Fifty Years of Tidewater Glacier Surface Elevation and Retreat Dynamics along the South-East Coast of Spitsbergen (Svalbard Archipelago)

Abstract

Tidewater glaciers on the east coast of Svalbard were examined for surface elevation changes and retreat rate. An archival digital elevation model (DEM) from 1970 (generated from aerial images by the Norwegian Polar Institute) in combination with recent ArcticDEM were used to compare the surface elevation changes of eleven glaciers. This approach was complemented by a retreat rate estimation based on the analysis of Landsat and Sentinel-2 images. In total, four of the 11 tidewater glaciers became land-based due to the retreat of their termini. The remaining tidewater glaciers retreated at an average annual retreat rate of 48 m year−1, and with range between 10–150 m year−1. All the glaciers studied experienced thinning in their frontal zones with maximum surface elevation loss exceeding 100 m in the ablation areas of three glaciers. In contrast to the massive retreat and thinning of the frontal zones, a minor increase in ice thickness was recorded in some accumulation areas of the glaciers, exceeding 10 m on three glaciers. The change in glacier geometry suggests an important shift in glacier dynamics over the last 50 years, which very likely reflects the overall trend of increasing air temperatures. Such changes in glacier geometry are common at surging glaciers in their quiescent phase. Surging was detected on two glaciers studied, and was documented by the glacier front readvance and massive surface thinning in high elevated areas.

The Response of Tidewater Glacier Termini Positions in Hornsund (Svalbard) to Climate Forcing, 1992–2020

“…The average annual retreat rate of TWG in Hornsund (100 ma −1 ) is two times higher than the retreat rate of glaciers along the east coast (48 ma −1 ; Kavan et al., 2022). However, the results of Kavan et al.…”

“…However, the results of Kavan et al. (2022) relate to the period 1970–2019 and it needs further studies to assess whether the increased heat transport to the Arctic Ocean by Atlantic Water (Merchel & Walczowski, 2020; Piechura & Walczowski, 2009; Strzelewicz et al., 2022; Walczowski & Piechura, 2011) plays a significant role in the pattern of termini position in western Spitsbergen. Taking into account the earlier timing of spring melt (Vickers et al., 2022), and an increasing trend of warmer winter periods (Osuch & Wawrzyniak, 2017), increased water input to the glacier drainage system is expected, as the models predict that runoff from glaciers in Svalbard will double during the 21st century (Geyman et al., 2022; van Pelt et al., 2021) and the AAR of the glaciers will reach zero in southern Svalbard in the 2030s (van Pelt et al., 2021).…”

“…The average annual retreat rate of TWG in Hornsund (100 ma −1 ) is two times higher than the retreat rate of glaciers along the east coast (48 ma −1 ; Kavan et al, 2022). However, the results of Kavan et al (2022) relate to the period 1970-2019 and it needs further studies to assess whether the increased heat transport to the Arctic Ocean by Atlantic Water (Merchel & Walczowski, 2020;Piechura & Walczowski, 2009;Strzelewicz et al, 2022;Walczowski & Piechura, 2011) plays a significant role in the pattern of termini position in western Spitsbergen.…”

Changes in Land Relief in Urbanised Areas Using Laser Scanning and Archival Data on the Example of Łódź (Poland)

“…This study fills gaps in the existing scientific literature on urban change over a century. The existing scientific literature has mostly focused on indicating and describing landform changes but has lacked geographic and historical interpretation [1][2][3][4]6,8]. This issue has been resolved by inviting a socio-economic geographer to join the research team.…”

“…There are many studies in the literature on relief changes that we can describe as innovative. Typical sites where such studies have been conducted are mining areas [1][2][3], seismic activity [4,5], glacier activity [6] anthropogenic disruption of fluvial processes through, for example, the construction of dams and retention reservoirs [7,8], or changes associated with the centuries-long and often turbulent history of large urban centres [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]). These studies often lack a comprehensive approach.…”