Publication Date:
2023-04-26
Description:
Persistent katabatic winds form widely distributed localized areas of near-zero net surface accumulation on the East Antarctic ice sheet (EAIS) plateau. These areas have been called ‘glaze’ surfaces due to their polished appearance. They are typically 2–200km2 in area and are found on leeward slopes of ice-sheet undulations and megadunes. Adjacent, leeward high-accumulation regions (isolated dunes) are generally smaller and do not compensate for the local low in surface mass balance
(SMB). We use a combination of satellite remote sensing and field-gathered datasets to map the extent of wind glaze in the EAIS above 1500m elevation. Mapping criteria are derived from distinctive surface and subsurface characteristics of glaze areas resulting from many years of intense annual temperature cycling without significant burial. Our results show that 11.2 1.7%, or 950 143 103 km2, of the EAIS above 1500m is wind glaze. Studies of SMB interpolate values across glaze regions, leading to
overestimates of net mass input. Using our derived wind-glaze extent, we estimate this excess in three recent models of Antarctic SMB at 46–82 Gt. The lowest-input model appears to best match the mean in
regions of extensive wind glaze.
Description:
Published
Description:
633-647
Description:
3.8. Geofisica per l'ambiente
Description:
JCR Journal
Description:
restricted
Keywords:
Antarctica
;
snow accumulation
;
Surface Mass Balance
;
02. Cryosphere::02.02. Glaciers::02.02.99. General or miscellaneous
;
02. Cryosphere::02.02. Glaciers::02.02.02. Cryosphere/atmosphere Interaction
;
02. Cryosphere::02.02. Glaciers::02.02.06. Mass balance
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
article
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