Rapid retreat, acceleration and thinning of Glaciar Upsala, Southern Patagonia Icefield, initiated in 2008
Rapid retreat, acceleration and thinning of Glaciar Upsala, Southern Patagonia Icefield, initiated in 2008
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2008 年，南巴塔哥尼亚冰原乌普萨拉冰川迅速退缩、加速和变薄
作者：
D. Sakakibara;S. Sugiyama;T. Sawagaki;S. Marinsek;P. Skvarca
摘要巴塔哥尼亚冰原的特点是大量的出口冰川崩解成湖泊和海洋。与最近对其他区域潮水冰川的密集研究活动形成对比的是，对巴塔哥尼亚冰川崩解的观察很少。我们分析了南部巴塔哥尼亚冰原第三大淡水崩解冰川--冰川Upsala的卫星图像，以调查其锋面位置、冰层速度和表面海拔在2000至2011年间的变化。我们的分析显示，2008年从相对稳定的阶段明显过渡到快速回落和快速流动的状态。在2008-11年间，冰川锋面后退了2.9公里，冰川速度增加了20%-50%。我们还发现，从2006年到2010年，冰面以每−1高达39米的速度下降。冰川锋面位置、冰层速度和表面高度的变化幅度和速度大于以前报道的冰川厄普萨拉冰川，与格陵兰最近观测到的大型潮水冰川相当。我们的数据显示了巴塔哥尼亚冰川迅速消融的细节，尽管这些冰川对巴塔哥尼亚冰原的质量预算很重要，但很少有人报道。
Abstract The Patagonia Icefields are characterized by a large number of outlet glaciers calving into lakes and the ocean. In contrast to the recent intensive research activities on tidewater glaciers in other regions, very few observations have been made on calving glaciers in Patagonia. We analysed satellite images of Glaciar Upsala, the third largest freshwater calving glacier in the Southern Patagonia Icefield, to investigate changes in its front position, ice velocity and surface elevation from 2000 to 2011. Our analyses revealed a clear transition from a relatively stable phase to a rapidly retreating and fast-flowing condition in 2008. The glacier front receded by 2.9 km, and the ice velocity increased by 20–50%, over the 2008–11 period. We also found that the ice surface lowered at a rate of up to 39 m a−1 from 2006 to 2010. This magnitude and the rate of changes in the glacier front position, ice velocity and surface elevation are greater than previously reported for Glaciar Upsala, and comparable to recent observations of large tidewater glaciers in Greenland. Our data illustrate details of a rapidly retreating calving glacier in Patagonia that have been scarcely reported despite their importance to the mass budget of the Patagonia Icefields.