Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T17:27:49.517Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Study of surface energy and mass balance at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet during summer in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2009

H.S. Gusain ,
K.K. Singh ,
V.D. Mishra ,
P.K. Srivastava  and
A. Ganju
H.S. Gusain*
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
K.K. Singh
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
V.D. Mishra
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
P.K. Srivastava
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
A. Ganju
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
*
*[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study estimates energy and mass balance at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet close to a non-glaciated area. An automatic weather station was installed on the ice sheet, near an ice free area of Schirmacher Oasis in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Hourly snow-meteorological parameters were recorded and observed during the summer of the year 2007–08. Hourly radiative and turbulent energy fluxes were estimated at the ice surface. An ultrasonic sensor was used to measure accumulation or ablation at the glacier surface. Ground Penetrating Radar was also used to measure the changes in ice thickness at the observation point. The net radiative flux was the main heat source and the latent heat flux was the main heat sink for the ice sheet with seasonal average values of 98 W m-2 and -86.7 W m-2 respectively. There was a high ablation rate for the ice sheet near the non-glaciated area with a seasonal mean of 0.0172 m w.e. per day. Over the period 10 November 2007–7 February 2008 the mass balance was -1.53 m w.e. Good correlation (r2 = 0.97) was observed between estimated and observed hourly ablation of the glacier. Sublimation and melt processes contributed 16.5% and 83.5% respectively to the net summer ablation.

Keywords

net radiative fluxnon-glaciated areaSchirmacher Oasisturbulent fluxes
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , August 2009 , pp. 401 - 409
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ambach, W. Kirchlechner, P. 1986. Nomographs for the determination of meltwater from ice and snow surfaces by sensible and latent heat. Wetter Leben, 38, 181–189.Google Scholar
Asthana, R., Gaur, M.P. Dharwadkar, A. 2002. Glaciological studies during the expedition. Scientific Report of the Eighteenth Indian Expedition to Antarctica, Technical Publication, No 16, 95–109.Google Scholar
Bintanja, R. 1995. The local surface energy balance of the Ecology Glacier, King George Island, Antarctica: measurements and modelling. Antarctic Science, 7, 315–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. 1999. On the glaciological, meteorological, and climatological significance of Antarctic blue ice areas. Reviews of Geophysics, 37, 337–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. Reijmer, C.H. 2001. Meteorological conditions over Antarctic blue-ice areas and their influence on the local surface mass balance. Journal of Glaciology, 17, 37–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. Van Den Broeke, M.R. 1994. Local climate, circulation and surface-energy balance of an Antarctic blue-ice area. Annals of Glaciology, 20, 160–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. Van Den Broeke, M.R. 1995a. Momentum and scalar transfer coefficients over aerodynamically smooth Antarctic surfaces. Boundary Layer Meteorology, 74, 89–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bintanja, R. Van Den Broeke, M.R. 1995b. The surface energy balance of Antarctic snow and blue ice. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 34, 902–926.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braun, M. Schneider, C. 2000. Characteristics of summer energy balance on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Annals of Glaciology, 31, 179–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brock, B.W., Willis, I.C. Sharp, M.J. 2006. Measurement and parameterization of aerodynamic roughness length variations at Haut Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland. Journal of Glaciology, 52, 281–297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brock, B.W., Willis, I.C., Sharp, M.J. Arnold, N.S. 2000. Modelling seasonal and spatial variations in the surface energy balance of Haut Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland. Annals of Glaciology, 31, 53–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Choi, T., Lee, B.Y., Kim, S.-J., Yoon, Y.J. Lee, H.-C. 2008. Net radiation and turbulent energy exchange over a non-glaciated coastal area on King George Island during four summer seasons. Antarctic Science, 20, 99–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fountain, A.G., Nylen, T.H., MacClune, K.L. Dana, G.L. 2006. Glacier mass balances (1993–2001), Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 52, 451–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Genthon, C., Lardeux, P. Krinner, G. 2007. The surface accumulation and ablation of a coastal blue-ice area near Cap Prudhomme, Terre Adelie, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 53, 635–645.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greuell, W. Konzelmann, T. 1994. Numerical modelling of the energy balance and the englacial temperature of the Greenland ice sheet: calculation for the ETH-camp location (West Greenland, 1155 ma.s.l). Global and Planetary Change, 9, 91–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gusain, H.S., Negi, H.S. Kumar, M. 2008. Temporal variability of the snow meteorological parameters over Antarctic continental ice sheet and estimation of surface energy budget, in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Proceedings International workshop on snow, Glacier and Avalanches, IIT Mumbai. Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 95–107.Google Scholar
Hoffman, M.J., Fountain, A.G. Liston, G.E. 2008. Surface energy balance and melt thresholds over 11 years at Taylor Glacier, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, 10.1029/2008JF001029.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, J.C. Turner, J. 1997. Antarctic meteorology and climatology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 409 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, J.C., Anderson, P.S. Mann, G.W. 2001. The seasonal cycle of sublimation at Halley, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 47, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, K.J., Fountain, A.G. Dana, G.L. 1998. Surface energy balance and meltwater production for a Dry Valley glacier, Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Annals of Glaciology, 27, 603–609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mishra, V.D. 1999. Albedo variations and surface energy balance in different snow-ice media in Antarctica. Defence Science Journal, 49, 347–362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paterson, W.S.B. 1994. The physics of glaciers, 3rd ed. Oxford: Elsevier, 480 pp.Google Scholar
Prata, A.J. 1996. A new longwave formula for estimating downward clear-sky radiation at the surface. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 122, 1127–1151.Google Scholar
Price, A.G. Dunne, T. 1976. Energy balance computation of snowmelt in a sub Arctic area. Journal of Resource, 12, 686–694.Google Scholar
Schneider, C. 1999. Energy balance estimates during the summer season of glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula. Global and Planetary Change, 22, 117–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srivastava, P.K. 2002. A comparative study of glacio-meteorological parameters, reflectance and surface energy exchange over different snow-ice media in Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica. Scientific Report of the Eighteenth Indian Expedition to Antarctica, Technical Publication, No. 16, 153–190.Google Scholar
US Army Corps of Engineers. 1956. Summary report on the snow investigations - snow hydrology. Portland, OR: North Pacific Division, Corps of Engineers, US Army, 434 pp.Google Scholar
Upadhyay, D.S. 1999. Cold climate hydrometeorology. New Delhi: New AGE International, 218 pp.Google Scholar
Van Den Broeke, M., Reijmer, C., Van As, D. Boot, W. 2006. Daily cycle of the surface energy balance in Antarctica and the influence of clouds. International Journal of Climatology, 26, 1587–1605.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van den Broeke, M.R., Reijmer, C.H., Van de Wal, R.S.W. Van As, D. 2004. A study of the Anarctic surface energy and mass balance using automatic weather stations. Journal of Geophysical Research, 6, 07593.Google Scholar
Van Den Broeke, M., Reijmer, C., Van As, D., Van De Wal, R. Oerlemans, J. 2005. Seasonal cycles of Antarctic surface energy balance from automatic weather stations. Annals of Glaciology, 41, 131–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaughan, D.G., Bamber, J.L., Giovinetto, M., Russell, J. Cooper, A.P.R. 1999. Reassessment of net surface mass balance in Antarctica. Journal of Climate, 12, 933–946.2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar