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Mass-balance measurements in Alaska and suggestions for simplified observation programs
by Dennis C. Trabant and Rod S. March
Geografiska Annaler, (Series A,
Physical Geography),
v. 81 A, no. 4, p.777-789
ABSTRACT
US Geological Survey glacier fieldwork in Alaska
includes repetitious measurements, corrections for leaning or bending
stakes, an ability to reliably measure seasonal snow as deep as 10 m,
absolute identification of summer surfaces in the accumulation area, and
annual evaluation of internal accumulation, internal ablation, and
glacier-thickness changes.
Prescribed field measurement and note-taking
techniques help eliminate field errors and expedite the interpretative
process. In the office, field notes are transferred to computerized
spreadsheets for analysis, release on the World Wide Web, and archival
storage. The spreadsheets have error traps to help eliminate notetaking
and transcription errors. Rigorous error analysis ends when mass-balance
measurements are extrapolated and integrated with area to determine
glacier and basin mass balances. Unassessable errors in the glacier and
basin mass-balance data reduce the value of the data set for
correlations with climate change indices.
The minimum glacier mass-balance program has at least
three measurement sites on a glacier and the measurements must include
the seasonal components of mass balance as well as the annual balance.
Trabant, D.C., and March, R.S., 1999, Mass-balance measurements in Alaska and
suggestions for simplified observation programs:
Geografiska
Annaler (Series A, Physical Geography), v. 81A, no. 4, p.777-789.
[Full Report in
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Maintainer: Rod
March
Last update:
Wednesday, January 03, 2007 12:46 PM
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