Mass Balance Studies in Kebnekajse

Abstract

The mass balance of Storglaciären in Kebnekajse, Swedish Lappland, has been studied in some detail sine 1946. Out of sixteen budget years, fourteen have given a deficit, one a surplus and one has been balanced. It is emphasized that more attention should be paid to the accuracy needed for significant mass balance studies. At present the density of the observation network on Storglaciären is 120 observations per km.² for accumulation and 13 observations per km.² for ablation measurements. The net loss during the sixteen years of observation amounts to nearly 10 per cent of the total glacier volume, and it is suggested that the principal cause of this loss is the increase in the mean summer temperature.