| 1. |
- Beaudon, Emilie, et al.
(författare)
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Spatial and temporal variability of net accumulation from shallow cores from Vestfonna ice cap (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard)
- 2011
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Ingår i: Geografiska Annaler. Series A, Physical Geography. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0435-3676 .- 1468-0459. ; 93:4, s. 287-299
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyse ice cores from Vestfonna ice cap (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard). Oxygen isotopic measurements were made on three firn cores (6.0, 11.0 and 15.5 m deep) from the two highest summits of the glacier located on the SW–NE and NW–SE central ridges. Sub-annual δ18O cycles were preserved and could be counted visually in the uppermost parts of the cores, but deeper layers were affected by post-depositional smoothing. A pronounced δ18O minimum was found near the bottom of the three cores. We consider candidates for this δ18O signal to be a valuable reference horizon since it is also seen elsewhere in Nordaustlandet. We attribute it to isotopically depleted snow precipitation, which NCEP/NCAR reanalysis shows was unusual for Vestfonna, and came from northerly air during the cold winter of 1994/95. Finding the 1994/95 time marker allows establishment of a precise depth/age scale for the three cores. The derived annual accumulation rates indirectly fill a geographical gap in mass balance measurements and thus provide information on spatial and temporal variability of precipitation over the glacier for the period spanned by the cores (1992–2009). Comparing records at the two locations also reveals that the snow net accumulation at the easternmost part of Vestfonna was only half of that in the western part over the last 17 years.
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| 2. |
- Moeller, Marco, et al.
(författare)
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Snowpack Characteristics of Vestfonna and De Geerfonna (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) : A Spatiotemporal Analysis Based on Multiyear Snow-Pit Data
- 2011
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Ingår i: Geografiska Annaler. Series A, Physical Geography. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0435-3676 .- 1468-0459. ; 93A:4, s. 273-285
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extensive glaciological field measurements were carried out on the ice cap Vestfonna as well as on the minor ice body De Geerfonna (Nordaustlandet, Svalbard) within the framework of IPY Kinnvika. Field campaigns were conducted during the period 20072010 in spring (April/May) and summer (August). In this study we compile and present snow cover information obtained from 22 snow pits that were dug on Vestfonna during this period. Locations are along two transects on the northwestern, land terminating slope of the ice cap, on its central summit, Ahlmann Summit, and at a set of several other locations in the eastern and northern part of the ice cap. Snow-cover information acquired from four snow pits on adjacent De Geerfonna is also incorporated in this study. Field data are analysed regarding snow stratigraphy, snow density, snow hardness and snow temperature. Results reveal mean snow densities of around 400 kg m-3 for the snowpack of Vestfonna with no apparent spatial or interannual variability. A distinctly higher value of more than 450 kg m-3 was obtained for De Geerfonna. A spatial comparison of snow water equivalents above the previous end-of-summer surface serves for obtaining insights into the spatial distribution of snow accumulation across Vestfonna. Altitude was found to be the only significant spatial parameter for controlling snow accumulation across the ice cap.
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