Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century
The large Juneau and Stikine icefields (Alaska) lost mass rapidly in the second part of the 20th century. Laser altimetry, gravimetry and field measurements suggest continuing mass loss in the early 21st century. However, two recent studies based on time series of Shuttle Radar Topographic Missio...
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Copernicus Publications
2018-04-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1523/2018/tc-12-1523-2018.pdf |
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doaj-4305774121374a5e9c91a2d9490a8c1b2020-11-24T22:36:38ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242018-04-01121523153010.5194/tc-12-1523-2018Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st centuryE. Berthier0C. Larsen1W. J. Durkin2M. J. Willis3M. E. Pritchard4LEGOS, Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS, 31400 Toulouse, FranceGeophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USAEarth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USACooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USAEarth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USAThe large Juneau and Stikine icefields (Alaska) lost mass rapidly in the second part of the 20th century. Laser altimetry, gravimetry and field measurements suggest continuing mass loss in the early 21st century. However, two recent studies based on time series of Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) digital elevation models (DEMs) indicate a slowdown in mass loss after 2000. Here, the ASTER-based geodetic mass balances are recalculated carefully avoiding the use of the SRTM DEM because of the unknown penetration depth of the C-band radar signal. We find strongly negative mass balances from 2000 to 2016 (−0.68 ± 0.15 m w.e. a<sup>−1</sup> for the Juneau Icefield and −0.83 ± 0.12 m w.e. a<sup>−1</sup> for the Stikine Icefield), in agreement with laser altimetry, confirming that mass losses are continuing at unabated rates for both icefields. The SRTM DEM should be avoided or used very cautiously to estimate glacier volume change, especially in the North Hemisphere and over timescales of less than ∼ 20 years.https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1523/2018/tc-12-1523-2018.pdf |
| collection |
DOAJ |
| language |
English |
| format |
Article |
| sources |
DOAJ |
| author |
E. Berthier C. Larsen W. J. Durkin M. J. Willis M. E. Pritchard |
| spellingShingle |
E. Berthier C. Larsen W. J. Durkin M. J. Willis M. E. Pritchard Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century The Cryosphere |
| author_facet |
E. Berthier C. Larsen W. J. Durkin M. J. Willis M. E. Pritchard |
| author_sort |
E. Berthier |
| title |
Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century |
| title_short |
Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century |
| title_full |
Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century |
| title_fullStr |
Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21st century |
| title_sort |
brief communication: unabated wastage of the juneau and stikine icefields (southeast alaska) in the early 21st century |
| publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
| series |
The Cryosphere |
| issn |
1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| publishDate |
2018-04-01 |
| description |
The large Juneau and Stikine icefields (Alaska) lost mass rapidly in the
second part of the 20th century. Laser altimetry, gravimetry and field
measurements suggest continuing mass loss in the early 21st century. However,
two recent studies based on time series of Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) and
Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) digital elevation
models (DEMs) indicate a slowdown in mass loss after 2000. Here, the
ASTER-based geodetic mass balances are recalculated carefully avoiding the
use of the SRTM DEM because of the unknown penetration depth of the C-band
radar signal. We find strongly negative mass balances from 2000 to 2016
(−0.68 ± 0.15 m w.e. a<sup>−1</sup> for the Juneau Icefield and
−0.83 ± 0.12 m w.e. a<sup>−1</sup> for the Stikine Icefield), in
agreement with laser altimetry, confirming that mass losses are continuing at
unabated rates for both icefields. The SRTM DEM should be avoided or used
very cautiously to estimate glacier volume change, especially in the North
Hemisphere and over timescales of less than ∼ 20 years. |
| url |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1523/2018/tc-12-1523-2018.pdf |
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