LINEAR MODELLING OF GLACIER LENGTH FLUCTUATIONS

In this contribution a linear first‐order differential equation is used to model glacier length fluctuations. This equation has two parameters describing the physical characteristics of a glacier: the climate sensitivity, expressing how the equilibrium glacier length depends on the climatic state, and the response time, indicating how fast a glacier approaches a new equilibrium state after a stepwise change in the climatic forcing. A prerequisite for the application of a linear model to a particular glacier is that length fluctuations over the period of interest are significantly smaller than the average length. The linear model is used to define and illustrate some concepts relevant to the study of glacier fluctuations. It is shown that glaciers are never in equilibrium with climate, and that a constant time lag between forcing and response cannot be expected. Next the linear glacier model is applied to real glaciers, showing how information on response times and a reconstruction of the climatic forcing can be extracted from length records. In the first application, two adjacent glaciers in the Oetztal Alps (Austria) are considered: Hintereisferner and Kesselwandferner. By optimizing the response times with a control method, reconstructed equilibrium‐line histories for these glaciers are almost identical. The corresponding response times are 31 years for Hintereisferner, and only 2.1 years for Kesselwandferner. In the second application, four glacier length records from the Oberengadin (Switzerland) are used to reconstruct equilibrium‐line histories. These appear to be mutually consistent, and the mean rise of the equilibrium line over the period 1894–2007 appears to be 1.4 m yr^?1. An equilibrium‐line history derived from data of a nearby climate station yields about the same trend over this period, but shows significant differences on the decadal time scale.     

Decadal‐Scale Changes of the Ödenwinkelkees,Central Austria,Suggest Increasing Control of Topography and Evolution Towards Steady State

Small mountain glaciers have short mass balance response times to climate change and are consequently very important for short‐term contributions to sea level. However, a distinct research and knowledge gap exists between (1) wider regional studies that produce overview patterns and trends in glacier changes, and (2) in situ local scale studies that emphasise spatial heterogeneity and complexity in glacier responses to climate. This study of a small glacier in central Austria presents a spatiotemporally detailed analysis of changes in glacier geometry and changes in glaciological behaviour. It integrates geomorphological surveys, historical maps, aerial photographs, airborne LiDAR data, ground‐based differential global positioning surveys and Ground Penetrating Radar surveys to produce three‐dimensional glacier geometry at 13 time increments spanning from 1850 to 2013. Glacier length, area and volume parameters all generally showed reductions with time. The glacier equilibrium line altitude increased by 90 m between 1850 and 2008. Calculations of the mean bed shear stress rapidly approaching less than 100 kPA, of the volume–area ratio fast approaching 1.458, and comparison of the geometric reconstructions with a 1D theoretical model could together be interpreted to suggest evolution of the glacier geometry towards steady state. If the present linear trend in declining ice volume continues, then the Ödenwinkelkees will disappear by the year 2040, but we conceptualise that non‐linear effects of bed overdeepenings on ice dynamics, of supraglacial debris cover on the surface energy balance, and of local topographically driven controls, namely wind‐redistributed snow deposition, avalanching and solar shading, will become proportionally more important factors in the glacier net balance.     

Decadal variability in climate and glacier fluctuations on Mt Baker, Washington, USA

Climate variability in the Pacific basin has been attributed to large‐scale oceanic‐atmospheric modulations (e.g. the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO)) that dominate the weather of adjacent land areas. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and north Pacific index are thought to be indicators of modulations and events in the northeast Pacific. In this study we find that variations in the PDO are reflected in the terminus position of glaciers on Mt Baker, in the northern Cascade Range, Washington. The initiation of retreat and advance phases of six glaciers persisted for 20–30 years, which relate to PDO regime shifts. The result of this study agrees with previous studies that link glacier mass balance changes to local precipitation anomalies and processes in the Pacific. However, the use of mass balance changes and glacier terminus variation for identification of regime shifts in climate indices is complicated by the lack of standardized measuring techniques, differing response times of individual glaciers to changes in climate, geographic and morphometric factors, and the use of assorted climate indices with different domains and time‐scales in the Pacific for comparison.     

Modelling Changes in Glacier Mass Balance that may Occur as a Result of Climate Changes

Projections of changes in glacier mass balance caused by climate changes involve modelling present mass balance in terms of climate and then perturbing the climate variables to calculate future mass balance. The simplest model involves linear regression of mass balance time series on temperature and precipitation data at stations close to the glacier but we prefer the degree-day model. This model uses temperature and precipitation to calculate snow accumulation, snow and ice melting, and possible refreezing of meltwater at regular altitude intervals on a glacier. Model parameters are still somewhat uncertain and are established for individual glaciers by tuning the model mass balance as a function of altitude to fit observed data. The model has been applied to 37 glaciers in different parts of the world so far and some details are given for Storglaciären to illustrate the approach. The sensitivity of modelled mass balance to a +1°C temperature increase shows a wide range for the 37 glaciers from about 0.1 to 1.3 m water a⁻¹ . Sub-polar glaciers have lower temperature sensitivities, and maritime and tropical glaciers have higher sensitivities.     

Glacier Distribution in the Alps: Statistical Modelling of Altitude and Aspect

Mass balance of glaciers in mountain areas varies not only with altitude and regional position but also with aspect, gradient, glacier size, glacier type and detailed topographic position. These factors are combined here in models of how glacier altitude varies, tested with data for the Alps edited from the World Glacier Inventory. An overall northward tendency in glacier numbers (toward 005 ± 4°) and lower altitudes (013 ± 5°) is maintained across a range of glacier sizes, types, altitudes and the major divisions of the Alps. Variation with aspect of glacier altitude (and, by implication, of glacier balance) in the Alps is essentially unimodal, and north‐facing glaciers average 220 m lower in middle altitude than south‐facing: 148 m in the Western Alps, 232 m in the West‐central, 252 m in the East‐central, and 268 m in the Eastern Alps. For smaller subdivisions, confidence intervals on estimates are broader and many differences lack statistical significance. Contrasts are greater in the higher massifs, with greater relief, and lower in cloudy, windward areas. There are small windrelated tendencies east of north along the northern and western fringes, but trends across space are weak: position is thus treated by subdivision into districts and groups. Mid‐altitude averages 2891 m overall and varies from 2552 to 3127 m for 27 glacier districts, and from 2124 to 3209 m for 103 glacier groups. Glacier mid‐altitude varies also with glacier form, nourishment, height range and area, which account for over two‐thirds of variance in combined models.     

The Impact Of Extreme Summer Melt on Net Accumulation of an Avalanche Fed Glacier,as Determined by Ground‐Penetrating Radar

Glacier mass balance is more sensitive to warming than cooling, but feedbacks related to the exposure of previously buried firn and ice in very warm years is not generally considered in sensitivity studies. A ground‐penetrating radar survey in the accumulation area of Rolleston Glacier, New Zealand shows that five years of previous net accumulation was removed by melt from parts of the glacier above the long‐term equilibrium line altitude during a single negative mass balance year. Rolleston Glacier receives a large amount of accumulation from snow avalanches, which may temporarily buffer it from climate warming by providing additional mass that has accumulated at higher elevations, effectively increasing the elevation range of the glacier. However, glaciers reliant on avalanche input may have high sensitivity to climatic variations because the extra mass is concentrated on a small part of the glacier, and small variations in avalanche input could have a large impact on overall glacier accumulation. Further research is needed to better estimate the amount and spatial distribution of accumulation by avalanche in order to quantify the climate sensitivity of small avalanche‐fed glaciers.     

Reconstruction and Regional Significance of the Coire Breac Palaeoglacier,Glen Esk,Eastern Grampian Highlands,Scotland

We present a glaciological and climatic reconstruction of a former glacier in Coire Breac, an isolated cirque within the Eastern Grampian plateau of Scotland, 5 km from the Highland edge. Published glacier reconstructions of presumed Younger Dryas‐age glaciers in this area show that equilibrium line altitudes decreased steeply towards the east coast, implying a arctic maritime glacial environment. Extrapolation of the ELA trend surface implies that glaciers should have existed in suitable locations on the plateau, a landscape little modified by glaciation. In Coire Breac, a 0.35 km² cirque glacier existed with an equilibrium line altitude of 487 ± 15 m above present sea level. The equilibrium line altitude matches closely the extrapolated regional equilibrium line altitude trend surface for Younger Dryas Stadial glaciers. The mean glacier thickness of 24 m gives an ice volume of 7.8 × 10⁶ m³, and a maximum basal shear stress of c. 100 kPa^?1. Ablation gradient was c. –0.0055 m m^?1, with a mean July temperature at the equilibrium line altitude of c. 5.1°C. The reconstruction implies an arctic maritime climate of low precipitation with local accumulation enhanced by blown snow, which may explain the absence of other contemporary glaciers nearby. Reconstructed ice flow lines show zones of flow concentration around the lower ice margin which help to explain the distribution of depositional facies associated with a former debris cover which may have delayed eventual glacier retreat. No moraines in the area have been dated, so palaeoclimatic interpretations remain provisional, and a pre‐Lateglacial Interstadial age cannot be ruled out.     

Current Behaviour and Dynamics of the Lowermost Italian Glacier (Montasio Occidentale,Julian Alps)

Smaller glaciers (<0.5 km²) react quickly to environmental changes and typically show a large scatter in their individual response. Accounting for these ice bodies is essential for assessing regional glacier change, given their high number and contribution to the total loss of glacier area in mountain regions. However, studying small glaciers using traditional techniques may be difficult or not feasible, and assessing their current activity and dynamics may be problematic. In this paper, we present an integrated approach for characterizing the current behaviour of a small, avalanche‐fed glacier at low altitude in the Italian Alps, combining geomorphological, geophysical and high‐resolution geodetic surveying with a terrestrial laser scanner. The glacier is still active and shows a detectable mass transfer from the accumulation area to the lower ablation area, which is covered by a thick debris mantle. The glacier owes its existence to the local topo‐climatic conditions, ensured by high rock walls which enhance accumulation by delivering avalanche snow and reduce ablation by providing topographic shading and regulating the debris budget of the glacier catchment. In the last several years the glacier has displayed peculiar behaviour compared with most glaciers of the European Alps, being close to equilibrium conditions in spite of warm ablation seasons. Proportionally small relative changes have also occurred since the Little Ice Age maximum. Compared with the majority of other Alpine glaciers, we infer for this glacier a lower sensitivity to air temperature and a higher sensitivity to precipitation, associated with important feedback from increasing debris cover during unfavourable periods.     

MODIS Derived Equilibrium Line Altitude Estimates for Purogangri Ice Cap,Tibetan Plateau,and their Relation to Climatic Predictors (2001–2012)

The variation of the equilibrium line altitude can be used as an indicator for glacier mass balance variability. Snow lines at the end of the ablation period are suitable proxies for the annual equilibrium line altitude on glaciers. We investigate snow lines at Purogangri ice cap on the central Plateau in order to study the interannual variability of glacier mass balance. Datasets of the daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer snow product MOD10A1 were used to infer transient snow line variability during 2001–2012 and to derive regional‐scale, annual equilibrium line altitude. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer snow albedo embedded within the snow product was compared with high‐resolution Landsat imagery. An albedo threshold was established to differentiate between ice and snow and the 13th percentile of the altitudes of snow‐covered pixels was chosen to represent the snow line altitude. The second maximum of the snow line altitudes in the ablation period was taken as a proxy for the annual equilibrium line altitude. A linear correlation analysis was carried out (1) between interannual variability of the equilibrium line altitude at Purogangri ice cap and various climate elements derived from the High Asia Reanalysis, and (2) between interannual variability of the equilibrium line altitude and the circulation indices North Atlantic Oscillation and Indian Summer Monsoon. Results suggest that air temperature and meridional wind speed above ground in July, as well as the lower tropospheric zonal wind in June and August play a crucial role in the development of the annual equilibrium line altitude.     

近期哈尔里克山脉冰川变化遥感监测

哈尔里克山脉冰川的快速退缩已经影响到吐鲁番坎儿井的水量,先前关于该区冰川研究不够细致,且最新资料报道较为短缺。以哈尔里克山脉冰川为研究对象,基于Landsat TM/ETM+和OLI影像（1992、2002、2010、2016年）,通过比值阈值法、目视解译结合GIS技术,提取了该地区四期冰川边界,同时对研究区周边气温、降水以及日照时数进行线性趋势分析,研究其与冰川的响应关系。结果表明：（1）1992-2016年,哈尔里克山脉冰川总体呈现出持续退缩趋势,面积退缩了13.18%,年均退缩率为0.56%,近年来退缩速率有所减缓。（2）近似估算的冰储量在过去25 a间减少了18.33%,冰川物质亏损将对该区短缺的水资源提供了危险的信号。（3）冰川退缩率与冰川规模呈指数函数变化趋势;低海拔区冰川存在明显的末端升高趋势;N和NW向的冰川占明显优势,但N向退缩率最慢。（4）分形理论分析表明该地区冰川未来退缩将趋于一种稳定状态。该区气温和日照时数的显著上升导致其冰川退缩,同时冰川规模、海拔和坡向分布也是冰川变化的重要因素;对比发现该区冰川退缩速率较天山其他区域慢。     

EARLY PLIOCENE ALPINE GLACIATION IN ANTARCTICA: TERRESTRIAL VERSUS TIDEWATER GLACIERS IN WRIGHT VALLEY

ABSTRACT. Alpine glacier deposits in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica have been interpreted to indicate that early Pliocene climate in that region was not warmer than it is today. Correlation of these alpine‐glacier till sheets to marine deposits that contain evidence consistent with warmer‐than‐present climate has been used to constrain the age of both deposits, preclude the warm interpretation of the marine evidence, and constrain mountain uplift as determined from the marine deposit. We tested the interpretation that, in the early Pliocene, the alpine glaciers in Wright Valley terminated in a fjord and, thereby, constrain the age, temperature, and depth of the fjord. We did this by mapping the surficial geology in this region using the newly available microtopography based on the light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technique. Stratigraphic issues like these need to be resolved in order to quantify early Pliocene climate in Antarctica and contribute to understanding warm global‐climate dynamics. We found that the Pliocene Alpine‐IIIA (A‐IIIA), A‐IIIB and A‐IV drift sheets were more likely deposited from terrestrial alpine‐glacier lobes than glaciers terminating either at tidewater or with a floating appendage. The principal evidence is the occurrence of moraine fragments well below the minimum elevation of the early Pliocene fjord surface, and moraine arrangement in arcs indicative of arcuate glacier fronts without flairing near the proposed shoreline. Our A‐IIIA till is more widespread in the proglacial areas of the five alpine glaciers examined than previously proposed. We propose that the existing distribution of A‐IIIB till reflects glaciers even less extensive than today rather than truncation at a hypothetical fjord surface. Additionally, the A‐IV moraine remnants outline glaciers that were significantly larger than those associated with A‐III moraines. If we are correct, the age of the A‐III till, 3.4 ± 0.1 Ma at maximum, does not constrain the age of the Prospect fjord episode which can be closer to 5.5 ± 0.4 Ma as previously inferred. Moreover, if the alpine tills are not as old as the Prospect fjord episode, the polar paleoclimatic interpretation from those tills does not preclude the high temperature (0–3°C) and reduced salinity previously inferred for the Prospect fjord. However, if alpine glacier extent was not limited by Prospect fjord surface elevation, then paleoclimate during the A‐IIIA, A‐IIIB, and A‐IV glacial episodes can be quantitatively reconstructed. The Prospect fjord might have been deep, not shallow, and, hence, mountain uplift might be greater than currently thought which would explain minimal alpine‐glacier erosion into the valley sides.     

RESPONSE OF A TEMPERATE ALPINE VALLEY GLACIER TO CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE DECADAL SCALE

Glacier advance and recession are considered key indicators of climate change. Understanding the relationship between climatic variations and glacial responses is crucial. Here, we apply archival digital photogrammetry to reconstruct the decadal scale glacial history of an unmonitored Alpine valley glacier, the Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, and we use the data generated to explore the linkages between glacier recession and climate forcing. High precision digital elevation models were derived. They show continual recession of the glacier since 1967, associated with long‐term climatic amelioration but only a weak reaction to shorter‐term climatic deterioration. Glacier surface velocity estimates obtained using surface particle tracking showed that, unlike for most Swiss glaciers during the late 1970s and early 1980s, ice mass flux from the accumulation zone was too low to compensate for the effects of glacier thinning and subsequent snout recession, especially during the rapid warming that occurred through the 1980s. The results emphasise the dangers of inferring glacier response to climate forcing from measurements of the terminus position only and the importance of using remote sensing methods as an alternative, especially where historical imagery is available.     

RS analysis of glaciers change in the Heihe River Basin,Northwest China,during the recent decades

The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in Northwest China and it is also a hotspot in arid hydrology, water resources and other aspects of researches in cold regions. In addition, the Heihe River Basin has complete landscape, moderate watershed size, and typical social ecological environmental problems. So far, there has been no detailed assessment of glaciers change information of the whole river basin. 1：50,000 topographic map data, Landsat TM/ETM＋ remote sensing images and digital elevation model data were used in this research. Through integrated computer automatic interpretation and visual interpretation methods, the object-oriented image feature extraction method was applied to extract glacier outline information. Glaciers change data were derived from analysis, and the glacier variation and its response to climate change in the period 1956/1963–2007/ 2011 were also analyzed. The results show that：（1） In the period 1956/1963–2007/2011, the Heihe River Basin＇s glaciers had an evident retreat trend, the total area of glaciers decreased from 361.69 km2 to 231.17 km~2; shrinking at a rate of 36.08%, with average single glacier area decrease 0.14 km~2; the total number of the glaciers decreased from 967 to 800.（2） Glaciers in this basin are mainly distributed at elevations of 4300–4400 m, 4400–4500 m and 4500–4600 m; and there are significant regional differences in glaciers distribution and glaciers change.（3） Compared with other western mountain glaciers, glaciers retreat in the Heihe River Basin has a higher rate.（4） Analysis of the six meteorological stations＇ annual average temperature and precipitation data from 1960 to 2010 suggests that the mean annual temperature increased significantly and the annual precipitation also showed an increasing trend. It is concluded that glacier shrinkage is closely related with temperature rising, besides, glacier melting caused by rising temperatures greater than glacier mass supply by increased precipitation to     

中亚天山山区冰雪变化及其对区域水资源的影响

冰川和积雪是构成山区固体水库的主体,对区域水资源稳定性具有调节功能,但深受气候变化的影响。以中亚天山为研究区域,基于长时间序列的观测数据,分别从冰川、积雪、水储量、径流等方面进行分析,并选取阿克苏河、开都河及乌鲁木齐河3个典型流域,研究天山山区冰雪变化对流域水资源的影响。结果表明：① 冰川退缩速率与面积的函数关系为f（x） = -0.53×x^-0.15 （R² = 0.42,RMSE = 0.086）,说明小型冰川对气候变化的响应更为敏感。同时,中低海拔区域的冰川退缩速率大于高海拔区域;② 2003-2015年天山山区水储量的递减速率为-0.7±1.53 cm/a,天山中部区域的递减速率最大,这一结果与该区域冰川急剧退缩相吻合;③ 近半个多世纪以来,冰雪融水径流增加是这3个典型流域径流量增加的主要原因,其中阿克苏河增幅最大（达0.4×10⁸ m³/a）。但自20世纪90年代中期以来,3个流域的径流量都呈减少趋势,与流域内冰川面积减少、厚度变薄及平衡线海拔升高的关系密切。研究结果揭示了气候变化驱动下的山区固态水体储量变化对流域水资源的影响机制,以期为流域水资源管理提供有价值的决策参考。     

Snow Accumulation on a Small High‐Arctic Glacier Svenbreen: Variability and Topographic Controls

One of the main controls on the net mass change of land‐terminating Arctic glaciers is the magnitude and distribution of snow accumulation. In Dickson Land, region of Svalbard with the greatest distance to the sea, the issue has not been receiving much scientific attention for decades. In this paper, new snow accumulation data are presented from Svenbreen in Dickson Land from end‐of‐winter surveys. The measured winter balance was 0.42 ± 0.15 m w.e. in 2010, 0.50 ± 0.10 m w.e. in 2011 and 0.62 ± 0.10 cm w.e. in 2012. Snow depth and water equivalent have been analysed in the background of altitude, slope and aspect extracted from the digital elevation model of the glacier. On steep northern slopes (>15°) accumulation was the highest, whereas it was decreased on southern slopes with moderate inclination (9–12°). Elevation, which on many glaciers proved to be highly correlated with snow depth, explained only 17–34% of snow depth variability due to complex interplay between local climate and geometry of a small valley.     

EVALUATION OF GRIDDED PRECIPITATION FOR NORWAY USING GLACIER MASS‐BALANCE MEASUREMENTS

The service seNorge ( http://senorge.no ) provides gridded temperature and precipitation for mainland Norway. The products are provided as interpolated station measurements on a 1 × 1 km grid. Precipitation gauges are predominantly located at lower elevations such as coastal areas and valleys. Therefore, there are large uncertainties in extrapolating precipitation data to higher altitudes, both due to sparsity of observations as well as the large spatial variability of precipitation in mountainous regions. Using gridded temperature and precipitation data from seNorge, surface mass balance was modeled for five Norwegian glaciers of different size and climate conditions. The model accounts for melting of snow and ice by applying a degree‐day approach and considers refreezing assuming a snow depth depended storage. Calculated values are compared to point measurements of glacier winter mass balance. On average for each glacier, modeled and measured surface mass‐balance evolutions agree well, but results at individual stake locations show large variability. Two types of problems were identified: first, grid data were not able to capture spatial mass balance variability at smaller glaciers. Second, a significant increase in the bias between model and observations with altitude for one glacier suggested that orographic enhancement of precipitation was not appropriately captured by the gridded interpolation.     

Local aspect asymmetry of mountain glaciation: A global survey of consistency of favoured directions for glacier numbers and altitudes

Understanding aspect effects on present-day glaciers provides essential background to the palaeoclimatic interpretation of reconstructed former glaciers or glacial cirques. Several factors influencing glacier mass balance vary with slope aspect: these give more glaciers, lower glaciers and possibly larger glaciers on favoured aspects. Their effects can be measured by either vector analysis of the number of glaciers with each aspect or Fourier regression of glacier altitude or size against aspect. Both approaches are applied here to large data sets from the World Glacier Inventory, for all available regions.Favoured aspect is measured by direction of the resultant vector mean and by the direction of minimum glacier altitude, for 51 regions with a total of 66,084 glaciers. The two directions are broadly consistent in mid-latitudes and in the tropics, but large differences occur in the Arctic and Nepal. Poleward aspects dominate, especially in mid-latitudes: radiation receipt is the major factor, with strong wind effects limited to areas with only moderate relief. Strength of asymmetry is measured by vector strength (from glacier numbers) or by a combination of first Fourier coefficients (from glacier altitudes). Measuring two different facets of degree of asymmetry, they are essentially unrelated. The Fourier measure is the best estimate of local climatic asymmetry, as vector strength is more influenced by topography.     

1990-2011年西昆仑峰区冰川变化的遥感监测

本文应用Landsat 5、7 TM、ETM+影像分析1990-2011年昆仑山西段昆仑峰区冰川变化特征,结果表明:1990-2011年冰川面积减少16.83 km²,退缩率仅为0.65%,冰川退缩趋势不明显。单条冰川变化有进有退,中峰冰川末端在2002-2004年以661 m/a的速率前进,初步判定为跃动冰川。1991-1998年,崇测冰川面积增加9.47 km²,冰川末端以200 m/a的速率前进,不排除有跃动冰川的可能性。尽管近年来全球气温普遍上升,大量冰川处于退缩状态,但统计已有研究结果发现近50年来青藏高原存在冰川长度、面积增加,冰川物质平衡为正的现象,表现出冰川对气候变化复杂的反馈机制。通过分析气象站点和冰芯资料,研究区周边地区气温上升、降水量缓慢增加可能是冰川微弱退缩的原因之一;增强的西风环流带来更多的降水、研究区以极大陆型大规模冰川为主,也可能是冰川退缩幅度较小的原因。     

QUANTIFYING UNCERTAINTY IN USING MULTIPLE DATASETS TO DETERMINE SPATIOTEMPORAL ICE MASS LOSS OVER 101 YEARS AT KÅRSAGLACIÄREN,SUB‐ARCTIC SWEDEN

Glacier mass balance and mass balance gradient are fundamentally affected by changes in glacier 3D geometry. Few studies have quantified changing mountain glacier 3D geometry, not least because of a dearth of suitable spatiotemporally distributed topographical information. Additionally, there can be significant uncertainty in georeferencing of historical data and subsequent calculations of the difference between successive surveys. This study presents multiple 3D glacier reconstructions and the associated mass balance response of Kårsaglaciären, which is a 0.89 ± 0.01 km² mountain glacier in sub‐arctic Sweden. Reconstructions spanning 101 years were enabled by historical map digitisation and contemporary elevation and thickness surveys. By considering displacements between digitised maps via the identification of common tie‐points, uncertainty in both vertical and horizontal planes were estimated. Results demonstrate a long‐term trend of negative mass balance with an increase in mean elevation, total glacier retreat (1909–2008) of 1311 ± 12 m, and for the period 1926–2010 a volume decrease of 1.0 ± 0.3 × 10^–3 km³ yr^–1. Synthesising measurements of the glaciers’ past 3D geometry and ice thickness with theoretically calculated basal stress profiles explains the present thermal regime. The glacier is identified as being disproportionately fast in its rate of mass loss and relative to area, is the fastest retreating glacier in Sweden. Our long‐term dataset of glacier 3D geometry changes will be useful for testing models of the evolution of glacier characteristics and behaviour, and ultimately for improving predictions of meltwater production with climate change.     

INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE AND CLIMATE ANOMALIES ON NORWAY SPRUCE TREE-RING GROWTH AT DIFFERENT ALTITUDES AND ON GLACIER RESPONSES: EXAMPLES FROM THE CENTRAL ITALIAN ALPS

Climate change and climate anomalies are inducing strong variations in the high‐mountain environment, driving the responses of physical and biological systems differently. This paper assesses tree‐ring growth responses to climate for two Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) sites at different altitudes from an Ortles‐Cevedale Group (OCG; internal zones of the Central Italian Alps) valley site and reports some examples of climate impact on glacier dynamics in the OCG in recent decades. Growth–climate relationships between tree‐ring chronologies and meteorological data were established by means of Pearson's correlation and response functions. In the high‐altitude chronology we found a strong signal of July temperatures, whereas the low‐altitude chronology also contained a signal of summer precipitation. Climate anomalies occurring in these months proved to influence tree growth at the two sites differently. In summer 2003 extreme climatic conditions established over Europe and the Alps, strongly affecting physical and biological systems. Spruce responses to the climate anomaly of 2003 were more evident with a one‐year lag. The high‐altitude site profited from the warmer growing season, whereas trees at the low‐altitude site experienced water stress conditions and their growth was strongly inhibited also in the following year. Glacier mass loss in the OCG in 2003 was the highest since yearly measurement started. The examples reported confirm the strong and even divergent variations affecting the Alpine environment, induced by recent climate change.