Reconstruction of mass balance variations for Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand, 1913 to 1989

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Arctic and Alpine Research (Boulder, Colorado); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2307/1551283· OSTI ID:6709836

Woo, Mingko Woo ^[1]; Fitzharris, B B ^[2]

---

1. McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)
2. Univ. of Otago, Dunedin (New Zealand)

A model of mass balance is constructed for the Franz Josef Glacier on the west coast of New Zealand. It uses daily data from a nearby, but short-record climate station. The model is extended back to 1913 by creating hybrid climate data from a long-record, but more distant, climate station. Its monthly data provide long-term temperature and precipitation trends, and daily fluctuations are simulated using a stochastic approach that is tuned to the characteristics of the short-record station. The glacier model provides estimates of equilibrium-line altitudes which are in reasonable agreement with those observed, and variations of cumulative mass balance that correspond with patterns of advance and retreat of the glacier terminus.

• OSTI ID: 6709836
• Journal Information: Arctic and Alpine Research (Boulder, Colorado); (United States), Journal Name: Arctic and Alpine Research (Boulder, Colorado); (United States) Vol. 24:4; ISSN ATLPAV; ISSN 0004-0851
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540210* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (1990-)
AUSTRALASIA
CLIMATES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FLUCTUATIONS
GLACIERS
MASS BALANCE
NEW ZEALAND
PRECIPITATION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
VARIATIONS