Identification and characteristics of surge-type glaciers on Novaya Zemlya, Russian Arctic

We present a comprehensive new inventory of surge-type glaciers on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, using high-resolution (up to 4m) satellite imagery from 1976/77 (Hexagon), 1989 (Landsat TM), 2001 (Landsat ETM+) and 2006 (ASTER). A total of 692 glaciers and their forelands were observed for glaciological and geomorphological criteria indicative of glacier surging (e.g. looped moraines, heavy surface crevassing, surface potholes, thrust-block moraines, concertina eskers). This enabled the identification of 32 potential surge-type glaciers (compared with four previously identified) representing 4.6% of the total but 18% by glacier area. We assess the characteristics of surge-type glaciers. Surge-type glaciers are statistically different from non-surge-type glaciers in terms of their area, length, surface slope, minimum elevation, mid-range elevation and terminus type. They are typically long (median length 18.5 km), large (median area 106.8km2) outlet glaciers, with relatively low overall surface slopes (median slope 1.78) and tend to terminate in water (marine or lacustrine). They are predominantly directed towards and located in the more maritime western region of the Russian Arctic, and we suggest that surge occurrence might be related to large and complex catchment areas that receive increased delivery of precipitation from the Barents Sea.

Arendt, A.A., K.A. Echelmeyer, W.D. Harrison, C.S. Lingle and V.B. Valentine. 2002. Rapid wastage of Alaska glaciers and their contribution to rising sea level. Science, 297(5580), 382–386.
Bjo¨rnsson, H. 1996. Iceland. In Jania, J. and J.O. Hagen, eds. Mass balance of Arctic glaciers. Sosnowiec/Oslo, International Arctic Science Committee, 25–29. (IASC Report 5.)
Bjo¨rnsson, H., F. Pa´lsson, O. Sigurðsson and G.E. Flowers. 2003. Surges of glaciers in Iceland. Ann. Glaciol., 36, 82–90.
Braun, C., D.R. Hardy and R.S. Bradley. 2004. Mass balance and area changes of four high Arctic plateau ice caps, 1959–2002. Geogr. Ann., 86A(1), 43–52.
Bruce, R.H., G.A. Cabrera, J.C. Leiva and L.E. Lenzano. 1987. Correspondence. The 1985 surge and ice dam of Glaciar Grande del Nevado del Plomo, Argentina. J. Glaciol., 33(113), 131–132.
Budd, W.F. 1975. A first simple model for periodically self-surging glaciers. J. Glaciol., 14(70), 3–21.
Clarke, G.K.C. 1987. Fast glacier flow: ice streams, surging and tidewater glaciers. J. Geophys. Res., 92(B9), 8835–8841.
Clarke, G.K.C. 1991. Length, width and slope influences on glacier surging. J. Glaciol., 37(126), 236–246.
Clarke, G.K.C., J.P. Schmok, C.S.L. Ommanney and S.G. Collins. 1986. Characteristics of surge-type glaciers. J. Geophys. Res., 91(B7), 7165–7180.
Copland, L., M.J. Sharp and J.A. Dowdeswell. 2003. The distribution and flow characteristics of surge-type glaciers in the Canadian High Arctic. Ann. Glaciol., 36, 73–81.
Dowdeswell, E.K., J.A. Dowdeswell and F.G.L. Cawkwell. 2007. On the glaciers of Bylot Island, Nunavut, Arctic Canada. Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 39(3), 402–411.
Dowdeswell, J.A. and M. Williams. 1997. Surge-type glaciers in the Russian High Arctic identified from digital satellite imagery. J. Glaciol., 43(145), 489–494.
Dowdeswell, J.A., G.S. Hamilton and J.O. Hagen. 1991. The duration of the active phase on surge-type glaciers: contrasts between Svalbard and other regions. J. Glaciol., 37(127), 388–400.
Dyurgerov, M. and G.J. McCabe. 2006. Associations between accelerated glacier mass wastage and increased summer temperature in coastal regions. Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 38(2), 190–197.
Eisen, O., W.D. Harrison and C.F. Raymond. 2001. The surges of Variegated Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A., and their connection to climate and mass balance. J. Glaciol., 47(158), 351–358.
Evans, D.J.A. and B.R. Rea. 2003. Surging glacier landsystem. In Evans, D.J.A., ed. Glacial landsystems. London, Edward Arnold.
Evans, D.J.A., D.R. Twigg, B.R. Rea and M. Shand. 2007. Surficial geology and geomorphology of the Bruarjo¨ kull surging glacier landsystem. J. Maps, 2007, 349–367.
Glazovskiy, A.F. 1996. Russian Arctic. In Jania, J. and J.O. Hagen, eds. Mass balance of Arctic glaciers. Sosnowiec/Oslo, International Arctic Science Committee, 25–29. (IASC Report 5.)
Glazovsky, A.F. 2003. Glacier changes in the Russian Arctic. In Casey, A., ed.Workshop on Assessing Global Glacier Recession. Boulder, CO, World Data Center for Glaciology, 78–82. (Glaciological Data Report GD-32.)
Glazovskiy, A.F. and Yu.Ya. Macheret. 2006. Novaya Zemlya. In Kotlyakov, V.M., ed. Oledenenie Severnoj i Central’noj Evrazii v Sovremennuju epochu [Glaciation in north and central Eurasia at present time]. Moscow, Nauka. [In Russian.]
Hagen, J.O., K. Melvold, F. Pinglot and J.A. Dowdeswell. 2003. On the net mass balance of the glaciers and ice caps in Svalbard, Norwegian Arctic. Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 35(2), 264–270.
Hamilton, G.S. and J.A. Dowdeswell. 1996. Controls on glacier surging in Svalbard. J. Glaciol., 42(140), 157–168.
Harrison, W.D. and A.S. Post. 2003. How much do we really know about glacier surging? Ann. Glaciol., 36, 1–6.
Howat, I.M., I.R. Joughin and T.A. Scambos. 2007. Rapid changes in ice discharge from Greenland outlet glaciers. Science, 315(5818), 1559–1561.
Jiskoot, H., P. Boyle and T. Murray. 1998. The incidence of glacier surging in Svalbard: evidence from multivariate statistics. Comput. Geosci., 24(4), 387–399.
Jiskoot, H., T. Murray and P. Boyle. 2000. Controls on the distribution of surge-type glaciers in Svalbard. J. Glaciol., 46(154), 412–422.
Jiskoot, H., T. Murray and A. Luckman. 2003. Surge potential and drainage-basin characteristics in East Greenland. Ann. Glaciol., 36, 142–148.
Kamb, B. 1987. Glacier surge mechanism based on linked cavity configuration of the basal water conduit system. J. Geophys. Res., 92(B9), 9083–9100.
Kjær, K.H., N.J. Korsgaard and A. Schomacker. 2008. Impact of multiple glacier surges: a geomorphological map from Bruarjo¨kull, East Iceland. J. Maps, 2008, 5–20.
Koryakin, V.S. 1974. O podvizhkakh lednikov v Arktike [On glacier surges in the Arctic]. Mater. Glyatsiol. Issled. 24, 140–145. [In Russian with English summary.]
Kotlyakov, V.M., ed. 1978. Catalogue of glaciers USSR: Volume 3, Northern Area, Part 2, Novaya Zemlya [Katalog lednikov SSSR, Tom 3, Severnyj Kraj, Chast’ 2 Novaja Zemlja]. Leningrad, Hydrometeoizdat. [In Russian.]
Lemke, P. and 10 others. 2007. Observations: changes in snow, ice and frozen ground. In Solomon, S. and 7 others, eds. Climate change 2007: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, etc., Cambridge University Press, 337–383.
Lingle, C.S. and D.R. Fatland. 2003. Does englacial water storage drive temperate glacier surges? Ann. Glaciol., 36, 14–20.
Meier, M.F. and A. Post. 1969. What are glacier surges? Can. J. Earth Sci., 6(4), 807–817.
Ottesen, D. and J.A. Dowdeswell. 2006. Assemblages of submarine landforms produced by tidewater glaciers in Svalbard. J. Geophys. Res., 111(F1), F01016. (10.1029/2005JF000330.)
Ottesen, D. and 9 others. 2008. Submarine landforms characteristic of glacier surges in two Spitsbergen fjords. Quat. Sci. Rev., 27(15–16), 1583–1599.
Pachauri, R.K. and A. Reisinger, eds. 2007. Climate change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Geneva, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Persits, F.M. and G.F. Ulmishek. 2003. Maps showing geology, oil and gas fields, and geologic provinces of the Arctic. USGS Open File Rep. 97-470-J.
Post, A. 1969. Distribution of surging glaciers in western North America. J. Glaciol., 8(53), 229–240.
Raup, B., A. Racoviteanu, S.J.S. Khalsa, C. Helm, R. Armstrong and Y. Arnaud. 2007. The GLIMS geospatial glacier database: a new tool for studying glacier change. Global Planet. Change, 56(1–2), 101–110.
Serreze, M.C. and J.A. Francis. 2006. The Arctic amplification debate. Climatic Change, 76(3–4), 1573–1480.
Sharov, A.I. 2005. Studying changes of ice coasts in the European Arctic. Geo-Mar. Lett., 25(2–3), 153–166.
UNESCO/International Association of Scientific Hydrology (IASH). 1970. Perennial ice and snow masses: a guide for compilation and assemblage of data for a world inventory. Paris, UNESCO/International Association of Scientific Hydrology. (Technical
Papers in Hydrology 1.)
Zeeberg, J.J. 1997. New data concerning the glacial history of the Barents Sea. In Gawronski, J.H. and P.V. Boyarsky, eds. Northbound with Barents. Amsterdam, Jan Mets, 62–71.
Zeeberg, J.J. and S.L. Forman. 2001. Changes in glacier extent on north Novaya Zemlya in the twentieth century. Holocene, 11(2), 161–175.
Zeeberg, J.J., S.L. Forman and L. Polyak. 2003. Glacier extent in a Novaya Zemlya fjord during the ‘Little Ice Age’ inferred from glaciomarine sediment records. Polar Res., 22(2), 385–394.