Little Ice Age glacier extension and retreat in Spitsbergen Island (High Arctic, Svalbard Archipelago)

Raúl Martín-Moreno; Fernando Allende-Álvarez

doi:10.18172/cig.2919

Autores/as

Raúl Martín-Moreno Department of Specific Didactics Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Fernando Allende-Álvarez Department of Geography Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.2919

Palabras clave:

retroceso glaciar, fotointerpretación, SIG, Pequeña Edad del Hielo, Spitsbergen

Resumen

El alcance de la Pequeña Edad del Hielo (PEH) en los glaciares de Spitsbergen ha sido bien documentada desde antiguo por numerosas investigaciones. El presente artículo estudia, cuantifica, y presenta nuevos datos sobre la extensión máxima y retroceso glaciar desde la Pequeña Edad del Hielo a partir del uso de fotointerpretación y herramientas de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG). También elabora cartografía donde se reflejan los resultados obtenidos. Durante el máximo de la Pequeña Edad del Hielo los glaciares cubrieron un 7,34% más de superficie de la isla de Spitsbergen. Tras la Pequeña Edad del Hielo, la pérdida glaciar total fue de un 13,84%, lo que significan 2769,8 Km2 sobre los 20.008,7 Km2totales que perduran en la actualidad. Se ha analizado el máximo de la Pequeña Edad del Hielo en las mayores cuencas de drenaje, lo que ha arojado importantes diferencias entre ellas: desde hace poco más de 100 años algunas cuencas han perdido un 24% (como la localizada en la región central y oeste de Spitsbergen), mientras que otras solo han retrocedido un 5% (en las regiones noreste de la isla). Los mayores retrocesos del hielo se dan en los glaciares de marea que terminan en el mar, lo que se explica por diferentes motivos: los lechos subglaciares de los frentes se encuentran bajo el nivel del mar, la intensa ablación de los procesos de calving o producción de icebergs, el hecho que los frentes de este tipo de glaciares son poco potentes y templados (lo que les hace más dinámicos, pero más vulnerables ante los cambios climáticos), y que los mayores avances glaciares corresponderían con surges u oleadas glaciares. Los resultados de la investigación señalan la importante pérdida de hielo en la totalidad de la isla de Spitsbergen desde el máximo de la Pequeña Edad del Hielo, y prueban la elevada vulnerabilidad de este archipiélago ártico ante el calentamiento global.

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