On the Thermal Regime of a High-Arctic Valley Glacier

Abstract

AbstractThe 10 m temperatures were measured over several years at 16 sites on the White Glacier (lat. 80° N.), Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. At three sites deep profiles were made using a new drilling technique, reaching a maximum depth of 280 m. Large differences in the 10 m temperatures between locations and from year to year were observed. The deviations of these temperatures from the almost isothermal mean annual air temperature over the glacier are discussed. The heating effect of the melt water in the lower percolation zone was found to be very important. A conceptual model is developed to assess the influence of these irregularities in the energy input at the upper boundary on the thermal regime of the entire glacier. So far a quantitative analysis has been made only for the relatively simple 30 m temperature profile measured on the tongue of the glacier.