Sustained rapid shrinkage of Yukon glaciers since the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year

Abstract

Glaciers in the Yukon, NW Canada, lost 22% of their surface area during the 50 years following the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year, coincident with increases in average winter and summer air temperatures and decreases in winter precipitation. Scaling these results to ice volume change, we obtain a total mass loss of 406 177 Gt, which accounts for 1.12 ±0.49 mm of global sea-level rise. Yukon glaciers thinned by 0.78± 0.34 m yr-1 water equivalent, a regional thinning rate exceeded only by mountain glaciers in Patagonia and Alaska. Our scaling analysis suggests the remaining glaciers have the capacity to contribute a further 5.02 mm to global sea-level rise. Copyright © 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.