Surface energy and mass balance variations near the equilibrium line altitude on Qaanaaq Ice Cap, northwestern Greenland, 2012–2022

Rapid warming of the Arctic has accelerated the mass loss of snow and ice.The glacier equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is a suitable location for monitoring the surface energy balance (SEB) and surface mass balance (SMB).This study presents SEB and SMB variations during 2012-2022 around the ELA on the Qaanaaq Ice Cap in northwest Greenland.The SMB was analyzed using SEB analysis and the surface height change method (SHM) with in situ meteorological data.Results revealed that the most significant surface melt occurred in the summers of 2019 (1058 and 1191 mm w.e. a -1 ) and 2015 (974 and 731 mm w.e. a -1 ), for the SEB and SHM, respectively.Additionally, the primary energy contributing to the surface melt in 2014/15 was net shortwave radiation caused by snow/ice albedo feedback, whereas in 2018/19, it was not only shortwave radiation but also increased downward longwave radiation from warm cloud cover.Furthermore, the cumulative SMB over the decade (2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022) is slightly positive, with a value of +0.26 and +0.28 m w.e., for the SEB and SHM, respectively.The results on the amplification of the SEB and SMB around the ELA provide valuable insights into monitoring environmental changes in the Arctic.