CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Fountain, A.; Trabant, D.; Brugman, M.M.; Ommanney, C.S.L.; and Monroe, D.S.
Date : 1991
Title : Glacier mass-balance standards
Publication : EOS
Issue : 72(46):
Page(s) : 511, 514
Abstract
An understanding of the link between climate and glaciers is needed to assess the potential effect of glacier variations on the water resources of glacierized regions. A Workshop on Glacier Mass-Balance Standards was held November 1990 in Seattle to re-examine current glacier climate and hydrology programs in Canada and the United States. Various methods exist for assessing the mass change (mass balance) of a glacier. Surface methods require establishing an array of stakes in the snow/ice surface against which changes in surface height are measured periodically. Photogrammetry uses vertical or oblique photography to determine glacier surface elevation, and geodetic methods provide the same information from surface-based surveying. In the hydrological method (not recommended), mass changes are estimated from the difference between precipitation and stream runoff. Other methods are also being used; some are of questionable validity, while others may be useful where standard surface mass-balance methods are difficult, such as on large ice caps or ice streams. Other fundamental measurements should also be made, including discharge data to monitor how glacier mass changes affect streamflow, and meteorological data to describe the local climate. It is suggested that a network of representative 'benchmark' glaciers should be established to document changes in glacier cover and to establish the response of glaciers in different climate regions
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology