scholarly journals Mass balance and area changes of glaciers in the Cordillera Real and Tres Cruces, Bolivia, between 2000 and 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (255) ◽  
pp. 124-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Seehaus ◽  
Philipp Malz ◽  
Christian Sommer ◽  
Alvaro Soruco ◽  
Antoine Rabatel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Mass Budget ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Cordillera Real

AbstractClimate change has led to a significant shrinkage of glaciers in the Tropical Andes during the last decades. Recent multi-temporal quantifications of ice mass loss at mountain range to regional scale are missing. However, this is fundamental information for future water resource planning and glacier change projections. In this study, we measure temporally consistent glacier area changes and geodetic mass balances throughout the Bolivian Cordillera Real and Tres Cruces based on multi-sensor remote-sensing data. By analyzing multi-spectral satellite images and interferometric SAR data, a glacier recession of 81 ± 18 km2 (29%; 5.1 ± 1.1 km2 a−1), a geodetic mass balance of −403 ± 78 kg m−2 a−1 and a total ice mass loss of 1.8 ± 0.5 Gt is derived for 2000–2016. In the period 2013–2016, ice mass loss was 21% above the average rate. A retreat rate of 15 ± 5 km2 a−1 and a mass budget of −487 ± 349 kg m−2 a−1 are found in this more recent period. These higher change rates can be attributed to the strong El Niño event in 2015/16. The analyses of individual glacier changes and topographic variables confirmed the dependency of the mass budget and glacier recession on glacier aspect and median elevation.

scholarly journals Decay of a long-term monitored glacier: Careser Glacier (Ortles-Cevedale, European Alps)

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1819-1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Carturan ◽  
C. Baroni ◽  
M. Becker ◽  
A. Bellin ◽  
O. Cainelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Systematic Observation ◽  
Average Mass ◽  
Observation Series ◽  
The 19Th Century

Abstract. The continuation of valuable, long-term glacier observation series is threatened by the accelerated mass loss which currently affects a large portion of so-called "benchmark" glaciers. In this work we present the evolution of the Careser Glacier, from the beginning of systematic observation at the end of the 19th century to its current condition in 2012. In addition to having one of the longest and richest observation records among the Italian glaciers, Careser is unique in the Italian Alps for its 46 yr mass balance series that started in 1967. In the present study, variations in the length, area and volume of the glacier since 1897 are examined, updating and validating the series of direct mass balance observations and adding to the mass balance record into the past using the geodetic method. The glacier is currently strongly out of balance and in rapid decay; its average mass loss rate over the last 3 decades was 1.5 m water equivalent per year, increasing to 2.0 m water equivalent per year in the last decade. Although these rates are not representative at a regional scale, year-to-year variations in mass balance show an unexpected increase in correlation with other glaciers in the Alps, during the last 3 decades. If mass loss continues at this pace, the glacier will disappear within a few decades, putting an end to this unique observation series.

scholarly journals Glacial lakes exacerbate Himalayan glacier mass loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen King ◽  
Atanu Bhattacharya ◽  
Rakesh Bhambri ◽  
Tobias Bolch
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Glacial Lakes ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Minor Portion ◽  
A Minor ◽  
The Himalaya

AbstractHeterogeneous glacier mass loss has occurred across High Mountain Asia on a multi-decadal timescale. Contrasting climatic settings influence glacier behaviour at the regional scale, but high intra-regional variability in mass loss rates points to factors capable of amplifying glacier recession in addition to climatic change along the Himalaya. Here we examine the influence of surface debris cover and glacial lakes on glacier mass loss across the Himalaya since the 1970s. We find no substantial difference in the mass loss of debris-covered and clean-ice glaciers over our study period, but substantially more negative (−0.13 to −0.29 m w.e.a−1) mass balances for lake-terminating glaciers, in comparison to land-terminating glaciers, with the largest differences occurring after 2000. Despite representing a minor portion of the total glacier population (~10%), the recession of lake-terminating glaciers accounted for up to 32% of mass loss in different sub-regions. The continued expansion of established glacial lakes, and the preconditioning of land-terminating glaciers for new lake development increases the likelihood of enhanced ice mass loss from the region in coming decades; a scenario not currently considered in regional ice mass loss projections.

scholarly journals Spatial variability in mass loss of glaciers in the Everest region, central Himalayas, between 2000 and 2015

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 407-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen King ◽  
Duncan J. Quincey ◽  
Jonathan L. Carrivick ◽  
Ann V. Rowan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Mass Change ◽  
Central Himalayas ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. Region-wide averaging of Himalayan glacier mass change has masked any catchment or glacier-scale variability in glacier recession; thus the role of a number of glaciological processes in glacier wastage remains poorly understood. In this study, we quantify mass loss rates over the period 2000–2015 for 32 glaciers across the Everest region and assess how future ice loss is likely to differ depending on glacier hypsometry. The mean mass balance of all 32 glaciers in our sample was −0.52 ± 0.22 m water equivalent (w.e.) a−1. The mean mass balance of nine lacustrine-terminating glaciers (−0.70 ± 0.26 m w.e. a−1) was 32 % more negative than land-terminating, debris-covered glaciers (−0.53 ± 0.21 m w.e. a−1). The mass balance of lacustrine-terminating glaciers is highly variable (−0.45 ± 0.13 to −0.91 ± 0.22 m w.e. a−1), perhaps reflecting glacial lakes at different stages of development. To assess the importance of hypsometry on glacier response to future temperature increases, we calculated current (Dudh Koshi – 0.41, Tama Koshi – 0.43, Pumqu – 0.37) and prospective future glacier accumulation area Ratios (AARs). IPCC AR5 RCP 4.5 warming (0.9–2.3 °C by 2100) could reduce AARs to 0.29 or 0.08 in the Tama Koshi catchment, 0.27 or 0.17 in the Dudh Koshi catchment and 0.29 or 0.18 in the Pumqu catchment. Our results suggest that glacial lake expansion across the Himalayas could expedite ice mass loss and the prediction of future contributions of glacial meltwater to river flow will be complicated by spatially variable glacier responses to climate change.

scholarly journals Using remote-sensing data to determine equilibrium-line altitude and mass-balance time series: validation on three French glaciers, 1994–2002

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (175) ◽  
pp. 539-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Rabatel ◽  
Jean-Pierre Dedieu ◽  
Christian Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Equilibrium Line ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Sensing Data

AbstractAlpine glaciers are very sensitive to climate fluctuations, and their mass balance can be used as an indicator of regional-scale climate change. Here, we present a method to calculate glacier mass balance using remote-sensing data. Snowline measurements from remotely sensed images recorded at the end of the hydrological year provide an effective proxy of the equilibrium line. Mass balance can be deduced from the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) variations. Three well-documented glaciers in the French Alps, where the mass balance is measured at ground level with a stake network, were selected to assess the accuracy of the method over the 1994–2002 period (eight mass-balance cycles). Results obtained by ground measurements and remote sensing are compared and show excellent correlation (r2 > 0.89), both for the ELA and for the mass balance, indicating that the remote-sensing method can be applied to glaciers where no ground data exist, on the scale of a mountain range or a given climatic area. The main differences can be attributed to discrepancies between the dates of image acquisition and field measurements. Cloud cover and recent snowfalls constitute the main restrictions of the image-based method.

scholarly journals Placing Greenland ice sheet ablation measurements in a multi-decadal context

1969 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 71-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Van As ◽  
Robert S. Fausto ◽  
John Cappelen ◽  
Roderik S.W.l Van de Wa ◽  
Roger J. Braithwaite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Mass Budget ◽  
Sheet Surface ◽  
Dynamic Mass ◽  
Loss Mechanisms

In recent years, the Greenland ice sheet has been losing mass at an average rate of 262 ± 21 Gt yr–1 (2007–2011; Andersen et al. 2015). Part of this mass loss was due to increases in melt, reducing the surface mass budget (Enderlin et al. 2014). Also, the acceleration of many marine-terminating outlet glaciers increased the dynamic mass loss (Rignot et al. 2008). Both mass-loss mechanisms are linked to recent increases in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures (Dutton et al. 2015). For instance, in summer 2012 Greenland experienced exceptionally warm atmospheric conditions, causing nearly the entire ice-sheet surface to melt for two periods of several days (Nghiem et al. 2012) and contributing to the largest annual ice-sheet mass loss on record (Khan et al. 2015). This is in contrast to a return to more average conditions in 2015 (Tedesco et al. in press).

scholarly journals Present and future states of Himalaya and Karakoram glaciers

2011 ◽  
Vol 52 (59) ◽  
pp. 69-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Graham Cogley
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Total Mass ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Scaling Relation ◽  
Glacier Inventory ◽  
Constant Rate ◽  
Mountain Development ◽  
The Himalaya

AbstractA complete glacier inventory of the Himalaya and Karakoram (H-K) has been created by merging records from the Chinese Glacier Inventory, several regional inventories produced by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Kathmandu, Nepal, and partial inventories from the Geological Survey of India. The only remaining gap, the Indian part of Kashmir, has been filled by a reconnaissance inventory based on Soviet military maps at 1 : 200 000 scale representing the late 1970s. It contains records for 3526 glaciers covering 9584 km2. The new H-K inventory contains records and outlines for 20 812 glaciers covering 43 178 km2. The extent of ice in the Karakoram is slightly less than in the Himalaya, but the Karakoram glaciers are on average twice as thick (~160m as against ~80 m). A glacier-by-glacier analysis, relying on estimates of mass balance for the entire mountain range and on an extension of the often-used volume–area scaling relation, suggests that up to about one-fifth of the glaciers present in 1985 may have disappeared already. If mass loss were to remain constant at the average rate for 1975–2008, from 3000 to 13 000 more glaciers might disappear by 2035. If mass loss were to continue to accelerate as inferred for 1985–2008, only a few thousand to a few hundred glaciers might remain in 2035. Total area and total mass would each decrease by about one-half (constant-rate assumption) or three-quarters (constant-trend assumption). These projections, which are uncertain and neglect some possibly important mitigating controls, such as variable extents of debris cover and the feedback due to retreat to higher elevations, demonstrate the need for more complete analyses to inform public perceptions of, and policy decisions relating to, the health of H-K glaciers.

scholarly journals Slight glacier mass loss in the Karakoram region during the 1970s to 2000 revealed by KH-9 images and SRTM DEM

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (238) ◽  
pp. 331-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUSHAN ZHOU ◽  
ZHIWEI LI ◽  
JIA LI
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Change ◽  
Srtm Dem ◽  
Global Average

ABSTRACTAn anomalously slight glacier mass gain during 2000 to the 2010s has recently been reported in the Karakoram region. However, to date, no investigations of the region-wide glacier mass balance in the Karakoram prior to 2000 have been reported, leaving a knowledge gap for assessing glacier responses to climate change. We calculated elevation and mass change using DEMs generated from KH-9 images acquired during 1973–1980 and the 1 arc-second SRTM DEM. We find a slight mass loss of −0.09 ± 0.03 m w.e. a−1 (12 366 km2) for 1973–2000, which is less negative than the global average rate for 1971–2009 (−0.31 ± 0.19 m w.e. a−1). Within the Karakoram, the glacier change patterns are spatially and temporally heterogeneous. In particular, a nearly stable state in the central Karakoram (−0.04 ± 0.05 m w.e. a−1 during the period 1974–2000) implies that the Karakoram anomaly dates back to the 1970s. Combined with the previous studies, we conclude that the Karakoram glaciers as a whole were in a nearly balanced state during the 1970s to the 2010s.

scholarly journals Glacier Surface Mass Balance in the Suntar-Khayata Mountains, Northeastern Siberia

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Zongli Jiang ◽  
Junfeng Wei ◽  
Hiroyuki Enomoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Negative Mass ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Northeastern Siberia ◽  
Response To Temperature ◽  
Rapid Mass

Arctic glaciers comprise a small fraction of the world’s land ice area, but their ongoing mass loss currently represents a large cryospheric contribution to the sea level rise. In the Suntar-Khayata Mountains (SKMs) of northeastern Siberia, in situ measurements of glacier surface mass balance (SMB) are relatively sparse, limiting our understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of regional mass loss. Here, we present SMB time series for all glaciers in the SKMs, estimated through a glacier SMB model. Our results yielded an average SMB of −0.22 m water equivalents (w.e.) year−1 for the whole region during 1951–2011. We found that 77.4% of these glaciers had a negative mass balance and detected slightly negative mass balance prior to 1991 and significantly rapid mass loss since 1991. The analysis suggests that the rapidly accelerating mass loss was dominated by increased surface melting, while the importance of refreezing in the SMB progressively decreased over time. Projections under two future climate scenarios confirmed the sustained rapid shrinkage of these glaciers. In response to temperature rise, the total present glacier area is likely to decrease by around 50% during the period 2071–2100 under representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5).

scholarly journals Role of glaciers in watershed hydrology: a preliminary study of a "Himalayan catchment"

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Thayyen ◽  
J. T. Gergan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Flow Response ◽  
Sustainable Water Resources Management ◽  
South West Monsoon

Abstract. A large number of Himalayan glacier catchments are under the influence of humid climate with snowfall in winter (November–April) and south-west monsoon in summer (June–September) dominating the regional hydrology. Such catchments are defined as "Himalayan catchment", where the glacier meltwater contributes to the river flow during the period of annual high flows produced by the monsoon. The winter snow dominated Alpine catchments of the Kashmir and Karakoram region and cold-arid regions of the Ladakh mountain range are the other major glacio-hydrological regimes identified in the region. Factors influencing the river flow variations in a "Himalayan catchment" were studied in a micro-scale glacier catchment in the Garhwal Himalaya, covering an area of 77.8 km2. Three hydrometric stations were established at different altitudes along the Din Gad stream and discharge was monitored during the summer ablation period from 1998 to 2004, with an exception in 2002. These data have been analysed along with winter/summer precipitation, temperature and mass balance data of the Dokriani glacier to study the role of glacier and precipitation in determining runoff variations along the stream continuum from the glacier snout to 2360 m a.s.l. The study shows that the inter-annual runoff variation in a "Himalayan catchment" is linked with precipitation rather than mass balance changes of the glacier. This study also indicates that the warming induced an initial increase of glacier runoff and subsequent decline as suggested by the IPCC (2007) is restricted to the glacier degradation-derived component in a precipitation dominant Himalayan catchment and cannot be translated as river flow response. The preliminary assessment suggests that the "Himalayan catchment" could experience higher river flows and positive glacier mass balance regime together in association with strong monsoon. The important role of glaciers in this precipitation dominant system is to augment stream runoff during the years of low summer discharge. This paper intends to highlight the importance of creating credible knowledge on the Himalayan cryospheric processes to develop a more representative global view on river flow response to cryospheric changes and locally sustainable water resources management strategies.

scholarly journals Monitoring southwest Greenland’s ice sheet melt with ambient seismic noise

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. e1501538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélien Mordret ◽  
T. Dylan Mikesell ◽  
Christopher Harig ◽  
Bradley P. Lipovsky ◽  
Germán A. Prieto
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Seismic Noise ◽  
Seismic Velocity ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Ice Sheet Mass Balance ◽  
Velocity Changes

The Greenland ice sheet presently accounts for ~70% of global ice sheet mass loss. Because this mass loss is associated with sea-level rise at a rate of 0.7 mm/year, the development of improved monitoring techniques to observe ongoing changes in ice sheet mass balance is of paramount concern. Spaceborne mass balance techniques are commonly used; however, they are inadequate for many purposes because of their low spatial and/or temporal resolution. We demonstrate that small variations in seismic wave speed in Earth’s crust, as measured with the correlation of seismic noise, may be used to infer seasonal ice sheet mass balance. Seasonal loading and unloading of glacial mass induces strain in the crust, and these strains then result in seismic velocity changes due to poroelastic processes. Our method provides a new and independent way of monitoring (in near real time) ice sheet mass balance, yielding new constraints on ice sheet evolution and its contribution to global sea-level changes. An increased number of seismic stations in the vicinity of ice sheets will enhance our ability to create detailed space-time records of ice mass variations.

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