Mass changes of alpine glaciers at the eastern margin of the Northern and Southern Patagonian Icefields between 2000 and 2012

ABSTRACT Despite renewed efforts to better understand glacier change and recognize glacier change trends in the Andes, relatively large areas in the Andes of Argentina and Chile are still not investigated. In this study, we report on glacier elevation and mass changes in the outer region of the Northern and Southern Patagonian Icefields in the Southern Patagonian Andes. A newly-compiled Landsat ETM+ derived glacier inventory (consisting of 2253 glaciers and ~1314 ± 66 km2 of ice area) and differencing of the SRTM and SPOT5 DEMs were used to derive glacier-specific elevation changes over the 2000–12 period. The investigated glaciers showed a volume change of −0.71 ± 0.55 km3 a−1, yielding a surface lowering of 0.52 ± 0.35 m a−1 on average and an overall mass loss of 0.46 ± 0.37 m w.e. a−1. Highly variable individual glacier responses were observed and interestingly, they were less negative than previously reported for the neighboring Patagonian Icefields.

[1]  Mariano H. Masiokas,et al.  Recent geodetic mass balance of Monte Tronador glaciers, northern Patagonian Andes , 2016 .

[2]  T. Bolch,et al.  Planimetric and volumetric glacier changes in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, since 1962 using Corona, Landsat TM and ASTER data , 2008 .

[3]  J. Swenson,et al.  A comparison of lidar, radar, and field measurements of canopy height in pine and hardwood forests of southeastern North America , 2009 .

[4]  M. R. van den Broeke,et al.  A Reconciled Estimate of Glacier Contributions to Sea Level Rise: 2003 to 2009 , 2013, Science.

[5]  J. Oerlemans,et al.  Climate-model induced differences in the 21st century global and regional glacier contributions to sea-level rise , 2013, Climate Dynamics.

[6]  Andreas Kääb,et al.  Ice-elevation changes of Glaciar Chico, southern Patagonia, using ASTER DEMs, aerial photographs and GPS data , 2005, Journal of Glaciology.

[7]  W. D. Harrison,et al.  Elevation, volume and terminus changes of nine glaciers in North America , 1998 .

[8]  P. Skvarca,et al.  Recent Glacier Variations in the Southern Patagonia Icefield, South America , 1997 .

[9]  Axel Rülke,et al.  On-land ice loss and glacial isostatic adjustment at the drake passage: 2003-2009 , 2011 .

[10]  H. Price.  Past and future , 1990, Nature.

[11]  Eric Rignot,et al.  Contribution of the Patagonia Icefields of South America to Sea Level Rise , 2003, Science.

[12]  T. Bolch,et al.  Overall recession and mass budget of Gangotri Glacier, Garhwal Himalayas, from 1965 to 2015 using remote sensing data , 2016, Journal of Glaciology.

[13]  Nico Mölg,et al.  Hasty retreat of glaciers in northern Patagonia from 1985 to 2011 , 2014, Journal of Glaciology.

[14]  J. Graham Cogley,et al.  Geodetic and direct mass-balance measurements: comparison and joint analysis , 2009 .

[15]  Frank Paul,et al.  On the suitability of the SRTM DEM and ASTER GDEM for the compilation of topographic parameters in glacier inventories , 2012, Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs. Geoinformation.

[16]  T. Lowell,et al.  Climatology of Andean glaciers: A framework to understand glacier response to climate change , 2012 .

[17]  P. Chevallier,et al.  Remote sensing estimates of glacier mass balances in the Himachal Pradesh (Western Himalaya, India) , 2007 .

[18]  Frank Paul,et al.  Spatial variability of glacier elevation changes in the Swiss Alps obtained from two digital elevation models , 2008 .

[19]  Eric Rignot,et al.  Quantifying mass balance processes on the Southern Patagonia Icefield , 2014 .

[20]  A. Rivera,et al.  Glaciar Jorge Montt (Chilean Patagonia) dynamics derived from photos obtained by fixed cameras and satellite image feature tracking , 2012, Annals of Glaciology.

[21]  M. Aniya.  Glacier variations of Hielo Patagónico Norte, Chilean Patagonia, since 1944/45, with special reference to variations between 1995/96 and 1999/2000 , 2001 .

[22]  Jonathan L. Bamber,et al.  Ice elevation and areal changes of glaciers from the Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile , 2007 .

[23]  G. Casassa,et al.  Glacier inventory of the Gran Campo Nevado Ice Cap in the Southern Andes and glacier changes observed during recent decades , 2007 .

[24]  M. Aniya.  Glacier inventory for the Northern Patagonia Icefield, Chile, and variations 1944/45 to 1985/86 , 1988 .

[25]  W. Krabill,et al.  Penetration depth of interferometric synthetic‐aperture radar signals in snow and ice , 2001, Geophysical Research Letters.

[26]  P. Holmlund,et al.  Reanalysis of multi-temporal aerial images of Storglaciären, Sweden (1959–99) – Part 1: Determination of length, area, and volume changes , 2010 .

[27]  A. Rivera,et al.  First Glacier Inventory and Recent Changes in Glacier Area in the Monte San Lorenzo Region (47°S), Southern Patagonian Andes, South America , 2013 .

[28]  J. Strelin,et al.  Recent evolution and mass balance of Cordón Martial glaciers, Cordillera Fueguina Oriental , 2007 .

[29]  Leif Toudal Pedersen,et al.  Modelling the evolution of supraglacial lakes on the West Greenland ice-sheet margin , 2006 .

[30]  E. Berthier,et al.  Inventory and recent changes of small glaciers on the northeast margin of the Southern Patagonia icefield, Argentina , 2015 .

[31]  M. Aniya.  Recent Glacier Variations of the Hielos Patagónicos, South America, and Their Contribution to Sea-Level Change@@@Recent Glacier Variations of the Hielos Patagonicos, South America, and Their Contribution to Sea-Level Change , 1999 .

[32]  K. Fujita,et al.  Elevation changes of glaciers revealed by multitemporal digital elevation models calibrated by GPS survey in the Khumbu region, Nepal Himalaya, 1992-2008 , 2012, Journal of Glaciology.

[33]  S. Raper,et al.  Glaciological conditions in seven contrasting regions estimated with the degree-day model , 2007, Annals of Glaciology.

[34]  M. Hoelzle,et al.  Surface elevation and mass changes of all Swiss glaciers 1980–2010 , 2014 .

[35]  G. Moholdt,et al.  Reanalysing glacier mass balance measurement series , 2013 .

[36]  Fiona Cawkwell,et al.  First Glacier Inventory and Recent Glacier Variation on Isla Grande de Tierra Del Fuego and Adjacent Islands in Southern Chile , 2014 .

[37]  Volume change at Gran Campo Nevado, Patagonia, 1984–2000: a reassessment based on new findings , 2010, Journal of Glaciology.

[38]  M. Huss.  Density assumptions for converting geodetic glacier volume change to mass change , 2013 .

[39]  Byron D. Tapley,et al.  Patagonia Icefield melting observed by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) , 2007 .

[40]  Shin Sugiyama,et al.  Ice‐front variations and speed changes of calving glaciers in the Southern Patagonia Icefield from 1984 to 2011 , 2014 .

[41]  M. Colacino,et al.  The application of LEPS technique for Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF) in Southern Italy , 2006 .

[42]  Y. Arnaud,et al.  Biases of SRTM in high‐mountain areas: Implications for the monitoring of glacier volume changes , 2006 .

[43]  Frank Paul,et al.  Calculation of glacier elevation changes with SRTM: is there an elevation-dependent bias? , 2008, Journal of Glaciology.

[44]  T. Bolch,et al.  The Randolph Glacier inventory: a globally complete inventory of glaciers , 2014 .

[45]  Frank Paul,et al.  A new glacier inventory for the Svartisen region, Norway, from Landsat ETM+ data: challenges and change assessment , 2009, Journal of Glaciology.

[46]  S. O’Neel,et al.  A complex relationship between calving glaciers and climate , 2011 .

[47]  Brian Menounos,et al.  Contribution of Alaskan glaciers to sea-level rise derived from satellite imagery , 2010 .

[48]  C. Schneider,et al.  Mass balance evolution of Martial Este Glacier, Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) for the period 1960–2099 , 2009 .

[49]  N. Glasser,et al.  Accelerating shrinkage of Patagonian glaciers from the Little Ice Age (~AD 1870) to 2011 , 2012, Journal of Glaciology.

[50]  Manfred F. Buchroithner,et al.  Identification of glacier motion and potentially dangerous glacial lakes in the Mt. Everest region/Nepal using spaceborne imagery , 2008 .

[51]  Nico Mölg,et al.  The first complete inventory of the local glaciers and ice caps on Greenland , 2012 .

[52]  Y. Arnaud,et al.  Region-wide glacier mass balances over the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya during 1999–2011 , 2013 .

[53]  T. Bolch,et al.  Landsat-based inventory of glaciers in western Canada, 1985-2005 , 2010 .

[54]  S. Théry,et al.  Computation of the space and time evolution of equilibrium-line altitudes on Andean glaciers (10°N–55°S) , 2007 .

[55]  E. Berthier,et al.  Decadal Region-Wide and Glacier-Wide Mass Balances Derived from Multi-Temporal ASTER Satellite Digital Elevation Models. Validation over the Mont-Blanc Area , 2016, Front. Earth Sci..

[56]  A. Rivera,et al.  Detailed dynamic, geometric and supraglacial moraine data for Glaciar Pio XI, the only surge-type glacier of the Southern Patagonia Icefield , 2016, Annals of Glaciology.

[57]  Marc Bernard,et al.  SPIRIT. SPOT 5 stereoscopic survey of Polar Ice: Reference Images and Topographies during the fourth International Polar Year (2007-2009) , 2008 .

[58]  P. Holmlund,et al.  Historically unprecedented global glacier decline in the early 21st century , 2015 .

[59]  E. Berthier,et al.  Contending estimates of 2003-2008 glacier mass balance 3 over the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya , 2015 .

[60]  Large-Scale Temperature Changes Across the Southern Andes: 20th-Century Variations in the Context of the Past 400 Years , 2003 .

[61]  Matthew E. Pritchard,et al.  Ice loss from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, South America, between 2000 and 2012 , 2012 .

[62]  M. Hoelzle,et al.  The application of glacier inventory data for estimating past climate change effects on mountain glaciers: A comparison between the European Alps and the Southern Alps of New Zealand , 2007 .

[63]  E. Berthier,et al.  Brief Communication: Contending estimates of 2003–2008 glacier mass balance over the Pamir–Karakoram–Himalaya , 2015 .

[64]  John Goodier,et al.  Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers , 2012 .

[65]  Y. Arnaud,et al.  Impact of resolution and radar penetration on glacier elevation changes computed from DEM differencing , 2012 .

[66]  F. Paul,et al.  Glacier-specific elevation changes in parts of western Alaska , 2015, Annals of Glaciology.

[67]  M. Rojas,et al.  Large-Scale Control on the Patagonian Climate , 2013 .

[68]  T. Bolch,et al.  A glacier inventory for the western Nyainqentanglha Range and the Nam Co Basin, Tibet, and glacier changes 1976-2009 , 2010 .

[69]  D. Sugden,et al.  The Patagonian Icefields: A Glaciological Review , 1993 .

[70]  B. Denby,et al.  Spatially integrated geodetic glacier mass balance and its uncertainty based on geostatistical analysis: application to the western Svartisen ice cap, Norway , 2009, Journal of Glaciology.

[71]  Claudia Notarnicola,et al.  Area and volume loss of the glaciers in the Ortles-Cevedale group (Eastern Italian Alps): controls and imbalance of the remaining glaciers , 2013 .

[72]  R. Hock,et al.  Regionally differentiated contribution of mountain glaciers and ice caps to future sea-level rise , 2011 .

[73]  Peter F. Fisher,et al.  Causes and consequences of error in digital elevation models , 2006 .

[74]  P. Rastner,et al.  Historical analysis and visualization of the retreat of Findelengletscher, Switzerland, 1859–2010 , 2016 .

[75]  Anthony P. Worby,et al.  Field Investigations of Ku-Band Radar Penetration Into Snow Cover on Antarctic Sea Ice , 2008, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.

[76]  J. Yde,et al.  Reconstructing Climate Change: Not All Glaciers Suitable , 2010 .

[77]  A. Arendt,et al.  A new semi-automatic approach for dividing glacier complexes into individual glaciers , 2013, Journal of Glaciology.

[78]  R. Garreaud.  The Andes climate and weather , 2009 .

[79]  Matthew E. Pritchard,et al.  Ice loss rates at the Northern Patagonian Icefield derived using a decade of satellite remote sensing , 2012 .

[80]  Solveig H. Winsvold,et al.  On the accuracy of glacier outlines derived from remote-sensing data , 2013, Annals of Glaciology.

[81]  T. Bolch,et al.  Multi-decadal mass loss of glaciers in the Everest area (Nepal Himalaya) derived from stereo imagery , 2011 .

[82]  A. Kääb,et al.  Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change , 2011 .

[83]  Adrian Luckman,et al.  Early recognition of glacial lake hazards in the Himalaya using remote sensing datasets , 2007 .

[84]  Alexander H. Jarosch,et al.  Past and future sea-level change from the surface mass balance of glaciers , 2012 .

[85]  M. Dyurgerov,et al.  Mountain glaciers and ice caps around Antarctica make a large sea‐level rise contribution , 2009 .

[86]  T. R. Lauknes,et al.  The glaciers climate change initiative: Methods for creating glacier area, elevation change and velocity products , 2015 .

[87]  T. Bolch,et al.  Region-wide glacier mass budgets and area changes for the Central Tien Shan between ~ 1975 and 1999 using Hexagon KH-9 imagery , 2015 .

[88]  M. Kuhn,et al.  Climatic controls of glacier distribution and glacier changes in Austria , 2011, Annals of Glaciology.

[89]  T. Bolch,et al.  Generation and evaluation of multitemporal digital terrain models of the Mt. Everest area from different optical sensors , 2011 .

[90]  A. Kääb,et al.  First glacier inventory and recent glacier variations of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and adjacent islands in Southern Chile. , 2014 .

[91]  Masamu Aniya,et al.  Recent Glacier Variations of the Hielos Patagonicos, South America, and Their Contribution to Sea-level Change , 1999 .

[92]  W. Tad Pfeffer,et al.  Recent contributions of glaciers and ice caps to sea level rise , 2012, Nature.

[93]  Michael Eineder,et al.  Surface elevation changes of glaciers derived from SRTM and TanDEM-X DEM differences , 2013, 2013 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium - IGARSS.

[94]  S. Raper,et al.  Estimating equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) from glacier inventory data , 2009, Annals of Glaciology.

[95]  Siri Jodha Singh Khalsa,et al.  Challenges and recommendations in mapping of glacier parameters from space: results of the 2008 Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) workshop, Boulder, Colorado, USA , 2009, Annals of Glaciology.