Surges in Three Svalbard Glaciers Derived from Historic Sources and Geomorphic Features

Surge-type glaciers in Svalbard are common and have been studied extensively. Whereas active phases of surges were observed and thoroughly investigated recently, data on surges in the past are limited. They are essential, however, to assess the duration of the surge cycle, to determine relation to climatic impulses, and to better understand triggering factors and the mechanism of this phenomenon. Three glaciers located in Recherchefjorden, NW Wedel Jarlsberg Land (Svalbard) were studied because they undergo the same regional climate conditions but differ by the basin’s size and morphology front types. The article employed different types of data, including geomorphological records, cartographic, graphic, and bibliographic sources. These sources permitted the determination of the location of the termini of glaciers and the quantitative and qualitative description of the rate of changes determined with computer analysis and statistical compilation. Such analysis of other data sources enabled the reconstruction of glaciers’ behavior in the past. Glacier surges in the study area correspond with this type of phenomenon in Svalbard. The results obtained showed a certain synchronization of surges in the 1820s and 1830s, the 1880s, the first half of the twentieth century, and particularly the last decade.