Record shrinkage of Swedish glaciers
The four Swedish reference glaciers continue to shrink. The results of the annual measurements of the glaciers' mass balance show that Storglaciären, Rabots Glacier, Rivgojiehhki, and Moarhmmáglaciären have shrinked significantly. These are the largest losses since systematic measurements began.
In September, staff at Stockholm University's research station in Tarfala conducted the annual final measurements of the so-called mass balance* of Sweden's four reference glaciers. The measurements check both the winter balance, which is determined at the end of winter and accounts for the glaciers' growth in the form of snow and ice, and the summer balance, which captures the glaciers' melting during the summer. The summation of these "incomes" and "losses" gives the final net mass balance. This is also reported to the World Glacier Monitoring Service in Switzerland, where data for approximately 50 reference glaciers worldwide is collected.
"The new measurements show that both the net mass balance and the summer mass balance for all four Swedish reference glaciers were record negative for the balance year 2023/2024. "We have measured the largest mass losses since systematic glacier observations on Sweden's reference glaciers began. This year, Storglaciären's mass loss amounts to just over 8,400 tons, equivalent to a water layer 2.85 meters thick that would spread over the entire glacier," says Nina Kirchner, professor of glaciology and head of the Tarfala Research Station.
Compared to the average melting over the past decade, the mass loss on Storglaciären this year has increased fivefold and is also more than three times greater than the previous year. The situation is similar for Rabots Glacier, which this year lost just over 9,450 tons of ice, surpassing the glacier's previously largest recorded mass loss of just over 7,100 tons in 2011. Rivgojiehhki and Moarhmmáglaciären lost just over 9,000 tons and 8,200 tons, respectively, during the balance year 2023/2024, representing an increase in loss of more than 50 percent for both glaciers compared to their previous largest losses.
Risk of glaciers disappearing in the near future
The measurements also show that Rabots Glacier and Rivgojiekki, for the second consecutive year, have lost their so-called accumulation area, which is the part of the glacier where snow accumulates and transforms into ice. This loss indicates a concerning trend, as it suggests that these glaciers are not only melting but are also unable to replenish their mass through snowfall.
“Measurements were particularly challenging this year due to large open crevasse areas on all reference glaciers. Additionally, there were a significant number of new moulins that create almost vertical connections between the glacier surface and the underlying rock where meltwater rushes down. The moulins have developed in much larger and more dynamic extents in recent years than we have seen before; some moulins have this year become large enough to swallow a snowmobile with a sled, and some of them even a car,” says Johanna Dahlkvist, technical and field operations manager at the Tarfala Research Station.
The mass balance for Storglaciären has been measured since the 1940s. The other three glaciers have been measured since the 1980s.
Read more about Tarfala Research Station
Watch film on Tarfala Research Station and melting glaciers
*Mass balance calculations for a glacier can be compared to a bank account where income (here: snow that accumulates on the glacier during winter and eventually turns into glacial ice) and losses (here: snow and glacial ice that melt during summer) are added together to either yield a positive balance (the glacier grows because income is greater than losses) or a negative balance (the glacier shrinks because income is less than losses).
Last updated: October 4, 2024
Source: Communications Office