Front of the Werenskiold Glacier (Svalbard) – changes in years 1957–2013

Abstract

Abstract. Werenskiold Glacier in the Isle of Spitsbergen is one of the polygons on which evaluation of the rate of glacier recession is performed. Location of the glacier front is precisely presented in the specialist literature since the mid. 30. of 20th century. Article presents results of studies about changes in the position of Werenskiold Glacier based on selected archival data and own research conducted in 2012-2013. The initial location of the glacier front was described by the topographical map in the scale 1:5000 elaborated in the year 1961 on the basis of data from the years 1957-1959 by the Polish Army Topographic Service. Moreover, as comparative data on location of glacier front in the later years there were applied results of photogrammetrical images from the year 1973 and a orthophotomap from 1990. These data together with the author's GPS measurements were transformed into the uniform coordinate system. Thus, prepared data made it possible to evaluate the rate of recession of Werenskiold Glacier front in the three epochs from the years 1957-2013. It was found that during the 56 years the glacier front was moved by ca. 1200 m, which gives the mean recession value of 25 m/year as well as the mean yearly loss of the glacier surface of the order of 5 ha.

Revisiting Austfonna, Svalbard, with potential field methods – a new characterization of the bed topography and its physical properties

“…Glacial sliding and melting rates are often determined from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, satellite imagery and satellite altimetry (e.g. Przylibski et al, 2018;Bahr et al, 2015;Grinsted, 2013;Radić et al, 2013;Dunse et al, 2012;Gray et al, 2015;Moholdt et al, 2010b). The ice thickness and the ground topography at the glacier base, key factors in understanding the glacial-sliding and ice-melting mechanisms (Clarke, 2005), have proven challenging to derive.…”

Polish Polar Research

“…Its catchment area of 44 km 2 contains a valley-type glacier that covered an area of 27.1 km 2 in 2008 (Ignatiuk et al 2015) and 25.7 km 2 in 2017 (Ignatiuk et al 2022). The mean retreat rate between 1957 and 2019 was c. 25 m/year (Ciężkowski et al 2018).…”

Evolution of Near-Shore Outwash Fans and Permafrost Spreading Under Their Surface: A Case Study from Svalbard

“…The study area covered the Werenskiold Glacier marginal zone (Figure 2a, Figure 3). The terminus zone of the glacier retreated between 1957-2013 by 1.2 km [67], with its average retreat rate being 25 m•year −1 (50,000 m 2 •year −1 ). In front of the end moraine, Kvisla-a proglacial river-formed on an uplifted shore platform of a large (5.57 km 2 ) sandur: Elveflya.…”

“…Study area: (a) oblique view; glacier terminus after Ciężkowski et al[67], modified; (b) geological sketch based on Czerny et al[71], simplified: Quaternary; 1-moraines, 2-fluvial deposits, ground moraine deposits and marine shore deposits; Upper Proterozoic, Elveflya Formation; 3-marble-quarzite and granite-quarzite metaconglomerates, 4-gray calcite marbles, 5-yellow quarzites and quartzitic schists, 6-mica-carbonate-quartz schists (including dropstones), 7-black chloritoid-bearing quartz-paragonite-muscovite schists; Slyngfjellet Formation; 8-Yellowish muscovite-carbonate-quartz schists; Gashamna Formation; 9-black phyllites; Hoferpynten Formation; 10-gray dolostones and black calcite marbles; Jens Erikfjellet Formation; 11-laminated greenstones with epidotite lenses, 12-black greenstones, 13-greenstones with metachert intercalations, 14-greenstones, 15-pink calcite marbles, 16-greenschists and carbonate-chlorite-quartz schists; Middle Proterozoic, Eimfjellet Group, 17-chlorite and muscovite-chlorite diaphthoritic schists; Bratteggdalen Formation; 18-mica schists with intercalations of amfibolites, metarhyolites, quartzites and laminated quartz-feldspar felses, 19-amphibolites interbedded with chlorite and biotite schists, 20-black coarse-grained amphibolites; Skalfjellet Formation; 21-amphibolites with anorthositic metagabbro enclaves; Gulliksenfjellet Formation; 22-white and green quartzites; 23-rivers, 24-abandoned river channels, 25-thrust faults, 26-faults, 27-geological boundaries, 28-glacier ice, 29-Stanisław Baranowski Polar Station; G-gorges, S1-S5-electromagnetic induction (EMI) sections.…”