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Study of surface energy and mass balance at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet during summer in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2009

H.S. Gusain ,
K.K. Singh ,
V.D. Mishra ,
P.K. Srivastava  and
A. Ganju
H.S. Gusain*
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
K.K. Singh
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
V.D. Mishra
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
P.K. Srivastava
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
A. Ganju
Affiliation:
Snow & Avalanche Study Establishment, Manali, India
*
*gusain_hs@yahoo.co.in
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Abstract

This study estimates energy and mass balance at the edge of the Antarctic ice sheet close to a non-glaciated area. An automatic weather station was installed on the ice sheet, near an ice free area of Schirmacher Oasis in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Hourly snow-meteorological parameters were recorded and observed during the summer of the year 2007–08. Hourly radiative and turbulent energy fluxes were estimated at the ice surface. An ultrasonic sensor was used to measure accumulation or ablation at the glacier surface. Ground Penetrating Radar was also used to measure the changes in ice thickness at the observation point. The net radiative flux was the main heat source and the latent heat flux was the main heat sink for the ice sheet with seasonal average values of 98 W m-2 and -86.7 W m-2 respectively. There was a high ablation rate for the ice sheet near the non-glaciated area with a seasonal mean of 0.0172 m w.e. per day. Over the period 10 November 2007–7 February 2008 the mass balance was -1.53 m w.e. Good correlation (r2 = 0.97) was observed between estimated and observed hourly ablation of the glacier. Sublimation and melt processes contributed 16.5% and 83.5% respectively to the net summer ablation.

Keywords

net radiative fluxnon-glaciated areaSchirmacher Oasisturbulent fluxes
Type
Physical Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , August 2009 , pp. 401 - 409
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2009

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