Rapid retreat, acceleration and thinning of Glaciar Upsala, Southern Patagonia Icefield, initiated in 2008

Sakakibara, Daiki; Sugiyama, Shin; Sawagaki, Takanobu; Marinsek, Sebastián; Skvarca, Pedro

doi:10.3189/2013aog63a236

Cited by 54 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Those are most likely caused by dynamic adjustments to the fast retreat of their glacier fronts. The retreat and acceleration had been reported by various authors [43][44][45][46][47]. For Upsala glacier the retreat has accelerated between 2008 and 2011 remaining stable since then [46,[48][49][50].…”

Section: Elevation and Mass Changes Of The Entire Spimentioning

confidence: 87%

Elevation and Mass Changes of the Southern Patagonia Icefield Derived from TanDEM-X and SRTM Data

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The contribution to sea level rise from Patagonian icefields is one of the largest mass losses outside the large ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland. However, only a few studies have provided large-scale assessments in a spatially detailed way to address the reaction of individual glaciers in Patagonia and hence to better understand and explain the underlying processes. In this work, we use repeat radar interferometric measurements of the German TerraSAR-X-Add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements (TanDEM-X) satellite constellation between 2011/12 and 2016 together with the digital elevation model from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in 2000 in order to derive surface elevation and mass changes of the Southern Patagonia Icefield (SPI). Our results reveal a mass loss rate of −11.84 ± 3.3 Gt·a −1 (corresponding to 0.033 ± 0.009 mm·a −1 sea level rise) for an area of 12573 km 2 in the period 2000-2015/16. This equals a specific glacier mass balance of −0.941 ± 0.19 m w.e.·a −1 for the whole SPI. These values are comparable with previous estimates since the 1970s, but a magnitude larger than mass change rates reported since the Little Ice Age. The spatial pattern reveals that not all glaciers respond similarly to changes and that various factors need to be considered in order to explain the observed changes. Our multi-temporal coverage of the southern part of the SPI (south of 50.3 • S) shows that the mean elevation change rates do not vary significantly over time below the equilibrium line. However, we see indications for more positive mass balances due to possible precipitation increase in 2014 and 2015. We conclude that bi-static radar interferometry is a suitable tool to accurately measure glacier volume and mass changes in frequently cloudy regions. We recommend regular repeat TanDEM-X acquisitions to be scheduled for the maximum summer melt extent in order to minimize the effects of radar signal penetration and to increase product quality.

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Section: Elevation and Mass Changes Of The Entire Spimentioning

confidence: 87%

Elevation and Mass Changes of the Southern Patagonia Icefield Derived from TanDEM-X and SRTM Data

et al. 2018

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“…On calving glaciers, surface velocities reach a maximum at the glacier front, due to the pulling effect of high calving rates (Sakakibara and Sugiyama, 2014). Upsala glacier has been in fact described as one of the most representative glaciers in this regard (Sakakibara et al, 2013). The high calving rates may be further enhanced when near-buoyancy conditions are reached at the front of a glacier calving into deep waters .…”

Section: Surface Velocities Of Upsala Glaciermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this figure, we took into consideration the different techniques and acquisition dates for each of the studies listed in table 1. To make the comparison easy, we refer to the glacier surface velocities as near as possible to the glacier terminus (e.g., Sakakibara et al, 2013;Muto and Furuya, 2013), and the original my -1 values were converted into md -1 rates. We detected at least two episodes where a surface velocity increase coincided with enhanced glacier retreat.…”

Section: Frontal Position and Surface Velocities Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Glacier thinning in the SPI has sped up since 1968 (Rignot et al, 2003;Glasser et al, 2011;Willis et al, 2012), thus making an increasing contribution to the recent sea level rise (Rignot et al, 2003). Upsala glacier, in particular, began a phase of abrupt retreat in 1978 (Naruse and Skvarca, 2000), to the present day, making it one of the most dynamic glaciers of the SPI (Sakakibara et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Estimation of surface velocities studies in the Upsala catchment have been carry out by different techniques, such as aerial photogrammetry (Aniya and Skvarca, 1992), topographic surveys (Naruse and Aniya, 1992;Skvarca et al, 1995) and both optical (Skvarca et al, 2003;Sakakibara et al, 2013;Sakakibara and Sugiyama, 2014;Mouginot and Rignot, 2015) and SAR satellite images (Floricioiu et al, 2008;Floricioiu et al, 2009;Muto and Furuya, 2013;Mouginot and Rignot, 2015). These studies have estimated the evolution of glacier velocities from 1968 to 2011, considering different time scales (years or decades) and using various sensors and techniques (Table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Velocidades superficiales del glaciar Upsala, Andes Patagónicos Sur, mediante el uso de correlación cruzada en imágenes satelitales: periodo 2013-2014.

Moragues

Lenzano

Vecchio

et al. 2017

andgeo

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ABSTRACT. In this study we present surface velocities estimation for the Upsala glacier catchment, South Patagonian Ice Field (SPI) during the summer season of years 2013 (January-March) and 2014 (March-April), including the Bertacchi, Cono, and Murallón tributaries using satellite images from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). The Cross-Correlation method was applied by COSI-Corr technique with sub-pixel accuracy. In general, it should be noted that the SPI glaciers, and Upsala glacier in particular, are fast-flowing ice bodies, which makes the technique works properly. Results of surface velocities estimation ranged from 0.22 to 2.93 md -1 for January-March 2013 and 0.12 to 5.8 md -1 for March-April 2014. In summary, COSI-Corr can achieved accurate and reliable results for glacier displacements and surface velocities estimation, also contributing in the better knowledge of the velocities change processes in time, taking into account Upsala is one of the most dynamic temperate glaciers of the SPI. RESUMEN. Velocidades superficiales del glaciar Upsala, Andes Patagónicos Sur, mediante el uso de correlación cruzada en imágenes satelitales: periodo 2013-2014. En este estudio se presentan las estimaciones de velocidades superficiales de la cuenca del glaciar Upsala, Campo de Hielo Patagónico Sur (CHPS) durante la temporada de verano de los años 2013 (enero-marzo) y 2014 (marzo-abril), incluyendo los glaciares tributarios Bertacchi, Cono y Murallón utilizando imágenes satelitales ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer). El método de correlación cruzada se aplicó mediante la implementación de la técnica COSI-Corr, con una precisión a nivel de subpixel. Cabe destacar que los glaciares del CHPS, en general, y el glaciar Upsala, en particular, son cuerpos de hielo de flujo rápido, lo que hace que la técnica funcione correctamente. Los resultados de las velocidades superficiales oscilaron entre 0,22 a 2,93 md -1 para el periodo enero-marzo de 2013 y de 0,12 a 5,8 md -1 para el periodo marzo-abril de 2014. En resumen, COSI-Corr alcanzó resultados precisos y confiables para la estimación de desplazamientos y velocidades superficiales de los glaciares, contribuyendo al mejor conocimiento de los procesos de cambio de velocidades en el tiempo, teniendo en cuenta que Upsala es uno de los glaciares templados más dinámicos del CHPS.

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Ice motion of the Patagonian Icefields of South America: 1984–2014

Mouginot

Rignot

2015

Geophysical Research Letters

102

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We present the first comprehensive high-resolution mosaic of ice velocity of the Northern (NPI) and Southern Patagonian Icefields (SPI), from multiple synthetic aperture radar and optical data collected between 1984 and 2014. The results reveal that many of the outlet glaciers extend far into the central ice plateaus, which implies that changes in ice dynamics propagate far inside the accumulation area. We report pronounced seasonal to interannual variability of ice motion on Pío XI and Jorge Montt, a doubling in speed of Jorge Montt, a major slow down of O'Higgins, significant fluctuations of Upsala and a deceleration of San Rafael, which illustrate the need for sustained, continuous time series of ice motion to understand the long-term evolution of the rapidly thinning icefields. The velocity product also resolves major ambiguities in glacier drainage in areas of relatively flat topography illustrating the need to combine topography and flow direction to map drainage basins.

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Rapid retreat, acceleration and thinning of Glaciar Upsala, Southern Patagonia Icefield, initiated in 2008

Cited by 54 publications

References 44 publications

Elevation and Mass Changes of the Southern Patagonia Icefield Derived from TanDEM-X and SRTM Data

Elevation and Mass Changes of the Southern Patagonia Icefield Derived from TanDEM-X and SRTM Data

Velocidades superficiales del glaciar Upsala, Andes Patagónicos Sur, mediante el uso de correlación cruzada en imágenes satelitales: periodo 2013-2014.

Ice motion of the Patagonian Icefields of South America: 1984–2014

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