scholarly journals Hot spots of glacier mass balance variability in Central Asia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barandun ◽  
Eric Pohl ◽  
Kathrin Naegeli ◽  
Robert McNabb ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance

scholarly journals Re-establishing glacier monitoring in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hoelzle ◽  
Erlan Azisov ◽  
Martina Barandun ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
Daniel Farinotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Monitoring Strategy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Glacier mass loss is among the clearest indicators of atmospheric warming. The observation of these changes is one of the major objectives of the international climate monitoring strategy developed by the Global Climate Observing System. Long-term glacier mass balance measurements are furthermore the basis to calibrate and validate models simulating future runoff of glacierized catchments. This is essential for Central Asia, which is one of the driest continental regions of the northern hemisphere. In the highly populated regions, water shortage due to decreased glacierization potentially leads to pronounced political instability, drastic ecological changes, and endangered food security. As a consequence of the collapse of the former Soviet Union, however, many valuable glacier monitoring sites in the Tien Shan and Pamirs were abandoned. In recent years, multinational actors have re-established a set of important in-situ measuring sites to continue the invaluable longterm data series. This paper introduces the applied monitoring strategy for selected glaciers in the Kyrgyz and Uzbek Tien Shan and Pamir, highlights the existing and the new measurements on these glaciers and presents an example for how the old and new data can be combined to establish multidecadal mass balance time series. This is crucial for understanding the impact of climate change on glaciers in this region.

scholarly journals Re-establishing glacier monitoring in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Central Asia

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 397-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hoelzle ◽  
Erlan Azisov ◽  
Martina Barandun ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
Daniel Farinotti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Monitoring Strategy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Glacier mass loss is among the clearest indicators of atmospheric warming. The observation of these changes is one of the major objectives of the international climate monitoring strategy developed by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Long-term glacier mass balance measurements are furthermore the basis for calibrating and validating models simulating future runoff of glacierised catchments. This is essential for Central Asia, which is one of the driest continental regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In the highly populated regions, water shortage due to decreased glacierisation potentially leads to pronounced political instability, drastic ecological changes and endangered food security. As a consequence of the collapse of the former Soviet Union, however, many valuable glacier monitoring sites in the Tien Shan and Pamir Mountains were abandoned. In recent years, multinational actors have re-established a set of important in situ measuring sites to continue the invaluable long-term data series. This paper introduces the applied monitoring strategy for selected glaciers in the Kyrgyz and Uzbek Tien Shan and Pamir, highlights the existing and the new measurements on these glaciers, and presents an example for how the old and new data can be combined to establish multi-decadal mass balance time series. This is crucial for understanding the impact of climate change on glaciers in this region.

scholarly journals Mass Balance Sensitivity and Future Projections of Rabots Glaciär, Sweden

Climate ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Moon Taveirne ◽  
Laura Ekemar ◽  
Berta González Sánchez ◽  
Josefine Axelsson ◽  
Qiong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Climate Scenario ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Northern Sweden ◽  
Dramatic Decrease ◽  
Future Projections ◽  
Modelling Studies ◽  
The Relationship

Glacier mass balance is heavily influenced by climate, with responses of individual glaciers to various climate parameters varying greatly. In northern Sweden, Rabots Glaciär’s mass balance has decreased since it started being monitored in 1982. To relate Rabots Glaciär’s mass balance to changes in climate, the sensitivity to a range of parameters is computed. Through linear regression of mass balance with temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed and incoming radiation the climate sensitivity is established and projections for future summer mass balance are made. Summer mass balance is primarily sensitive to temperature at −0.31 m w.e. per °C change, while winter mass balance is mainly sensitive to precipitation at 0.94 m w.e. per % change. An estimate using summer temperature sensitivity projects a dramatic decrease in summer mass balance to −3.89 m w.e. for the 2091–2100 period under climate scenario RCP8.5. With large increases in temperature anticipated for the next century, more complex modelling studies of the relationship between climate and glacier mass balance is key to understanding the future development of Rabots Glaciär.

scholarly journals Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2361-2383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhai Xu ◽  
Zhongqin Li ◽  
Huilin Li ◽  
Feiteng Wang ◽  
Ping Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Mass Conversion ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

Abstract. The direct glaciological method provides in situ observations of annual or seasonal surface mass balance, but can only be implemented through a succession of intensive in situ measurements of field networks of stakes and snow pits. This has contributed to glacier surface mass-balance measurements being sparse and often discontinuous in the Tien Shan. Nevertheless, long-term glacier mass-balance measurements are the basis for understanding climate–glacier interactions and projecting future water availability for glacierized catchments in the Tien Shan. Riegl VZ®-6000 long-range terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), typically using class 3B laser beams, is exceptionally well suited for repeated glacier mapping, and thus determination of annual and seasonal geodetic mass balance. This paper introduces the applied TLS for monitoring summer and annual surface elevation and geodetic mass changes of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 as well as delineating accurate glacier boundaries for 2 consecutive mass-balance years (2015–2017), and discusses the potential of such technology in glaciological applications. Three-dimensional changes of ice and firn–snow bodies and the corresponding densities were considered for the volume-to-mass conversion. The glacier showed pronounced thinning and mass loss for the four investigated periods; glacier-wide geodetic mass balance in the mass-balance year 2015–2016 was slightly more negative than in 2016–2017. Statistical comparison shows that agreement between the glaciological and geodetic mass balances can be considered satisfactory, indicating that the TLS system yields accurate results and has the potential to monitor remote and inaccessible glacier areas where no glaciological measurements are available as the vertical velocity component of the glacier is negligible. For wide applications of the TLS in glaciology, we should use stable scan positions and in-situ-measured densities of snow–firn to establish volume-to-mass conversion.

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.

Application of the Alpine 3D model for glacier mass balance and glacier runoff studies at Goldbergkees, Austria

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (19) ◽  
pp. 3941-3949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gernot Michlmayr ◽  
Michael Lehning ◽  
Gernot Koboltschnig ◽  
Hubert Holzmann ◽  
Massimiliano Zappa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Runoff

scholarly journals First in situ record of decadal glacier mass balance (2003–2014) from the Bhutan Himalaya

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (71) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuntsho Tshering ◽  
Koji Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Differential Gps ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
The Past ◽  
Southeastern Tibet

AbstractThis study presents the first decadal mass-balance record of a small debris-free glacier in the Bhutan Himalaya, where few in situ measurements have been reported to date. Since 2003 we have measured the mass balance of Gangju La glacier, which covers an area of 0.3km2 and extends from 4900 to 5200ma.s.l., using both differential GPS surveys (geodetic method) and stake measurements (direct method). The observed mass balance ranged from –1.12 to –2.04mw.e. a–1 between 2003 and 2014. The glacier exhibited much greater mass loss than neighbouring glaciers in the eastern Himalaya and southeastern Tibet, which are expected to be sensitive to climate change due to the monsooninfluenced humid climate. Observed mass-balance profiles suggest that the equilibrium-line altitude has been higher than Gangju La glacier since 2003, implying that the entire glacier has experienced net ablation for at least the past decade.

scholarly journals The climatic mass balance of Svalbard glaciers: a 10-year simulation with a coupled atmosphere–glacier mass balance model

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1089-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kjetil S. Aas ◽  
Thorben Dunse ◽  
Emily Collier ◽  
Thomas V. Schuler ◽  
Terje K. Berntsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Grid Spacing ◽  
Satellite Measurements ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
A Site

Abstract. In this study we simulate the climatic mass balance of Svalbard glaciers with a coupled atmosphere–glacier model with 3 km grid spacing, from September 2003 to September 2013. We find a mean specific net mass balance of −257 mm w.e. yr−1, corresponding to a mean annual mass loss of about 8.7 Gt, with large interannual variability. Our results are compared with a comprehensive set of mass balance, meteorological, and satellite measurements. Model temperature biases of 0.19 and −1.9 °C are found at two glacier automatic weather station sites. Simulated climatic mass balance is mostly within about 100 mm w.e. yr−1 of stake measurements, and simulated winter accumulation at the Austfonna ice cap shows mean absolute errors of 47 and 67 mm w.e. yr−1 when compared to radar-derived values for the selected years 2004 and 2006. Comparison of modeled surface height changes from 2003 to 2008, and satellite altimetry reveals good agreement in both mean values and regional differences. The largest deviations from observations are found for winter accumulation at Hansbreen (up to around 1000 mm w.e. yr−1), a site where sub-grid topography and wind redistribution of snow are important factors. Comparison with simulations using 9 km grid spacing reveal considerable differences on regional and local scales. In addition, 3 km grid spacing allows for a much more detailed comparison with observations than what is possible with 9 km grid spacing. Further decreasing the grid spacing to 1 km appears to be less significant, although in general precipitation amounts increase with resolution. Altogether, the model compares well with observations and offers possibilities for studying glacier climatic mass balance on Svalbard both historically as well as based on climate projections.

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