You are browsing the archive for svalbard glacier melt Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.
September 14, 2022
Freemanbreen, Svalbard Retreat Leads to Island Formation
Freemanbreen in 1990 and 2022 Landsat images. Both are years with limited retained snowcover (S) and some area of retained firn (F). The glacier has retreated from a new island that had formed at Point D. At Point A-C glacier melt and resultant thinning has exposed and expanded bedrock areas. Freemanbreen is the primary southern outlet glacier of the icecap that dominates Barentsøya, Svlabard. Here we examine Landsat imagery from …
December 11, 2019
Austre Torellbreen, Svalbard Retreat and Nunatak Expansion
Austre Torellbreen in 2000 and 2019 Landsat images. Red arrow is the 2000 terminus location, yellow arrow the 2019 terminus location. Point 1,2 and 3 are nunatak areas that are expanding. Austre Torellbreen is an outlet glacier on the southwest coast of Svalbard. It is just west of calving glacier that are retreating such as Paierbreen and Samarinbreen and adjacent to the land terminating Nannbreen. Blaszczyk et al (2008) report …
May 18, 2017
Hinlopenbreen, Svalbard 7 km Retreat 1990-2016.
Hinlopenbreen, Svalbard in 1990 and 2016 Landsat imagery. red arrow is 1990 terminus, yellow arrow is 2016 terminus,and Oslobreen is noted by Point O Hinlopenbreen is a large tidewater glacier in northern Svalbard. The glacier has a periodic history of surging, with the last surge occurring in 1970 (Nuth et al 2010). The glacier has the largest negative balance of -0.58 m/year from 1965-2005 (Nuth et al 2010). The …
May 16, 2016
Frostisen Ice Cap Svalbard, Ongoing Defrosting 1990-2015
Frostisen Ice Cap in 1990 and 2015 Landsat images. Red arrow is the 1990 terminus location, yellow arrow the 2015 terminus location. Purple arrows indicate thinning on the upper margin of the ice cap, and the letter A indicates an outcrop of rock emerging through the ice. Frostisen is an ice cap in Dickson Land of Central Svalbard. The World Glacier inventory of 1960 listed the area of the ice cap …
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 …
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 …
July 12, 2011
Retreat of Nannbreen, Svalbard
Nannbreen is a 5 km long land terminating glacier in southwest Svalbard. The glacier is just north of Hornsund. During the course of the 20th century Nannbreen retreated from its Little Ice Age moraine complex forming a new proglacial lake. The glacier ends at an elevation of 150 meters descending from 600 meters, the snowline in several Landsat images from the last decade has been 400-450 meters. By 2000 (first …
Dean of Academic Affairs at Nichols College and Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts since 1989. Glaciologist directing the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project since 1984. This project monitors the mass balance and behavior of more glaciers than any other in North America.