New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics abstracts

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New Zealand glacier responses to climate change of the past century

T. J. CHINN

Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences
Private Bag 1930
Dunedin, New Zealand

Abstract  An investigation of 127 glaciers of the New Zealand Southern Alps shows the losses that have occurred since the end of the Little Ice Age. On average they have shortened by 38% and lost 25% in area. The great variability within the measurements emphasises the need to consider response times and climate sensitivity when analysing glacier fluctuations. The upward shift of glacier mean elevation with this century of change is approximately equivalent to a temperature rise of 0.6deg.C. Extensive debris cover on many glaciers is significant in damping the climate signal, and proglacial lake formation may decouple a glacier from the climate signal.

Keywords  glacier fluctuation; glacier retreat; climate change; snowline; equilibrium line altitude; proglacial lake; Little Ice Age

New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 1996, Vol. 39: 415-428

0028-8306/96/3903-0415 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1996

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1922K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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