Temperature regime of upper layer of the glacier East Grönfjordbreen (West Svalbard)

Abstract

Data of thermometry performed in boreholes of the glacier East Grönfjordbreen situated in West Svalbard are presented. The measurements were made within the ice upper layer down to 20 m in spring and summer of 2012–2014. Basing on the temperature distribution in the boreholes the following heat balance elements of the active ice layer were calculated: winter storage of cold, heat losses for thawing and warming of snow and ice. It was found that the main influence on storage of cold in the upper ice layer is exerted by thickness of the snow cover and the summer ablation. Comparison between winter and summer storages of the cold allows drawing the conclusion that the most intensive cooling takes place in central part of the glacier where the snow accumulation is small and the ablation is moderate.

Keywords

• ablation
• borehole
• ice temperature
• snow depth
• storage of cold