Temperature Distribution in the Upper Layers of the Ablation Area of Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada

Abstract

AbstractTen-meter temperature measurements show that Athabasca Glacier is temperate in the accumulation area but not in the ablation area. An important factor in determining whether all the ice will reach a temperature of 0° C by the end of summer is how much of the layer of ice, cooled during the previous winter, is removed by ablation. However, calculations show that, even when allowance is made for ablation, not enough heat is conducted into the ice to bring it all to the melting point. As recent work suggests that ice at 0° C is permeable to water, latent heat released by refreezing of percolating melt water is considered; it appears likely that this process is an insignificant heat source in the ablation area. Available data show that the penetration of solar radiation can probably also be neglected. The question of how widespread temperate glaciers are is discussed; it is predicted that in most, if not all, glaciers there is a region below the equilibrium line where, because ablation is low, the glacier is not strictly temperate.