Bravo Lechuga, C orcid.org/0000-0003-4822-4786, Quincey, D orcid.org/0000-0002-7602-7926, Ross, AN orcid.org/0000-0002-8631-3512 et al. (4 more authors) (2019) Air Temperature Characteristics, Distribution and Impact on Modeled Ablation for the South Patagonia Icefield. Journal of Geophysical Research, 124 (2). pp. 907-925. ISSN 0148-0227
Abstract
The glaciers of Patagonia are the largest in South America and are shrinking rapidly, raising concerns about their contribution to sea‐level‐rise in the face of ongoing climatic change. However, modelling studies forecasting future glacier recession are limited by the scarcity of measured on‐glacier air temperatures, and thus tend to use spatially and temporally constant lapse rates. This study presents nine months of air‐temperature observations. The network consists of five automatic weather stations (AWS) and three on‐glacier air temperature sensors installed on the South Patagonia Icefield along a transect at 48° 45’ S. Observed lapse rates are, overall, steeper on the east (‐0.0072 °C m‐¹) compared to the west (‐0.0055 °C m‐¹) and vary between the lower section (tongue, ablation zone) and the upper section (plateau, accumulation zone) of the glaciers. Warmer off‐glacier temperatures are found in the east compared to the west for similar elevations. However, on‐glacier observations suggest that the glacier cooling effect is higher in the east compared to the west. Through application of distributed temperature‐index and point‐scale energy balance models we show that modelled ablation rates vary by up to 60%, depending on the air temperature extrapolation method applied, and that melt is overestimated and sublimation is underestimated if the glacier cooling effect is not included in the distributed air temperature data. These results can improve current and future modelling efforts of the energy and mass balance of the whole South Patagonia Icefield.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | ©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bravo Lechuga, C , Quincey, D , Ross, AN et al. (4 more authors) (2019) Air Temperature Characteristics, Distribution and Impact on Modeled Ablation for the South Patagonia Icefield. Journal of Geophysical Research. ISSN 0148-0227, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JD028857. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with AGU Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. |
Keywords: | Air temperature; Lapse rate; Glacier ablation; South Patagonia Icefield |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst for Climate & Atmos Science (ICAS) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > River Basin Processes & Management (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 15 Jan 2019 11:18 |
Last Modified: | 17 Feb 2019 05:33 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell |
Identification Number: | 10.1029/2018JD028857 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:140987 |