HR: 1340h
AN: C23A-1160    [Abstracts]
TI: Weather and mass balance in the ablation zone of the Taylor Glacier, Antarctica
AU: * Bliss, A K
EM: abliss@berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley Department of Geography, 507 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-4740 United States
AU: Cuffey, K M
EM: kcuffey@berkeley.edu
AF: University of California at Berkeley Department of Geography, 507 McCone Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-4740 United States
AU: Kavanaugh, J
EM: jeff.kavanaugh@ualberta.ca
AF: University of Alberta Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3 Canada
AU: Morse, D
EM: morse@ig.utexas.edu
AF: The University of Texas at Austin Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences 4412 Spicewood Springs Rd. #600, Austin, TX 78759-8500 United States
AB: A simple model that predicts ablation from weather station measurements on the Taylor Glacier, Antarctica is presented along with ablation measurements at about 250 ablation stakes. The model output matches the ablation measurements at the weather station locations. Via extrapolation of the weather station measurements to the rest of the glacier, the model also makes predictions for the rest of the ablation zone. These predictions are compared with measurements of ablation, and errors and uncertainties are discussed. Sublimation is the dominant mass-loss mechanism for the majority of the glacier. In the current climate, melt is important only near the terminus and at the margins of the glacier during the summer. Unlike most Antarctic glaciers, the Taylor Glacier terminates on land so calving does not factor into the mass balance. Further development of this model will allow investigation of the mass balance of the Taylor Glacier in past and future climates.
UR: http://geography.berkeley.edu/~abliss/
DE: 0762 Mass balance (1218, 1223)
DE: 0764 Energy balance
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005