King George Island glacier dynamics: glacial discharge measurements at station CPE-KG-62°S (2002-2010)

One of the areas on Earth where more significant effects of the Global Warming are being found is the area of the Peninsular and Insular Antarctic, between latitudes 62° - 63° S. And in this part we have located one of the register stations of glacier discharge within the GLACKMA Project, the one called CPE-KG-62°S, in the Collins icecap in the King George Island. The time series of glacier discharge obtained during these last years shows that differential aspects in the habit of its annual hydrograph are beginning to become evident.

The glacier is losing characteristics typical of subpolar glaciers and beginning to show some more typical of temperate glaciers. In addition, with the generated time series of glacier discharge, it has been possible to register how the discharge wave begins earlier every year and ending later, increasing therefore the number of days that the discharge lasts every year. Discharged volume also increases in a significant way.