Snow accumulation distribution on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in 1997

Abstract

A survey of the regional snow accumulation variability on Spitsbergen, Svalbard, was canied out during three field campaigns in May 1997. The survey was carried out along three trnnsects from west-to-east approximately at the following latitudes: 77"30', 78" and 78"50' degrees north. The altitudes span fi-om sea level to 1000 metres elevation. Snow depth was measured with two different ground-penetrating radar systems, PulsEKKO (450 MHz) and GSSI SIR System-2 (500 MHz), pulled behind sncw machines. Snow characteristics such as snow temperature, snow density and stratigraphy were measured in snow pits in nine areas, three along each transect. Our data suggest the following: (1) the accumulation-elevation gradients vary from 3 m d 1 0 0 m in the northeast to 237 mm/IOO minthe central-south with anaveragevalue of 104mm/100 m for all measurements: (2) snow accumulation was 38 to 49% higher at the eastern coast than at the western coast: (3) a clear minimum in accumulation (or continental climate) is seen for the central (inland) locations in the middle and noahern transects while no such minimum exists along the southern transect; (4) a south-to-north gradient produces 55% and 40% less snow accumulation at the northern locations compared to the southern locations at the western and eastern coasts, respectively. These drops in winter snow accumulation occur over a distance of less than 200 h.

Melting Characteristics of Snow Cover on Tidewater Glaciers in Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard

“…Mühlbacherbreen was the only glacier with insignificant SCA reduction. Previous papers focusing on snow distribution on Svalbard glaciers highlighted that interior areas are characterized by the local continental microclimate, where lower air temperature persists throughout the year [30,40,41]. This dependency is visible both on the northern and southern coasts of the Hornsund Fjord ( Figure 6).…”

“…On Hansbreen, the contribution of the layers formed by those events to the snowpack is high, remaining above 25% in the ablation zone [24,30]. This translates into increased density of snow cover, which is c. 400 kg m −3 compared to the average for Svalbard of 370 kg m −3 [40].…”

Snow distribution patterns on Svalbard glaciers derived from radio-echo soundings

“…Snow studies on Svalbard in the 1990s were widely performed using shallow radio echo−sound− ing. Based on the 1997 radar survey, Winther et al (1998) pointed out the eastern sector as the most favourable for snow accumulation, whereas minimum snow thickness was observed in the central part of Spitsbergen. The increase of snow ac− cumulation towards the south was confirmed once again.…”

Spatio-temporal variability of snowmelt across Svalbard during the period 2000–08 derived from QuikSCAT/SeaWinds scatterometry

“…The distribution and size of glacier-covered areas (see Fig. 1) reflect colder conditions in combination with higher winter accumulation rates in north-eastern regions than along the west coast and in central parts of Svalbard (Winther et al 1998).…”