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Response of a mid‐latitude cirque glacier to climate over the last two decades: Mangaehuehu Glacier, Mt Ruapehu
Author(s) -
Brook Martin S.,
Dean Josh F.,
Keys Harry J. R.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.2195
Subject(s) - glacier , cirque glacier , geology , climatology , glacier mass balance , precipitation , climate change , cirque , tidewater glacier cycle , atmospheric circulation , physical geography , oceanography , ice stream , cryosphere , geomorphology , geography , meteorology , sea ice , pregnancy , lactation , ice calving , biology , genetics
The recent loss of mountain glaciers in response to climate warming has been reported across a range of latitudes globally, but the processes involved are not always straightforward. In southern Pacific mid‐latitudes, twentieth‐century glacier fluctuations are thought to reflect the strength of westerly atmospheric circulation, which brings increased precipitation, leading to mass gains. We present a study of the response of Mangaehuehu Glacier, a cirque glacier on Mt Ruapehu, to climate over the last two decades. Glacier surface area fluctuated in size over this period, corresponding closely with mean end‐of‐summer snowlines in the Southern Alps. The key control on glacier extent appears to be ablation season temperature, itself controlled by regional atmospheric circulation, including El Niño‐Southern Oscillation, Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), and to a lesser extent, Southern Annular Mode (SAM). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.