Local surface mass-balance reconstruction from a tephra layer – a case study on the northern slope of Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland

Mayer, Christoph; Jaenicke, Julia; Lambrecht, Astrid; Braun, Ludwig N; Völksen, Christof; Minet, Christian; Münzer, Ulrich

doi:10.1017/jog.2016.119

Cited by 6 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…However, glaciological mass balances are limited to a few glaciers only, due to the large effort involved in the field work. Existing historic aerial imagery can also provide valuable information on long-term glacier evolution and, depending on the imagery, allow a retrospective determination of geodetic glacier mass balances for a considerable number of glaciers and thus greatly complement glaciological data (Belart et al, 2019;Jaenicke et al, 2006;Magnússon et al, 2016;Mayer et al, 2017). Different studies demonstrate the potential of spatiotemporal change analysis of alpine glaciers using photogrammetric data (Fugazza et al, 2018;Gudmundsson and Bauder, 1999;Legat et al, 2016;Rossini et al, 2018) and comparing their results to glaciological mass balances (Baltsavias et al, 2001;Klug et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing glacier retreat and mass balances using aerial and UAV photogrammetry in the Ötztal Alps, Austria

et al. 2021

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Abstract. We use high-resolution aerial photogrammetry to investigate glacier retreat in great spatial and temporal detail in the Ötztal Alps, a heavily glacierized area in Austria. Long-term in situ glaciological observations are available for this region as well as a multitemporal time series of digital aerial images with a spatial resolution of 0.2 m acquired over a period of 9 years. Digital surface models (DSMs) are generated for the years 2009, 2015, and 2018. Using these, glacier retreat, extent, and surface elevation changes of all 23 glaciers in the region, including the Vernagtferner, are analyzed. Due to different acquisition dates of the large-scale photogrammetric surveys and the glaciological data, a correction is successfully applied using a designated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey across a major part of the Vernagtferner. The correction allows a comparison of the mass balances from geodetic and glaciological techniques – both quantitatively and spatially. The results show a clear increase in glacier mass loss for all glaciers in the region, including the Vernagtferner, over the last decade. Local deviations and processes, such as the influence of debris cover, crevasses, and ice dynamics on the mass balance of the Vernagtferner, are quantified. Since those local processes are not captured with the glaciological method, they underline the benefits of complementary geodetic surveying. The availability of high-resolution multi-temporal digital aerial imagery for most of the glaciers in the Alps provides opportunities for a more comprehensive and detailed analysis of climate-change-induced glacier retreat and mass loss.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing glacier retreat and mass balances using aerial and UAV photogrammetry in the Ötztal Alps, Austria

et al. 2021

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“…The ice movement can be determined from ground observations or from remote-sensing data, which allows the calculation of the local surface ablation from the horizontal shift of the outcrop and the dipping angle of the ash layer. This approach is described by Mayer and others (2017), who measured the dipping angle of the 1918 tephra layer along a crevasse and applied the model for the period 1988-2014. Here, we extend the methodology by a more extensive ground-penetrating radar (GPR) sounding of the tephra layer depth, which allows us to derive a 3D-model of this layer by interpolation of tephra depths between the GPR tracks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating local surface glacier mass balance from migration of the 1918 Katla eruption tephra layer on Sléttjökull, southern Iceland

Hagg

Mayer²,

Münzer³

et al. 2023

Ann. Glaciol.

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We use the apparent horizontal shift of an englacial tephra layer outcrop to calculate local glacier mass balance on Sléttjökull, a lobe of Mýrdalsjökull in Southern Iceland. For this approach, the dipping angle of the englacial tephra layer in the glacier upstream of the outcrop and the flow velocity of the ice need to be known. An earlier investigation was expanded by the application of ground-penetrating radar, detecting the depth of the tephra along tracks with a total length of 10 km. Interpolation between the tracks enables us to derive the dipping angle of the layer along several flow lines. Together with glacier surface velocities, determined from feature tracking, we are able to estimate the local surface mass balance from the horizontal displacement of the tephra outcrop using freely available satellite imagery without additional fieldwork. The earlier local balance series was extended to the period 2014/15 to 2019/20. Although the results for the individual profiles differ slightly from each other, they show the same temporal pattern and clear variations from year to year. The results are compared to traditional mass-balance data from Hofsjökull. The two series show a good agreement in their interannual variability.

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“…While Icelandic glaciers show high accumulation rates during winter, they also show strong melting during summer [33]. In fact, it has been estimated that a total melting of all Icelandic glaciers would lead to a 1 cm rise in global sea level [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dissolved and Particulate Organic Carbon in Icelandic Proglacial Streams: A First Estimate

Chifflard

Fasching

Reiss

et al. 2019

Water

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Here for the first time, we analyze the concentration of dissolved (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC), as well as its optical properties (absorbance and fluorescence) from several proglacial streams across Iceland, the location of Europe’s largest non-polar ice cap. We found high spatial variability of DOC concentrations and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition during peak melt, sampling 13 proglacial streams draining the 5 main Icelandic glaciers. Although glacial-derived organic matter (OM) was dominated by proteinaceous florescence, organic matter composition was variable among glaciers, often exhibiting relatively higher aromatic content and increased humification (based on absorbance and fluorescence measurements) closer to the glacier terminus, modulated by the presence of glacial lakes. Additional sampling locations the in flow path of the river Hvitá revealed that while POC concentrations decreased downstream, DOC concentrations and the autochthonous fraction of OM increased, suggesting the reworking of the organic carbon by microbial communities, with likely implications for downstream ecosystems as glaciers continue to melt. Based on our measured DOC concentrations ranging from 0.11 mg·L−1 to 0.94 mg·L−1, we estimate a potential annual carbon release of 0.008 ± 0.002 Tg·C·yr−1 from Icelandic glaciers. This non-conservative first estimate serves to highlight the potentially significant contribution of Icelandic pro-glacial streams to the global carbon cycle and the need for the quantification and determination of the spatio-temporal variation of DOC and POC fluxes and their respective drivers, particularly in light of increased rates of melting due to recent trends in climatic warming.

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Local surface mass-balance reconstruction from a tephra layer – a case study on the northern slope of Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland

Cited by 6 publications

References 20 publications

Analyzing glacier retreat and mass balances using aerial and UAV photogrammetry in the Ötztal Alps, Austria

Analyzing glacier retreat and mass balances using aerial and UAV photogrammetry in the Ötztal Alps, Austria

Estimating local surface glacier mass balance from migration of the 1918 Katla eruption tephra layer on Sléttjökull, southern Iceland

Dissolved and Particulate Organic Carbon in Icelandic Proglacial Streams: A First Estimate

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