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Calculated patterns of accumulation on the Greenland ice sheet: comments on Mr S. J. Mock’s paper

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2017

A. Bauer*
Affiliation:
Centre d'Études Glaciologiques des Régions Arctiques et Antarctiques, Face au 22, Quai Carnot, 92–Saint–Cloud, France
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Abstract

Type
Correspondence
Copyright
Copyright © International Glaciological Society 1968

The Editor, Journal of Glaciology

Sir,

The method of analysing accumulation measurements employed by Reference MockMock (1967) resulted in a map with curves of equal accumulation for the Greenland ice sheet. This analytical method represents a considerable advance over previously available data (Reference BaderBader, 1961). Despite the legitimate reservations expressed by the author, I nevertheless suspect that such a map is intended for the determination of total accumulation for the accumulation zone of the ice sheet.

I have made such a calculation by measuring the areas of equal accumulation with a planimeter for the accumulation zone of the Greenland ice sheet,a zone which I have defined elsewhere (Reference BaderBauer, [1956], Reference Bauer1966). The map at my disposal was of small scale, so that my calculation only gives the order of magnitude. For an accumulation area of 1 471 800 km2, the sum of the partial accumulations is 480 km3 water equivalent; the mean accumulation deduced from this is 32 g cm−2, or somewhat smaller than the values assumed by other authors.

4 December 1967

References

Bader, H. 1961. The Greenland ice sheet. U.S. Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Cold regions science and engineering. Hanover, N.H., Pt. 1, Sect. B2.Google Scholar
Bauer, A. [1956] Contribution à la connaissance de l’inlandsis du Groenland. Deuxième partie: synthèse glaciologique. Union Géodésique et Géophysique Internationale. Association Internationale d’Hydrologie Scientifique. Assemblée générale de Rome 1954, Tom. 4, p. 27096.Google Scholar
Bauer, A. 1966. Le bilan de masse de l’indlandsis du Groenland n’est pas positif. Bulletin de l’Association Internationale d’Hydrologie Scientifique, 11e An., No. 4, p. 812.Google Scholar
Mock, S. J. 1967. Calculated patterns of accumulation on the Greenland ice sheet. Journal of Glaciology, Vol. 6, No. 48, p. 795803.CrossRefGoogle Scholar