Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry
A decade-long pronounced increase in temperatures in the Arctic, especially in the Barents Sea region, resulted in a global warming hotspot over Svalbard. Associated changes in the cryosphere are the consequence and lead to a demand for monitoring of the glacier changes. This study uses spaceborne l...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/11/2089 |
| _version_ | 1797532568258609152 |
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| author | Lukas Sochor Thorsten Seehaus Matthias H. Braun |
| author_facet | Lukas Sochor Thorsten Seehaus Matthias H. Braun |
| author_sort | Lukas Sochor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A decade-long pronounced increase in temperatures in the Arctic, especially in the Barents Sea region, resulted in a global warming hotspot over Svalbard. Associated changes in the cryosphere are the consequence and lead to a demand for monitoring of the glacier changes. This study uses spaceborne laser altimetry data from the ICESat and ICESat-2 missions to obtain ice elevation and mass change rates between 2003–2008 and 2019. Elevation changes are derived at orbit crossover locations throughout the study area, and regional volume and mass changes are estimated using a hypsometric approach. A Svalbard-wide annual elevation change rate of −0.30 ± 0.15 m yr<sup>−1</sup> was found, which corresponds to a mass loss rate of −12.40 ± 4.28 Gt yr<sup>−1</sup>. Compared to the ICESat period (2003–2009), thinning has increased over most regions, including the highest negative rates along the west coast and areas bordering the Barents Sea. The overall negative regime is expected to be linked to Arctic warming in the last decades and associated changes in glacier climatic mass balance. Further, observed increased thinning rates and pronounced changes at the eastern side of Svalbard since the ICESat period are found to correlate with atmospheric and oceanic warming in the respective regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:01:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02cd17906d5e48cda56a33156e93a6aa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:01:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-02cd17906d5e48cda56a33156e93a6aa2023-11-21T21:28:43ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-05-011311208910.3390/rs13112089Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser AltimetryLukas Sochor0Thorsten Seehaus1Matthias H. Braun2Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91052 Erlangen, GermanyInstitute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91052 Erlangen, GermanyInstitute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91052 Erlangen, GermanyA decade-long pronounced increase in temperatures in the Arctic, especially in the Barents Sea region, resulted in a global warming hotspot over Svalbard. Associated changes in the cryosphere are the consequence and lead to a demand for monitoring of the glacier changes. This study uses spaceborne laser altimetry data from the ICESat and ICESat-2 missions to obtain ice elevation and mass change rates between 2003–2008 and 2019. Elevation changes are derived at orbit crossover locations throughout the study area, and regional volume and mass changes are estimated using a hypsometric approach. A Svalbard-wide annual elevation change rate of −0.30 ± 0.15 m yr<sup>−1</sup> was found, which corresponds to a mass loss rate of −12.40 ± 4.28 Gt yr<sup>−1</sup>. Compared to the ICESat period (2003–2009), thinning has increased over most regions, including the highest negative rates along the west coast and areas bordering the Barents Sea. The overall negative regime is expected to be linked to Arctic warming in the last decades and associated changes in glacier climatic mass balance. Further, observed increased thinning rates and pronounced changes at the eastern side of Svalbard since the ICESat period are found to correlate with atmospheric and oceanic warming in the respective regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/11/2089ICESatICESat-2laseraltimetrysvalbardbarents sea |
| spellingShingle | Lukas Sochor Thorsten Seehaus Matthias H. Braun Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry Remote Sensing ICESat ICESat-2 laser altimetry svalbard barents sea |
| title | Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry |
| title_full | Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry |
| title_fullStr | Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry |
| title_short | Increased Ice Thinning over Svalbard Measured by ICESat/ICESat-2 Laser Altimetry |
| title_sort | increased ice thinning over svalbard measured by icesat icesat 2 laser altimetry |
| topic | ICESat ICESat-2 laser altimetry svalbard barents sea |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/11/2089 |
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