Articles | Volume 17, issue 7 
            
                
                    
            
            
            https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2941-2023
                    © Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2941-2023
                    © Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under 
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
                the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Meltwater runoff and glacier mass balance in the high Arctic: 1991–2022 simulations for Svalbard
Louise Steffensen Schmidt
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
                                            
                                    
                                            Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
                                        
                                    Thomas Vikhamar Schuler
                                            Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
                                        
                                    Erin Emily Thomas
                                            Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Oslo, Norway
                                        
                                    
                                            currently at: Fluid Dynamics and Solid Mechanics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
                                        
                                    Sebastian Westermann
                                            Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
                                        
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                            Cited
16 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The role of large-scale atmospheric patterns for recent warming periods in Greenland from 1900–2015 F. Schalamon et al. 10.5194/wcd-6-1075-2025
 - The climatic mass balance of glaciers on Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, 1991–2022 L. Schmidt et al. 10.1017/jog.2024.97
 - Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers A. Spolaor et al. 10.5194/tc-18-307-2024
 - Witnessing the transition from cold to temperate firn on Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard, through observations and model simulations S. Innanen et al. 10.1017/jog.2025.10072
 - Seasonal changes in the viability and abundance of bacterial cells in the snowpack ecosystem of a High Arctic ice cap A. Dayal et al. 10.1080/15230430.2024.2407711
 - Glacier internal structure revealed by automatic image processing-powered classification of radar images K. Kachniarz et al. 10.1007/s12518-025-00635-5
 - Mechanisms of warm-water intrusions onto the West Spitsbergen Shelf during winter L. Frank et al. 10.5194/os-21-2419-2025
 - Ocean warming drives immediate mass loss from calving glaciers in the high Arctic Ø. Foss et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-54825-7
 - Svalbard’s 2024 record summer: An early view of Arctic glacier meltdown? T. Schuler et al. 10.1073/pnas.2503806122
 - An agenda for the future of Arctic snow research: the view from Svalbard C. Zdanowicz et al. 10.33265/polar.v42.8827
 - Run-off impacts on Arctic kelp holobionts have strong implications on ecosystem functioning and bioeconomy S. Niedzwiedz et al. 10.1038/s41598-024-82287-w
 - Resolving the climate-controlled hydrological regime in a model permafrost catchment for future management strategies Ł. Stachnik et al. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125189
 - High temporal resolution records of the velocity of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in Svalbard M. Błaszczyk et al. 10.5194/essd-16-1847-2024
 - Multi-scale variations of subglacial hydro-mechanical conditions at Kongsvegen glacier, Svalbard C. Bouchayer et al. 10.5194/tc-18-2939-2024
 - Pervasive glacier retreats across Svalbard from 1985 to 2023 T. Li et al. 10.1038/s41467-025-55948-1
 - Winter snow accumulation variability and evaluation of reanalysis data over A.P. Olsen Ice Cap, Northeast Greenland A. Rutishauser et al. 10.1017/jog.2025.10080
 
16 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The role of large-scale atmospheric patterns for recent warming periods in Greenland from 1900–2015 F. Schalamon et al. 10.5194/wcd-6-1075-2025
 - The climatic mass balance of glaciers on Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, 1991–2022 L. Schmidt et al. 10.1017/jog.2024.97
 - Climate change is rapidly deteriorating the climatic signal in Svalbard glaciers A. Spolaor et al. 10.5194/tc-18-307-2024
 - Witnessing the transition from cold to temperate firn on Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard, through observations and model simulations S. Innanen et al. 10.1017/jog.2025.10072
 - Seasonal changes in the viability and abundance of bacterial cells in the snowpack ecosystem of a High Arctic ice cap A. Dayal et al. 10.1080/15230430.2024.2407711
 - Glacier internal structure revealed by automatic image processing-powered classification of radar images K. Kachniarz et al. 10.1007/s12518-025-00635-5
 - Mechanisms of warm-water intrusions onto the West Spitsbergen Shelf during winter L. Frank et al. 10.5194/os-21-2419-2025
 - Ocean warming drives immediate mass loss from calving glaciers in the high Arctic Ø. Foss et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-54825-7
 - Svalbard’s 2024 record summer: An early view of Arctic glacier meltdown? T. Schuler et al. 10.1073/pnas.2503806122
 - An agenda for the future of Arctic snow research: the view from Svalbard C. Zdanowicz et al. 10.33265/polar.v42.8827
 - Run-off impacts on Arctic kelp holobionts have strong implications on ecosystem functioning and bioeconomy S. Niedzwiedz et al. 10.1038/s41598-024-82287-w
 - Resolving the climate-controlled hydrological regime in a model permafrost catchment for future management strategies Ł. Stachnik et al. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125189
 - High temporal resolution records of the velocity of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in Svalbard M. Błaszczyk et al. 10.5194/essd-16-1847-2024
 - Multi-scale variations of subglacial hydro-mechanical conditions at Kongsvegen glacier, Svalbard C. Bouchayer et al. 10.5194/tc-18-2939-2024
 - Pervasive glacier retreats across Svalbard from 1985 to 2023 T. Li et al. 10.1038/s41467-025-55948-1
 - Winter snow accumulation variability and evaluation of reanalysis data over A.P. Olsen Ice Cap, Northeast Greenland A. Rutishauser et al. 10.1017/jog.2025.10080
 
Latest update: 03 Nov 2025
Short summary
            Here, we present high-resolution simulations of glacier mass balance (the gain and loss of ice over a year) and runoff on Svalbard from 1991–2022, one of the fastest warming regions in the Arctic. The simulations are created using the CryoGrid community model. We find a small overall loss of mass over the simulation period of −0.08 m yr−1 but with no statistically significant trend. The average runoff was found to be 41 Gt yr−1, with a significant increasing trend of 6.3 Gt per decade.
            Here, we present high-resolution simulations of glacier mass balance (the gain and loss of ice...