Transcript Case study of a glacial Budget – the Obruchev Cirque

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Obruchev Glacier is located in the Polar Urals. It is a
typical temperate cirque glacier and it covers an area
of 0.3 km2. The glacier is 0.9 km long. The altitude is
ranging from 397 m (in 1981) to 650 m a.s.l. The
mean ELA is located at 520 m a.s.l. The glacier has a
maximum depth of 120 m. The velocity of the ice
movement is up to 6 m per year. Between 1960 and
1981 Institute of Geography of USSR Academy of
Sciences (now the Institute of Geography of the
Russian Academy of Sciences) carried out complex
glaciological investigations every year semistationary (summer). Most of them were early
measurements of winter and net (at the end of the
ablation season) mass balance using poles and snow
measuring probes.
Chart comparing the height of the
equilibrium line and annual balance, for the
eight of equilibrium line (m)
Obruchev Glacier, Russia
-200
600
550
500
y = -0.3634x + 524.57
450
R² = 0.814
400
-100
0
Net Balance (gr/cm2)
100
200
Net balance for the Obruchev glacier at
different heights
Net Balance
200
100
0
-100
-200
Height (m)
Net balance for the Obruchev glacier at different
heights
Net Balance
200
0
-200
Height (m)