文章基本信息

标题：On the characterization of glacier response by a single time-scale
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作者：W. D. Harrison ; D. H. Elsberg ; K. A. Echelmeyer 等
期刊名称：Journal of Glaciology
印刷版ISSN：0022-1430
电子版ISSN：1727-5652
出版年度：2001
卷号：47
期号：159
页码：659-664
DOI：10.3189/172756501781831837
出版社：Cambridge University Press
摘要：Glacier response to climate can be characterized by a single time-scale when the glacier changes sufficiently slowly. Then the derivative of volume with respect to area defines a thickness scale similar to that of Jóhannesson and others, and the time-scale follows from it. Our version of the time-scale is different from theirs because it explicitly includes the effect of surface elevation on mass-balance rate, which can cause a major increase in the time-scale or even lead to unstable response. The time constant has a dual role, controlling both the rate and magnitude of response to a given climate change. Data from South Cascade Glacier, Washington, U.S.A., illustrate the ideas, some of the difficulty in obtaining accurate values for the thickness and time-scales, and the susceptibility of all response models to potentially large errors.