Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
The Holocene
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Laumann, T.
Right arrow Articles by Nesje, A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

A simple method of simulating the future frontal position of Briksdalsbreen, western Norway

Tron Laumann

Rælingen Videregående skole, Box 24, N-2025 Fjerdingby, Norway

Atle Nesje

Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégt. 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Allégt. 55, N-5007 Bergen, Norway, atle.nesje{at}geo.uib.no

To simulate future mass balance and frontal variations of Briksdalsbreen in western Norway, a degree-day model based on temperature and precipitation data from Bergen has been used. Briksdalsbreen is a steep, western outlet glacier from Jostedalsbreen. The calculated relationship between annual glacier front variation and mass balance gives best correlation with a frontal time lag of 3 years, which is in accordance with previous studies. Climate scenarios from the Norwegian RegClim project have been implemented in the model. Applying the RegClim future climate (summer temperature and winter precipitation) scenarios, our calculations indicate that Briksdalsbreen may retreat 2—2.5 km from the 1963 position within the termination of the twenty-first century. The main icefall may thus disappear and the upper part of the glacier will exist as a plateau glacier. The accumulation area may thus consist of a small plateau and the glacier will therefore be sensitive to mass balance changes. Work is in progress to implement a dynamic glacier model for future studies.

Key Words: Briksdalsbreen • Nigardsbreen • Jostedalsbreen • temperature • precipitation • degree-day model • future climate • mass balance • front variations.

The Holocene, Vol. 19, No. 2, 221-228 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0959683608100566
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?