Changes in surface mass balance and summer temperature from 1961–1990 to 1991–2020 for 37 glaciers with long records

Abstract

Recent satellite measurements of glacier mass balance show mountain glaciers all over the world had generally negative mass balances in the first decades of the 21st century. We analyse archived data for surface mass balance and summer temperature for 37 Northern Hemisphere glaciers with data for 1961–2020. We compare mean annual balances for 1961–90 and 1991–2020, and for 25 glaciers explain the changes in annual balance by changes in winter and summer balances. Mean balances 1961–90 were already substantially negative for 19 out of the 25 glaciers. Changes in winter balances from 1961–90 to 1991–2020 average close to zero but changes in summer balance are strongly negative. Mean balance 1991–2020 is strongly correlated with change in summer balance, weakly correlated with winter balance change, and strongly correlated with mean balance 1961–90. We estimate 1991–2020 summer temperature anomalies for the 37 glaciers and confirm that summer temperature anomalies for 1991–2020 were higher for the Alps, by nearly 1.5°C, than for other areas. Substantial variations in the temperature – sensitivity of summer balances for individual glaciers of −0.2 to −1.0 m w.e. a−1 °C−1 deserve further study.