An estimation of snow accumulation on Svalbard glaciers on the basis of standard weather-station observations

Abstract

Winter precipitation in the form of snow is the major factor determining accumulation on Arctic glaciers. In this paper, I present a simple method to assess snow accumulation on the glaciers of Svalbard. I deduce snow accumulation from the sum of winter precipitation and the fraction of precipitation of different types at a reference weather station. The accumulation is then converted to a relevant point on the glacier, using an accumulation gradient and a location coefficient. I apply this algorithm of accumulation assessment to eight glaciers of southern and central Spitsbergen using data from 23 seasons. On the basis of measured accumulation data, the mean error of the calculated accumulation, with no distinction of precipitation types, amounted to 23%. When the distinction between precipitation types is used for glaciers of southern Spitsbergen, the average error of estimation was 19%. Errors result from factors influencing accumulation distribution over the glacier elevation profile (e.g. glacier topography, orography of its surroundings, precipitation inversion). Application of this accumulation algorithm may provide a crucial method of estimating mass balance for glaciers not included in permanent monitoring.