Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria
Little is known about the evolution and dynamics of icebergs in alpine lakes. We analyzed the movement and ablation patterns of icebergs at an ice-contact lake at Pasterze Glacier, Austria, using time-lapse images. Iceberg evolution was quantified for two timescales and related to meteorological as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2024.2367778 |
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| author | Felix Bernsteiner Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer Jakob Abermann Bernhard Hynek |
| author_facet | Felix Bernsteiner Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer Jakob Abermann Bernhard Hynek |
| author_sort | Felix Bernsteiner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Little is known about the evolution and dynamics of icebergs in alpine lakes. We analyzed the movement and ablation patterns of icebergs at an ice-contact lake at Pasterze Glacier, Austria, using time-lapse images. Iceberg evolution was quantified for two timescales and related to meteorological as well as glacier ablation data from the adjacent glacier tongue. On a multiyear scale, ablation and movement of one iceberg (IB1) was monitored during a twenty-five-month period. On a single-day scale, the movement paths of eighty-four icebergs were tracked over 16 hours. Results for IB1 revealed an average iceberg ablation of 72 mm d−1 from June to September and no winter ablation. Iceberg ablation rates rose over time, explained by a rising surface area-to-volume ratio. Monitoring lake-wide iceberg movement for one day shows that a persistent katabatic glacier wind and a valley wind are the main influences on horizontal iceberg movement. Iceberg velocity is roughly 0.6 percent of the wind velocity. The existence of a wind-driven current on the lake surface is proposed. Sudden changes in movement rates, which are not explained by wind data, suggest that iceberg grounding is common. This study provides insight into iceberg melt rates in the absence of wave erosion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9e9346e2ac7e48eca234c71cab8bec09 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1523-0430 1938-4246 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-9e9346e2ac7e48eca234c71cab8bec092025-01-13T14:40:40ZengTaylor & Francis GroupArctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research1523-04301938-42462024-12-0156110.1080/15230430.2024.2367778Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in AustriaFelix Bernsteiner0Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer1Jakob Abermann2Bernhard Hynek3Cascade–The Mountain Processes and Mountain Hazards Group, Department of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Graz, AustriaCascade–The Mountain Processes and Mountain Hazards Group, Department of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Graz, AustriaDepartment of Geography and Regional Science, University of Graz, Graz, AustriaDepartment Climate Impact Research, GeoSphere Austria–Bundesanstalt Für Geologie, Geophysik, Klimatologie und Meteorologie, Vienna, AustriaLittle is known about the evolution and dynamics of icebergs in alpine lakes. We analyzed the movement and ablation patterns of icebergs at an ice-contact lake at Pasterze Glacier, Austria, using time-lapse images. Iceberg evolution was quantified for two timescales and related to meteorological as well as glacier ablation data from the adjacent glacier tongue. On a multiyear scale, ablation and movement of one iceberg (IB1) was monitored during a twenty-five-month period. On a single-day scale, the movement paths of eighty-four icebergs were tracked over 16 hours. Results for IB1 revealed an average iceberg ablation of 72 mm d−1 from June to September and no winter ablation. Iceberg ablation rates rose over time, explained by a rising surface area-to-volume ratio. Monitoring lake-wide iceberg movement for one day shows that a persistent katabatic glacier wind and a valley wind are the main influences on horizontal iceberg movement. Iceberg velocity is roughly 0.6 percent of the wind velocity. The existence of a wind-driven current on the lake surface is proposed. Sudden changes in movement rates, which are not explained by wind data, suggest that iceberg grounding is common. This study provides insight into iceberg melt rates in the absence of wave erosion.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2024.2367778Iceberg trackingiceberg melticeberg ablationiceberg decayiceberg–climate relationshipmountain–valley wind system |
| spellingShingle | Felix Bernsteiner Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer Jakob Abermann Bernhard Hynek Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research Iceberg tracking iceberg melt iceberg ablation iceberg decay iceberg–climate relationship mountain–valley wind system |
| title | Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria |
| title_full | Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria |
| title_fullStr | Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria |
| title_short | Tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time-lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in Austria |
| title_sort | tracking ablation and movement of icebergs with time lapse photography at an alpine proglacial lake in austria |
| topic | Iceberg tracking iceberg melt iceberg ablation iceberg decay iceberg–climate relationship mountain–valley wind system |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2024.2367778 |
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