scholarly journals Geodetic Mass Balances and Area Changes of Echaurren Norte Glacier (Central Andes, Chile) between 1955 and 2015

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 260 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Farías-Barahona ◽  
Sebastián Vivero ◽  
Gino Casassa ◽  
Marius Schaefer ◽  
Flavia Burger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Central Andes ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Negative Mass ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Monitoring Service

The Echaurren Norte Glacier is a reference glacier for the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) network and has the longest time series of glacier mass balance data in the Southern Hemisphere. The data has been obtained by the direct glaciological method since 1975. In this study, we calculated glacier area changes using satellite images and historical aerial photographs, as well as geodetic mass balances for different periods between 1955 and 2015 for the Echaurren Norte Glacier in the Central Andes of Chile. Over this period, this glacier lost 65% of its original area and disaggregated into two ice bodies in the late 1990s. The geodetic mass balances were calculated by differencing digital elevation models derived from several sources. The results indicated a mean cumulative glacier wide mass loss of −40.64 ± 5.19 m w.e. (−0.68 ± 0.09 m w.e. a−1). Within this overall downwasting trend, a positive mass balance of 0.54 ± 0.40 m w.e. a−1 was detected for the period 2000–2009. These estimates agree with the results obtained with the glaciological method during the same time span. Highly negative mass change rates were found from 2010 onwards, with −1.20 ± 0.09 m w.e. a−1 during an unprecedented drought in Central Andes of Chile. The observed area and the elevation changes indicate that the Echaurren Norte Glacier may disappear in the coming years if negative mass balance rates prevail.

scholarly journals Examining geodetic glacier mass balance in the eastern Pamir transition zone

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (260) ◽  
pp. 927-937
Author(s):  
Mingyang Lv ◽  
Duncan J. Quincey ◽  
Huadong Guo ◽  
Owen King ◽  
Guang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Statistical Difference ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Negative Mass ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Individual Scale

AbstractGlaciers in the eastern Pamir have reportedly been gaining mass during recent decades, even though glaciers in most other regions in High Mountain Asia have been in recession. Questions still remain about whether the trend is strengthening or weakening, and how far the positive balances extend into the eastern Pamir. To address these gaps, we use three different digital elevation models to reconstruct glacier surface elevation changes over two periods (2000–09 and 2000–15/16). We characterize the eastern Pamir as a zone of transition from positive to negative mass balance with the boundary lying at the northern end of Kongur Tagh, and find that glaciers situated at higher elevations are those with the most positive balances. Most (67% of 55) glaciers displayed a net mass gain since the 21st century. This led to an increasing regional geodetic glacier mass balance from −0.06 ± 0.16 m w.e. a−1 in 2000–09 to 0.06 ± 0.04 m w.e. a−1 in 2000–15/16. Surge-type glaciers, which are prevalent in the eastern Pamir, showed fluctuations in mass balance on an individual scale during and after surges, but no statistical difference compared to non-surge-type glaciers when aggregated across the region.

scholarly journals Glacier mass balance over the central Nyainqentanglha Range during recent decades derived from remote-sensing data

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (251) ◽  
pp. 422-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
KUNPENG WU ◽  
SHIYIN LIU ◽  
ZONGLI JIANG ◽  
JUNLI XU ◽  
JUNFENG WEI
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Elevation Model

ABSTRACTTo obtain information on changes in glacier mass balance in the central Nyainqentanglha Range, a comprehensive study was carried out based on digital-elevation models derived from the 1968 topographic maps, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM (2000) and TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X (2013). Glacier area changes between 1968 and 2016 were derived from topographic maps and Landsat OLI images. This showed the area contained 715 glaciers, with an area of 1713.42 ± 51.82 km2, in 2016. Ice cover has been shrinking by 0.68 ± 0.05% a−1 since 1968. The glacier area covered by debris accounted for 11.9% of the total and decreased in the SE–NW directions. Using digital elevation model differencing and differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry, a significant mass loss of 0.46 ± 0.10 m w.e. a−1 has been recorded since 1968; mass losses accelerated from 0.42 ± 0.20 m w.e. a−1 to 0.60 ± 0.20 m w.e. a−1 between 1968–2000 and 2000–2013, with thinning noticeably greater on the debris-covered ice than the clean ice. Surface-elevation changes can be influenced by ice cliffs, as well as debris cover and land- or lake-terminating glaciers. Changes showed spatial and temporal heterogeneity and a substantial correlation with climate warming and decreased precipitation.

scholarly journals Remote-sensing estimate of glacier mass balance over the central Nyainqentanglha Range during 1968 – ∼ 2013

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunpeng Wu ◽  
Shiyin Liu ◽  
Zongli Jiang ◽  
Junli Xu ◽  
Junfeng Wei
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Recent Decade ◽  
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Changes

Abstract. With high air temperatures and annual precipitation, maritime glaciers in southeastern Tibet are sensitive to climate change. Current glaciological knowledge of those in the central Nyainqentanglha Range is still limited because of their inaccessibility and low-quality data. To obtain information on changes in glacier area, length and mass balance, a comprehensive study was carried out based on topographic maps and Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI images (1968 and 2016), and on digital-elevation models (DEM) derived from the 1968 maps, from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM (2000), and from TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X (∼ 2013). This showed the area contained 715 glaciers, with an area of 1713.42 ± 51.82 km2, in 2016. Ice cover has been shrinking by 0.68 % ± 0.05% a−1 since 1968, although in the most recent decade this rate has slowed. The glacier area covered by debris accounted for 11.9 % of the total and decreased in SE-NW directions. Using DEM differencing and Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR), a significant mass deficit of 0.46 ± 0.04 m w.e. a−1 has been recorded since 1968; mass losses accelerating from 0.42 ± 0.05 m w.e. a−1 to 0.60 ± 0.20 m w.e. a−1 during 1968–2000 and 2000–∼ 2013, with thinning noticeably greater on the debris-covered ice than the clean ice. Surface-elevation changes can be influenced by ice cliffs, as well as debris cover, and land- or lake-terminating glaciers and supraglacial lakes. Changes showed spatial and temporal heterogeneity and a substantial correlation with climate warming.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment and Glaciological Applications of Digital Elevation Models Derived from Space-Borne and Aerial Images over Two Tidewater Glaciers of Southern Spitsbergen

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Błaszczyk ◽  
Dariusz Ignatiuk ◽  
Mariusz Grabiec ◽  
Leszek Kolondra ◽  
Michał Laska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Digital Elevation Models ◽  
Control Point ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Differential Gps ◽  
Tidewater Glaciers ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
High Resolution Satellite Images ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

In this study, we assess the accuracy and precision of digital elevation models (DEM) retrieved from aerial photographs taken in 2011 and from Very High Resolution satellite images (WorldView-2 and Pléiades) from the period 2012–2017. Additionally, the accuracy of the freely available Strip product of ArcticDEM was verified. We use the DEMs to characterize geometry changes over Hansbreen and Hornbreen, two tidewater glaciers in southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The satellite-based DEMs from WorldView-2 and Pléiades stereo pairs were processed using the Rational Function Model (RFM) without and with one ground control point. The elevation quality of the DEMs over glacierized areas was validated with in situ data: static differential GPS survey of mass balance stakes and GPS kinematic data acquired during ground penetrating radar survey. Results demonstrate the usefulness of the analyzed sources of DEMs for estimation of the total geodetic mass balance of the Svalbard glaciers. DEM accuracy is sufficient to investigate glacier surface elevation changes above 1 m. Strips from the ArcticDEM are generally precise, but some of them showed gross errors and need to be handled with caution. The surface of Hansbreen and Hornbreen has been lowering in recent years. The average annual elevation changes for Hansbreen were more negative in the period 2015–2017 (−2.4 m a−1) than in the period 2011–2015 (−1.7 m a−1). The average annual elevation changes over the studied area of Hornbreen for the period 2012–2017 amounted to −1.6 m a−1. The geodetic mass balance for Hansbreen was more negative than the climatic mass balance estimated using the mass budget method, probably due to underestimation of the ice discharge. From 2011 to 2017, Hansbreen lost on average over 1% of its volume each year. Such a high rate of relative loss illustrates how fast these glaciers are responding to climate change.

scholarly journals Towards understanding the pattern of glacier mass balances in High Mountain Asia using regional climatic modelling

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 3215-3234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remco J. de Kok ◽  
Philip D. A. Kraaijenbrink ◽  
Obbe A. Tuinenburg ◽  
Pleun N. J. Bonekamp ◽  
Walter W. Immerzeel
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Climatic Forcing ◽  
Western Kunlun

Abstract. Glaciers in High Mountain Asia (HMA) provide an important water resource for communities downstream, and they are markedly impacted by global warming, yet there is a lack of understanding of the observed glacier mass balances and their spatial variability. In particular, the glaciers in the western Kunlun Shan and Karakoram (WKSK) ranges show neutral to positive mass balances despite global warming. Using models of the regional climate and glacier mass balance, we reproduce the observed patterns of glacier mass balance in High Mountain Asia of the last decades within uncertainties. We show that low temperature sensitivities of glaciers and an increase in snowfall, for a large part caused by increases in evapotranspiration from irrigated agriculture, result in positive mass balances in the WKSK. The pattern of mass balances in High Mountain Asia can thus be understood from the combination of changes in climatic forcing and glacier properties, with an important role for irrigated agriculture.

scholarly journals Mass balances of Yala and Rikha Samba Glacier, Nepal from 2000 to 2017

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothea Stumm ◽  
Sharad Prasad Joshi ◽  
Tika Ram Gurung ◽  
Gunjan Silwal
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Nepal Himalaya ◽  
Essential Variable ◽  
Monitoring Strategies ◽  
Glacier Length ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Monitoring Service

Abstract. The direct or glaciological method is an integral part of international glacier monitoring strategies, and the mass balance is an essential variable to describe the climate system and model runoff. In 2011, we established two glacier mass balance programmes on Yala and Rikha Samba Glacier in the Nepal Himalaya. Here we present the methods and data that we ingested into the database of the World Glacier Monitoring Service. We present glacier length changes and the annual mass balances for the first six mass balance years for both glaciers. For Yala Glacier we additionally present the mass balance of seasonal in situ measurements and the mass balance from 2000 to 2012 analysed with the geodetic method. The annual mass balance rates of Yala Glacier from 2000 to 2012 and from 2011 to 2017 are −0.74 ± 0.53 m and −0.74 ± 0.28 m w.e. a−1, and for Rikha Samba Glacier from 2011 to 2017 −0.39 ± 0.32 m w.e. a−1. The mass loss for the period 2011 to 2017 for Yala and Rikha Samba Glacier −4.44 ± 0.69 m w.e. and −2.34 ± 0.79 m w.e., respectively. The winter balance of Yala Glacier is positive in every investigated year, but the negative summer balance determines the annual balance. The mass balance of Yala Glacier is more negative than on other glaciers in the region, mostly because of the small and low lying accumulation area. The mass balance of Rikha Samba Glacier is more positive than the other glaciers in the region, likely because of the large and high lying accumulation area. Due to the topography, the retreat rates of Rikha Samba Glacier are much higher than for Yala Glacier. From 1989 to 2013, Rikha Samba retreated 431 m (−18.0 m a−1), and from 1974 to 2016 Yala Glacier retreated 346 m (−8.2 m a−1). During the study period, a change of Yala Glacier's surface topography has been observed with glacier thinning and down wasting, which indicates the likely disappearance of Yala Glacier within this century. The datasets are freely accessible from WGMS (2020a): Fluctuations of Glaciers Database. World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, Switzerland. http://dx.doi.org/10.5904/wgms-fog-2020-08.

scholarly journals Climatic controls and climate proxy potential of Lewis Glacier, Mt. Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Prinz ◽  
L. I. Nicholson ◽  
T. Mölg ◽  
W. Gurgiser ◽  
G. Kaser
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Radiative Energy ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Current Sensitivity ◽  
Maximum Extent

Abstract. The Lewis Glacier on Mt. Kenya is one of the best studied tropical glaciers and has experienced considerable retreat since a maximum extent in the late 19th century (L19). From distributed mass and energy balance modelling, this study evaluates the current sensitivity of the surface mass and energy balance to climatic drivers, explores climate conditions under which the L19 maximum extent might have been sustained, and discusses the potential for using the glacier retreat to quantify climate change. Multi-year meteorological measurements at 4828 m provide data for input, optimization, and evaluation of a spatially distributed glacier mass balance model to quantify the exchanges of energy and mass at the glacier–atmosphere interface. Currently the glacier loses mass due to the imbalance between insufficient accumulation and enhanced melt, because radiative energy gains cannot be compensated by turbulent energy sinks. Exchanging model input data with synthetic climate scenarios, which were sampled from the meteorological measurements and account for coupled climatic variable perturbations, reveals that the current mass balance is most sensitive to changes in atmospheric moisture (via its impact on solid precipitation, cloudiness, and surface albedo). Positive mass balances result from scenarios with an increase of annual (seasonal) accumulation of 30 % (100 %), compared to values observed today, without significant changes in air temperature required. Scenarios with lower air temperatures are drier and associated with lower accumulation and increased net radiation due to reduced cloudiness and albedo. If the scenarios currently producing positive mass balances are applied to the L19 extent, negative mass balances are the result, meaning that the conditions required to sustain the glacier in its L19 extent are not reflected in today's meteorological observations using model parameters optimized for the present-day glacier. Alternatively, a balanced mass budget for the L19 extent can be achieved by changing both climate and optimized gradients (used to extrapolate the meteorological measurements over the glacier) in a manner that implies a distinctly different coupling between the glacier's local surface-air layer and its surrounding boundary layer. This result underlines the difficulty of deriving palaeoclimates for larger glacier extents on the basis of modern measurements of small glaciers.

scholarly journals Reconstructing the annual mass balance of the Echaurren Norte glacier (Central Andes, 33.5° S) using local and regional hydroclimatic data

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 927-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano H. Masiokas ◽  
Duncan A. Christie ◽  
Carlos Le Quesne ◽  
Pierre Pitte ◽  
Lucas Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
The Andes

Abstract. Despite the great number and variety of glaciers in southern South America, in situ glacier mass-balance records are extremely scarce and glacier–climate relationships are still poorly understood in this region. Here we use the longest (>  35 years) and most complete in situ mass-balance record, available for the Echaurren Norte glacier (ECH) in the Andes at  ∼  33.5° S, to develop a minimal glacier surface mass-balance model that relies on nearby monthly precipitation and air temperature data as forcing. This basic model is able to explain 78 % of the variance in the annual glacier mass-balance record over the 1978–2013 calibration period. An attribution assessment identified precipitation variability as the dominant forcing modulating annual mass balances at ECH, with temperature variations likely playing a secondary role. A regionally averaged series of mean annual streamflow records from both sides of the Andes between  ∼  30 and 37° S is then used to estimate, through simple linear regression, this glacier's annual mass-balance variations since 1909. The reconstruction model captures 68 % of the observed glacier mass-balance variability and shows three periods of sustained positive mass balances embedded in an overall negative trend over the past 105 years. The three periods of sustained positive mass balances (centered in the 1920s–1930s, in the 1980s and in the first decade of the 21st century) coincide with several documented glacier advances in this region. Similar trends observed in other shorter glacier mass-balance series suggest that the Echaurren Norte glacier reconstruction is representative of larger-scale conditions and could be useful for more detailed glaciological, hydrological and climatological assessments in this portion of the Andes.

scholarly journals Reconstructing glacier mass balances in the Central Andes of Chile and Argentina using local and regional hydro-climatic data

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 4949-4980 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Masiokas ◽  
D. A. Christie ◽  
C. Le Quesne ◽  
P. Pitte ◽  
L. Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Monthly Precipitation ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
The Andes

Abstract. Despite the great number and variety of glaciers in southern South America, in situ glacier mass balance records are extremely scarce and glacier–climate relationships are still poorly understood in this region. Here we use the longest (> 35 years) and most complete in situ mass balance record, available for glaciar Echaurren Norte in the Andes at ~34° S, to develop a minimal glacier surface mass balance model that relies on nearby monthly precipitation and air temperature data as forcing. This basic model is able to explain 78 % of the variance in the annual glacier mass balance record over the 1978–2013 calibration period. An attribution assessment indicates that precipitation variability constitutes the most important forcing modulating annual glacier mass balances at this site. A regionally-averaged series of mean annual streamflow records from both sides of the Andes is then used to estimate, through simple linear regression, this glacier's annual mass balance variations since 1909. The reconstruction model captures 68 % of the observed glacier mass balance variability and shows three periods of sustained positive mass balances embedded in an overall negative trend totaling almost −42 m w.eq. over the past 105 years. The three periods of sustained positive mass balances (centered in the 1920s–1930s, in the 1980s and in the first decade of the 21st century) coincide with several documented glacier advances in this region. Similar trends observed in other shorter glacier mass balance series suggest the glaciar Echaurren Norte reconstruction is representative of larger-scale conditions and could be useful for more detailed glaciological, hydrological and climatological assessments in this portion of the Andes.

scholarly journals Snowfall increase counters glacier demise in Kunlun Shan and Karakoram

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remco J. de Kok ◽  
Philip D. A. Kraaijenbrink ◽  
Obbe A. Tuinenburg ◽  
Pleun N. J. Bonekamp ◽  
Walter W. Immerzeel
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Climatic Forcing ◽  
Western Kunlun

Abstract. Glaciers in High Mountain Asia provide an important water resource for communities downstream and they are markedly impacted by global warming, yet there is a lack in understanding of the observed glacier mass balances and their spatial variability. In particular, the glaciers in the western Kunlun Shan and Karakoram ranges (WKSK) show neutral to positive mass balances despite global warming. Using models of the regional climate and glacier mass balance, we reproduce the observed patterns of glacier mass balance in High Mountain Asia of the last decades. We show that low temperature sensitivities of glaciers and an increase in snowfall, for a large part caused by increases in evapotranspiration from irrigated agriculture, result in positive mass balances in WKSK. The pattern of mass balances in High Mountain Asia can thus be understood from the combination of changes in climatic forcing and glacier properties, with an important role for irrigated agriculture.

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