Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T20:58:42.409Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Johan Dahl Land, south Greenland: the end of a 20th century glacier expansion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2009

Anker Weidick
Anker Weidick*
Affiliation:
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Qajuuttap Sermia glacier system north of Johan Dahl Land, on the southern slope of the Greenland ice sheet (the inland ice), has shown continuous advancing behaviour from approximately 1940 until approximately 2000. This contrasts with neighbouring sectors of the inland ice to the west and southeast, where the ice sheet has shown a more ‘normal’ trend of recession and thinning of the margin since about 1850–1890, and that has continued throughout the last half of the 20th century. The Qajuuttap Sermia glacier system has also attracted interest for its hydropower potential, and detailed investigations were carried out in 1977–1983. This article summarises the fluctuations of the Qajuuttap Sermia glacier system, and documents the demonstrable advance of the individual glaciers of the system from the early 1940s until the early years of the present millennium. The cause of the advance seems likely to be related to variations in precipitation over the southernmost parts of the inland ice, with the highlands north of Johan Dahl Land directly influencing the passage of low pressure systems moving both northwards along the west coast and northeastwards along the east coast of Greenland.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 45 , Issue 4 , October 2009 , pp. 337 - 350
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bak, O. 1981. Træk af Narssaq kommunes historie. In: Fisker, J. (editor) Narssaq. Copenhagen: Gyldendal (Nordiske Landes Bogforlag, Umanaq. I kommission for Danmark): 9–110.Google Scholar
Bennike, O., and Sparrenbom, C.J.. 2007. Dating of the Narssarssuaq stade in southern Greenland. The Holocene 17 (2)279–282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clement, P. 1981. Glaciologiske undersøgelser i Johan Dahl Land 1980. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse, Gletscherhydrologiske Meddelelser 81/1.Google Scholar
Clement, P. 1982. Glaciologiske undersøgelser i Johan Dahl Land 1981. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelser, Gletscherhydrologiske Meddelelser 82/1.Google Scholar
Clement, P. 1983a. Glaciologiske Undersøgelser i Johan Dahl Land 1982. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse, Gletscherhydrologiske Meddelelser 83/1.Google Scholar
Clement, P. 1983b. Glacial-hydrologiske forhold i Nordbosø bassinet, Johan Dahl Land. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse, Gletcher-hydrologiske Meddelelser 83/9.Google Scholar
Clement, P. 1984. Glaciological activities in the Johan Dahl Land area, south Greenland, as a basis for mapping hydropower potential. Copenhagen: Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse (report 120): 113–121.Google Scholar
Frost, R.E. 1957. A reconnaissance for a southern Greenland ice-cap access for military purposes. Wilmette IL: US Army, Snow, ice and permafrost research establishment (technical report 46).Google Scholar
Funk, M. 1990. Staubecken Grimsel-West. Gletscher-Kalbungsgeschwendigkeit im Süsswasser. Eine Studie am Nordbogletscher im Johan Dahl Land, Süd-West Grönland. Zürich; Technischen Hochschule Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau, Hydrologie und Glaziologie der Eidgenössischen (Im Auftrag der Kraftwerke Oberhasli, AG, Innertkirchen).Google Scholar
Geodetic Institute. 1968. Topographic map, Narssarssuaq 61 V.3, 1: 250.000. Copenhagen: Geodetic Institute.Google Scholar
Georgi, J. 1933. Greenland as a switch for cyclones. The Geographical Journal 81 (4): 344–345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giesecke, K.L. 1910. Karl Ludwig Gieseckes Mineralogisches Reisejournal über Grönland 1806–13. 2te vollständige Ausgabe. Meddelelser om Grønland 35.Google Scholar
Grønlandsdepardementet. 1952. Vejrforholdene over de grønlandske kystområder belyst ved tabeller og grafiske fremstillinger fra et stort antal stationer. Beretninger vedrørende Grønland 2.Google Scholar
Hansen, S.S. 1984. Gudmund Hatt – the individualist against his time. Danish Archaeology 3: 164–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, S.S. 1999. Vi kaldte den Nordbodalen. Gudmund Hatts rejse til Grønland i 1932. Grønland 1999 (2): 57–75.Google Scholar
Jenkins, W.G. 1980. Narssarssuaq, South Greenland, 1972 and 1976 expedition results. Ambleside: Brathay Hall Trust (Brathay exploration group, Brathay field studies, report 9).Google Scholar
Knudsen, N.T. 1983. Photogrammetric investigations at glaciers in west Greenland. Copenhagen: Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse. (Report of activities 1982. Report 115): 115–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knudsen, N.T. 1986. Recent changes of Nordbogletscher and Nordgletscher, Johan Dahl Land, South Greenland. Annals of Glaciology 8: 106–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larsen, B. 1981. Seismiske Undersøgelser af Nordbosø, Johan Dahl Land, 1980. Lyngby: Danmarks Tekniske Højskole, Instituttet for teknisk geologi (preliminary report January 1981).Google Scholar
Leighty, R.D., and Poulin, A.O.. 1960. Ice-cap access route, Narssarssuaq, Greenland. Location and engineering evaluation. Hanover, NH: U.S. Army Snow, ice and permafrost research establishment (technical report 48).Google Scholar
Mercer, J.H. 1961. The response of fjord glaciers to the changes in the firn limit. Journal of Glaciology 3 (29)850–858.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metcalfe, R.J. 1969. The Lake Hullet Basin, Narssarssuaq, S.W. Greenland. Ambleside: Brathay Hall Trust (Brathay exploration group, expedition fieldwork report 10).Google Scholar
Moltke, C., and Jessen, A.. 1896. Undersøgelser of Nordre-Sermilik Bræ. Meddelelser om Grønland 16 (2): 93–107.Google Scholar
Nukissiorfiit (Greenland energy suppliers). 1995. Lokaliserede vandkraftpotentialer I Grønland. Nuuk: Nukissiorfiit.Google Scholar
Ohmura, A., and Reeh, N.. 1991. New precipitation and accumulation maps for Greenland. Journal of Glaciology 37 (125): 140–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Petersen, H.C. 1979. Et kajakfund fra Kûkulûp tasia. Grønland 1979 (9): 257–263.Google Scholar
Podlech, S. 2004. The Qagssimiut ice lobe, south Greenland. An assessment of significant ice margin thinning. Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen, Ph.D. dissertation (Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse. Report 2004/67).Google Scholar
Sparrenbom, C.J., Bennike, O., Björck, S., and Lambech, K.. 2006. Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Qaqortoq area, southern Greenland. Boreas 35: 171–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rignot, E., and Kanagaratnam, P.. 2006. Changes in the velocity structure of the Greenland ice sheet. Science 311 (5763): 986–990.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warren, C.R. 1991. Terminal environment, topographic control and fluctuations of west Greenland glaciers. Boreas 20: 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warren, C.R., and Glasser, N.F.. 1992. Contrasting response of south Greenland glaciers to recent climatic change. Arctic and Alpine Research 24 (2): 124–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidick, A. 1959. Glacial variations in Greenland in historical time, part 1, southwest Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 158 (4): 54–62.Google Scholar
Weidick, A. 1963. Ice margin features in the Julianehåb district, south Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 165 (3).Google Scholar
Weidick, A. 1984. Location of two glacier surges in west Greenland. Copenhagen: Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse (report 120): 100–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidick, A. 1988a. Gletschere i Sydgrønland. Copenhagen: Geological Survey of Greenland.Google Scholar
Weidick, A. 1988b: Surging glaciers in Greenland – a status. Copenhagen: Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse (report 140): 106–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidick, A. 1994. Historical fluctuations of calving glaciers in south and west Greenland. Copenhagen: Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse (report 161): 73–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidick, A., Bøggild, C.E., and Knudsen, N.T.. 1992. Glacier inventory and atlas of west Greenland. Copenhagen: Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse (report 158).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weidick, A., Williams, R.S., and Ferrigno, J.G.. 1995. Greenland, satellite image atlas of glaciers of the world. Denver CO: U.S. Geological Survey (professional paper 1386-C).Google Scholar
Weidick, A., Kelly, M., and Bennike, O.. 2004. Late Quaternary development of the southern sector of the Greenland ice sheet, with particular reference to the Qassimiut lobe. Boreas 33: 284–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar