbard Rapid Retreat 1990-2014

Samarinbreen (SA) 1990 left, and 2014 right, Landsat image comparison.  KO=Korberbreen, CH=Chomjakovbreen, ME=Mendeleevbreen Red arrows indicate 1990 terminus position, yellow arrows 2014 terminus. and purple dots the snowline. Samarinbreen terminated in a calving front in Samarinvagan, a bay on the southern side of Hornsund Fjord. Hornsund is a fjord that in 2015 almost cuts through the southern Island of Svalbard, due to the retreat of Hamberbergbreen and Hornbreen. The Institute of …

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September 4, 2014

Vasilievbreen Glacier Retreat, Svalbard

Vasilievbreen is a glacier that terminates on the east coast of the southern island of Svalbard a short distance southeast of Hornsund. In 1990 this glacier had a single continuous terminus margin along the coast. The glacier retreated 50 m/year from 1936 to 1990, as the embayment of Isbukta expanded. The glacier has since separated into distinct termini, on each image colored arrows indicate the same specific location, red arrow …

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December 3, 2011

Hornbreen-Hambergbreen Retreat Svalbard

Landsat comparison from 1990 and 2014.  The 1990 terminus is at the red arrows and red dots, the 2014 terminus is the yellow dots.  Hornsund is a fjord that in 2014 almost cuts through the southern Island of Svalbard. The Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy have maintained a Polish Research Station in Hornsund since 1957. The 1984 map, from the University of Silesia, of the glaciers and geomorphology document the …

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July 15, 2011

Retreat of Hansbreen, Svalbard

Hansbreen is tidewater glacier flowing into Hornsund in sw Svalbard. The glacier has been examined in detail over the last twenty years from the Polish Research Station. The glacier has retreated 2.7 kilometers from 1900 to 2008. The chart below from Oerlemans, Jania and Kolandara (2011) illustrates this retreat as does the comparative images from the Polish Research Station. The glacier mass balance has been measured since 1989 and is …

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