Glacier mass balance : the first 50 years of international monitoring

Auteur :
BRAITHWAITE, R.J.

Description :
This paper reviews measurements of glacier mass balance in the period 1946-95. There are data for 246 glaciers. The available mass-balance data are biased to Western Europe, North America and the former USSR. The data are also biased towards wetter conditions with too few data from the dry-cold glaciers. There is no sign of any recent global trend towards increased glacier melting, and the data mainly reflect variations within and between regions. The direct method of measuring glacier mass balance is with stakes and snowpits but it is a very laborious way. Stakes/snowpits measurements should be more integrated in future with geodetic and remote sensing methods, especially laser profiling, and with modelling.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Progress in physical geography, issn : 0309-1333, 2002, vol. 26, n°. 1, p. 76-95, nombre de pages : 20, Collation : Illustration, Références bibliographiques : 61 ref.

Date :
2002

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, London, Sage Publications