Development and calibration of a sea-ice - climate - glacier model for Northern Iceland
| Project leader | Prof. Dr. Johann Stötter | |
| Duration | 04/2000 - 03/2004 | Contact |
| Funding agency | Austrian Science Fund (Project P14093-N06) |
Dipl.-Geogr. Jörn Lippert Dr. Maria Wastl |
| Brief description | Project team | |
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The aim of the research project was the development and calibration of a model describing the relationships between sea-ice,
temperature and precipitation conditions and glacier extents in Northern Iceland for the period since the mid-19th century, when
continuous and homogeneous instrumental recording of temperature and precipitation in Iceland starts. The established
sea-ice - climate - glacier model allows quantitative reconstructions of climatic parameters on the basis of
glacier history in Northern Iceland for the period before the beginning of meteorological measurements. This improves the quality of
Holocene palaeoclimatic reconstruction in this area. It was possible to establish a climate - glacier model which well describes the mass balance of three measured glaciers on Tröllaskagi. This model allows quantitative reconstructions of glacier behaviour since the start of meteorological measurements in Akureyri. Glacier tongues respond within a few years to positive and negative mass balance changes. Climate conditions in the 1960s turned out to be not as glaciologically favourable as had been assumed, as they were, especially in the beginning, too dry. It was not found that the presence of sea-ice had a major effect on glacier mass balance in Northern Iceland. On the average colder and drier years with sea-ice off the coast showed more positive mass balance conditions than ice free years, but there are many exceptions with negative mass balances due to the dryness, which prevents a general correlation. |
Dr. Thomas Geist Dr. Clemens Geitner Mag. Maria Grießer Mag. Edith Hessenberger Mag. Stephan Jenewein Michael Kasper Dipl.-Geogr. Jörn Lippert Dr. Gertraud Meißl Dr. Thomas Mölg Mag. Andrew Moran Mag. Bernd Öggl Mag. Ronald Schmidt Mag. Markus Tusch Elvira Waltle-Spiegl Dr. Maria Wastl |
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| Further information | ||||
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