Journal
JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY
Volume 68, Issue 270, Pages 751-763Publisher
CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1017/jog.2021.133
Keywords
Glacier fluctuations; glacier hydrology; glacier modeling; ice and climate; mountain glaciers
Funding
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship [DGE-1256082]
- U. Washington Innovation Award
- U. Texas Provost Office
- Jackson School of Geosciences
- USGS Washington Water Science Center in Tacoma, WA through the NSF Graduate Research Internship Program (GRIP)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study estimates the individual response times of 383 glaciers in the Cascade mountain range of Washington State using geometric attributes. The differences in response times have implications for glacier changes and runoff.
Mountain glaciers have response times that govern retreat due to anthropogenic climate change. We use geometric attributes to estimate individual response times for 383 glaciers in the Cascade mountain range of Washington State, USA. Approximately 90% of estimated response times are between 10 and 60 years, with many large glaciers on the short end of this distribution. A simple model of glacier dynamics shows that this range of response times entails consequential differences in recent and ongoing glacier changes: glaciers with decadal response times have nearly kept pace with anthropogenic warming, but those with multi-decadal response times are far from equilibrium, and their additional committed retreat stands well beyond natural variability. These differences have implications for changes in glacier runoff. A simple calculation highlights that transient peaks in area-integrated melt, either at the onset of forcing or due to variations in forcing, depend on the glacier's response time and degree of disequilibrium. We conclude that differences in individual response times should be considered when assessing the state of a population of glaciers and modeling their future response. These differences in response can arise simply from a range of different glacier geometries, and the same basic principles can be expected in other regions as well.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available