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Recent changes (1991-2010) in glacier mass balance and air temperature in the European Alps

R. J. Braithwaite, S.C.B. Raper and R. Candela

Annals of Glaciology. 2013;54(63):139-146.

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Abstract

We estimate temperature sensitivity of observed mass balance for glaciers in the Alps to compare with our earlier estimates from modelling. We treat 1961 1990 as our reference period and compare mass balance for 1991-2010 with this reference period. There are eight alpine glaciers with long enough records. The mean mass balance for the eight glaciers is close to zero for the reference period, very negative for 1991 2010, and highly negative in the exceptionally warm year 2003. Mass balance changes are compared with 1991-2010 temperature anomalies to give an average temperature sensitivity of about -0.7 ± 0.2 m w.e. a-1 K-1 for the eight glaciers. There is considerable variation between individual glaciers with higher sensitivity for western glaciers and lower sensitivity for more eastern glaciers. Temperature sensitivity for the eight glaciers is strongly correlated with the standard deviation of observed mass balance, which from earlier work is known to be correlated with winter balance. The mean temperature-sensitivity for observed mass balance is in reasonable agreement with values from earlier models but changes in glacier hypsometry during 1991-2010 may have further increased observed mass loss.

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Publication status:
Published
Publication type:
Publication form:
Published date:
Language:
eng
Journal title:
ISSN:
Place of publication:
Cambridge
Volume:
54
Issue:
63
Start page:
139
End page:
146
Total:
7
Pagination:
139-146
PubMed Central deposit version:
publishers
Research data access statement included:
Not applicable
General notes:
  • IGS Institutional Repositories policy The International Glaciological Society allows Institutional Repositories, where Institutions are permitted to archive electronic copies of Journal of Glaciology and Annals of Glaciology articles with the following conditions: only the final, post-print version may be archived papers may be archived six months after their appearance online at the IGS website publisher source and copyright must be acknowledged there must be a link to the publisher authors may post pre-review versions of articles at personal websites, provided that the publisher and review/acceptance status are indicated clearly.
Is APC paid?:
Yes
Attached files embargo period:
Immediate release
Attached files release date:
19th August, 2014
Access state:
Active

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:160805
Created by:
Braithwaite, Roger
Created:
14th May, 2012, 15:37:31
Last modified by:
Braithwaite, Roger
Last modified:
12th May, 2015, 16:38:41

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