HR: 0800h
AN: GC41A-0094    [Abstracts]
TI: The Relation Between Climate Variability and Glacier Morphometry: A Space-for-Time Substitution Analysis for Glaciers in British Columbia, Canada
AU: * Schiefer, E
EM: schiefer@geog.ubc.ca
AF: University of British Columbia, Dept of Geography, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z2, Canada
AU: Menounos, B
EM: menounos@unbc.ca
AF: University of Northern British Columbia, Geography Program, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N4Z9, Canada
AB: We explore the relation between spatial climate variability and glacier morphometry for British Columbia using gridded temperature and precipitation normal data and a comprehensive glacier inventory obtained from aerial photography. The altitudinal range of over 10,000 glaciers, distributed across 10° of latitude (49 to 60°N) and 23° of longitude (115 to 139°W), was related to principal components of local climate and extracted morphometric variables. Derived climatic indices represent maritime-continental, latitudinal, and seasonal variability gradients, whereas the morphometric parameters represent measures of glacier slope, aspect, shape, and flow network order. For glaciers exceeding 6 km² in area (n=561), over 70% of the altitude range variability can be explained using optimized regression models that incorporate both climatic and morphometric predictor variables. We use the multivariate models to quantify the degree to which spatial patterns of climate can be inferred from glacier altitude data and investigate the degree to which morphometric controls moderate these relations. Applications of the developed models include the reconstruction of past climate patterns from historical glacier extents and the prediction of future altitudinal limits for glaciers given projected climate change scenarios.
DE: 0720 Glaciers
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 9350 North America
SC: Global Environmental Change [GC]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting