Surface mass and energy balance of Sørbreen, Jan Mayen, 2008

Abstract

Mass-balance measurements were initiated in 2007/08 on Sørbreen, Jan Mayen, including operation of automatic weather stations in the ablation zone. Mean daily melt rate is 3.6cmw.e. d-1 for the investigated snow-free period of 115 days in June-September 2008. During this period, the net radiation is the largest contributor to melt. However, the relative contribution is highest in June (81%) and less in September (21%). The net longwave radiation is negative, acting as a heat sink. The climate on Jan Mayen is polar maritime with generally high humidity and overcast conditions. This leads to a positive latent heat flux, which represents condensation to the glacier surface. Persistent temperature inversions on the island lead to non-linear lapse rates and an ablation profile where melt does not necessarily decrease with increased elevation. A comparison of air temperatures on the glacier and twice-daily radiosonde ascents from the meteorological station, ∼20 km away from the glacier, shows that air temperatures at corresponding elevations are highly correlated (R2 = 0.94-0.96). This indicates that radiosonde temperature profiles can be valuable for determining lapse rates for melt modeling of the glacier.