Braun M (2002)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2002
Publisher: International Glaciological Society
Edited Volumes: Annals of Glaciology
City/Town: .
Book Volume: 34
Pages Range: 95-100
In order to estimate the contribution of the Antarctic Peninsula to global sea-level rise as a result of the observed warming in this region, the spatial extent of snow-melt-producing areas needs to be quantified. By using the dry-snow line derived from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery as the uppermost limit of frequent or occasional surface melt, an estimation of the spatial extent of areas with non-zero ablation rates is facilitated. Three calibrated RADARSAT ScanSAR mosaics covering the northern Antarctic Peninsula were analyzed applying a threshold of 14 dB to identify the dry-snow line. The area of the dry-snow radar zone was determined to be 23 300 ± 2000 km2. Areas affected frequently or occasionally by snowmelt cover 85 000 ± 9000 km2. In addition, the dry-snow line as derived from multi-temporal ERS-1/-2 imagery serves as an indicator of climate variability in the uppermost areas of polar glaciers and ice sheets. The upward shift of the dry-snow line between 1992 and 1998 on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula at 68° S is interpreted as a direct response to the increasing number of high- temperature events during the 1991-2000 decade.
APA:
Braun, M. (2002). The regional distribution of the dry snow zone on the Antarctic Peninsula north of 70°S. Annals of Glaciology, 34, 95-100.
MLA:
Braun, Matthias. "The regional distribution of the dry snow zone on the Antarctic Peninsula north of 70°S." Annals of Glaciology 34 (2002): 95-100.
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