Location
The rivers from the northern and eastern side of Svartisen were regulated in the 1990-ies for hydro power production by construction of a tunnel system partly underneath the glacier. The melt water from Engabreen is collected into this tunnel system at 620 m a.s.l. underneath 200 m of glacier ice in the ice fall. In connection with this intake a research station called Svartisen Subglacial Laboratory (read more) was established.
Glacier length change
Several teminal moraines are situated between Engabrevatnet and Holandsfjorden. During an advance in the eartly 1700-century the farm Storstenøren was destroyed (1723). The glacier probably reached its maximum extension during the 1700th century. Until 1896 the terminus had retreated approximately 500 m interrupted by several minor advances. Late in the 18th century Engabrevatnet started to appear. In 1903 regular length change observations was initiated. An advance culminated around 1910. Until 1931 the glacier retreated 100 meters, and the glacier tongue was thinning. During the next decade calving and rapid retreat resulted in the appearance of Engabrevatnet. In 1965 the glacier had its most retracted position. After that, the glacier has had three advances culminating in 1971, 1984 and 1999. After 1999 the glacier has retreated more than 200 metres. Read more about length change results here.
Mass balance
Mass balance measurements have been performed annually at Engabreen since 1970. The mean winter balance is 2.9 m w.e., while the mean summer balance is -2.3 m w.e. Mean net balance is +0.6 m w.e. In 1997 a maximum of 11 m of snow was measured at Engabreen, while the average snow depth on the glacier plataue is 6 – 8 metres. On the glacier tounge 10 - 15 m of ice melt every year.
Results from NVE’s mass balance measurements on Engabreen are published in the series ’Glaciological investigations in Norway’. A list of the reports since 1963 and information on ordering is available here.
GPS-antenna mounted on a stake drilled into the glacier. Black markers are used to identify stake positions in vertical aerial photographs.
Photo: Hallgeir Elvehøy
Glacier dynamics
Glacier movement is measured at stakes drilled into the glacier by repeated positioning using GPS. Calculated velocity varies from a few meters per year up to more than 200 m per year in the ice fall. Detailed displacement measurements using feature recognition in aerial photographs obtained a few weeks apart in summer revealed glacier velocities up to 1.3 m per day close to the centre line in the ice fall. The velocity decreased towards the margins and the terminus due to thinner ice leads to less internal ice deformation and basal sliding.
Literature
(also look at 'Publications' at Svartisen Subglacial Laboratory)
Andreassen, L.M., H. Elvehøy, B. Kjøllmoen, R.V. Engeset and N. Haakensen 2005. Glacier mass-balance and length variations in Norway. Annals of Glaciology, No. 42, s. 317-325.
Engeset, R. V., H. Elvehøy, L.M. Andreassen, N. Haakensen, B. Kjøllmoen, L.A. Roald & E. Roland 2000: Modelling of historic variations and future scenarios of the mass balance of Svartisen ice cap, northern Norway. Annals of Glaciology, No. 31, s. 97-103.
Geist, T., H. Elvehøy, M. Jackson & J. Stötter 2005: Investigations on intra-annual elevation changes using multitemporal airborne laser scanning data – case study Engabreen, Norway. Annals of Glaciology, No. 42, s. 195-201.
Jackson M., I.A. Brown and H. Elvehøy 2005: Velocity measurements on Engabreen, Norway. Annals of Glaciology, No. 42, s. 29-34.
Jansson P., J. Kohler and V.A. Pohjola 1996: Characteristics of Basal Ice at Engabreen, Northern Norway. Annals of Glaciology, No. 22, pp. 114-120. [NVE Meddelelse nr. 93]
Kjøllmoen, B. (red.), 2007: Glaciological investigations in Norway in 2006. NVE Report 1, 99 s.
Kohler, J., 1998: The effect of Subglacial Intakes on Ice Dynamics at Engabreen. NVE Rapport, 12, 47 s.
Schuler, T.V., R. Hock, M. Jackson, H. Elvehøy, M. Braun, I. Brown and J.-O. Hagen 2005. Distributed mass-balance and climate sensitivity modelling of Engabreen, Norway. Annals of Glaciology, No. 42, s. 395-401.
Sætrang:, A. 1988: Kartlegging av istykkelse på vestre Svartisen 1986. NVE Rapport, 3, 20 s.