scholarly journals The Role of Winter Rain in the Glacial System on Svalbard

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa B. Łupikasza ◽  
Dariusz Ignatiuk ◽  
Mariusz Grabiec ◽  
Katarzyna Cielecka-Nowak ◽  
Michał Laska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Drainage System ◽  
Systems Development ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Glacier Velocity ◽  
Winter Rain

Rapid Arctic warming results in increased winter rain frequencies, which may impact glacial systems. In this paper, we discuss climatology and precipitation form trends, followed by examining the influence of winter rainfall (Oct‒May) on both the mass balance and dynamics of Hansbreen (Svalbard). We used data from the Hornsund meteorological station (01003 WMO), in addition to the original meteorological and glaciological data from three measurement points on Hansbreen. Precipitation phases were identified based on records of weather phenomena and used—along with information on lapse rate—to estimate the occurrence and altitudinal extent of winter rainfall over the glacier. We found an increase in the frequency of winter rain in Hornsund, and that these events impact both glacier mass balance and glacier dynamics. However, the latter varied depending on the degree of snow cover and drainage systems development. In early winter, given the initial, thin snow cover and an inefficient drainage system, rainfall increased glacier velocity. Full-season winter rainfall on well-developed snow was effectively stored in the glacier, contributing on average to 9% of the winter accumulation.

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 Longest time series of glacier mass changes in the Himalaya based on stereo imagery

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2593-2613 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Bolch ◽  
T. Pieczonka ◽  
D. I. Benn
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Changes ◽  
Debris Cover ◽  
Stereo Imagery ◽  
Glacier Velocity ◽  
The Himalaya

Abstract. Mass loss of Himalayan glaciers has wide-ranging consequences such as declining water resources, sea level rise and an increasing risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The assessment of the regional and global impact of glacier changes in the Himalaya is, however, hampered by a lack of mass balance data for most of the range. Multi-temporal digital terrain models (DTMs) allow glacier mass balance to be calculated since the availability of stereo imagery. Here we present the longest time series of mass changes in the Himalaya and show the high value of early stereo spy imagery such as Corona (years 1962 and 1970) aerial images and recent high resolution satellite data (Cartosat-1) to calculate a time series of glacier changes south of Mt. Everest, Nepal. We reveal that the glaciers are significantly losing mass with an increasing rate since at least ~1970, despite thick debris cover. The specific mass loss is 0.32 ± 0.08 m w.e. a−1, however, not higher than the global average. The spatial patterns of surface lowering can be explained by variations in debris-cover thickness, glacier velocity, and ice melt due to exposed ice cliffs and ponds.

scholarly journals Multi-decadal mass loss of glaciers in the Everest area (Nepal Himalaya) derived from stereo imagery

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Bolch ◽  
T. Pieczonka ◽  
D. I. Benn
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Debris Cover ◽  
Stereo Imagery ◽  
Glacier Velocity ◽  
The Himalaya

Abstract. Mass loss of Himalayan glaciers has wide-ranging consequences such as changing runoff distribution, sea level rise and an increasing risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The assessment of the regional and global impact of glacier changes in the Himalaya is, however, hampered by a lack of mass balance data for most of the range. Multi-temporal digital terrain models (DTMs) allow glacier mass balance to be calculated. Here, we present a time series of mass changes for ten glaciers covering an area of about 50 km2 south and west of Mt. Everest, Nepal, using stereo Corona spy imagery (years 1962 and 1970), aerial images and recent high resolution satellite data (Cartosat-1). This is the longest time series of mass changes in the Himalaya. We reveal that the glaciers have been significantly losing mass since at least 1970, despite thick debris cover. The specific mass loss for 1970–2007 is 0.32 ± 0.08 m w.e. a−1, however, not higher than the global average. Comparisons of the recent DTMs with earlier time periods indicate an accelerated mass loss. This is, however, hardly statistically significant due to high uncertainty, especially of the lower resolution ASTER DTM. The characteristics of surface lowering can be explained by spatial variations of glacier velocity, the thickness of the debris-cover, and ice melt due to exposed ice cliffs and ponds.

scholarly journals Derivation of melt factors from glacier mass-balance records in western Canada

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (189) ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Shea ◽  
R. Dan Moore ◽  
Kerstin Stahl
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Predictive Ability ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Ice Melt ◽  
Standard Deviations

AbstractMelt factors for snow (ks) and ice (ki) were derived from specific mass-balance data and regionally interpolated daily air-temperature series at nine glaciers in the western Cordillera of Canada. Fitted ks and ki were relatively consistent across the region, with mean values (standard deviations) of 3.04 (0.38) and 4.59 (0.59) mm d−1 °C−1, respectively. The interannual variability of melt factors was investigated for two long-term datasets. Calculated annually, snow- and ice-melt factors were relatively stable from year to year; standard deviations for snowmelt factors were 0.48 (17%) and 0.42 (18%) at Peyto and Place Glaciers, respectively, while standard deviations of ice-melt factors were 1.17 (25%) and 0.81 (14%). While fitted values of ks are comparable to those presented in previous observational and modeling studies, fitted ki are substantially and consistently lower across the region. Fitted melt factors were sensitive to the choice of lapse rate used in the air-temperature interpolation. Melt factors fitted to mass-balance data from a single site (Place Glacier) provided reasonable summer balance predictions at most other sites representing both maritime and continental climates, although there was a tendency for under-prediction at several sites. The combination of regionally interpolated air temperatures and a degree-day model appears capable of generating first-order estimates of regional summer balance, which can provide a benchmark against which to judge the predictive ability of more complex (e.g. energy balance) models applied at a regional scale. Mass-balance sensitivity analyses indicate that a temperature increase of 1 K will increase summer ablation in the region by 0.51 m w.e. a−1 on average.

scholarly journals Preliminary results of mass-balance observations of Yala Glacier and analysis of temperature and precipitation gradients in Langtang Valley, Nepal

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (66) ◽  
pp. 9-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Baral ◽  
Rijan B. Kayastha ◽  
Walter W. Immerzeel ◽  
Niraj S. Pradhananga ◽  
Bikas C. Bhattarai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Convective Precipitation ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Meteorological Observations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Langtang Valley

AbstractMonitoring the glacier mass balance of summer-accumulation-type Himalayan glaciers is critical to not only assess the impact of climate change on the volume of such glaciers but also predict the downstream water availability and the global sea-level change in future. To better understand the change in meteorological parameters related to glacier mass balance and runoff in a glacierized basin and to assess the highly heterogeneous glacier responses to climate change in the Nepal Himalaya and nearby ranges, the Cryosphere Monitoring Project (CMP) carries out meteorological observations in Langtang Valley and mass-balance measurements on Yala Glacier, a debris-free glacier in the same valley. A negative annual mass balance of –0.89m w.e. and the rising equilibrium-line altitude of Yala Glacier indicate a continuation of a secular trend toward more negative mass balances. Lower temperature lapse rate during the monsoon, the effect of convective precipitation associated with mesoscale thermal circulation in the local precipitation and the occurrence of distinct diurnal cycles of temperature and precipitation at different stations in the valley are other conclusions of this comprehensive scientific study initiated by CMP which aims to yield multi-year glaciological, hydrological and meteorological observations in the glacierized Langtang River basin.

scholarly journals Cryoconite on a glacier on the north-eastern Tibetan plateau: light-absorbing impurities, albedo and enhanced melting

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (252) ◽  
pp. 633-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
YANG LI ◽  
SHICHANG KANG ◽  
FANGPING YAN ◽  
JIZU CHEN ◽  
KUN WANG ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Eastern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Northern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACTCryoconite is a dark-coloured granular sediment that contains biological and mineralogical components, and it plays a pivotal role in geochemistry, carbon cycling and glacier mass balance. In this work, we collected cryoconite samples from Laohugou Glacier No. 12 (LHG) on the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau during the summer of 2015 and measured the spectral albedo. To explore the impacts of this sediment on surface ablation, the ice melting differences between the cryoconite-free (removed) ice and the intact layers were compared. The results showed that the mean concentrations of black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and total iron (Fe) in the LHG cryoconite were 1.28, 11.18 and 39.94 mg g−1, respectively. BC was found to play a stronger role in solar light adsorption than OC and free Fe. In addition, ice covered by cryoconite exhibited the lowest mean reflectance (i.e., <0.1). Compared with the cryoconite-free ice surface, cryoconite effectively absorbed solar energy and enhanced glacial melting at a rate of 2.27–3.28 cm d−1, and free Fe, BC and OC were estimated to contribute 1.01, 0.99 and 0.76 cm d−1, respectively. This study provides important insights for understanding the role of cryoconite in the glacier mass balance of the northern Tibetan Plateau.

The role of meteorological forcing and snow model complexity in winter glacier mass balance estimation, Columbia River basin, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (25) ◽  
pp. 5085-5103
Author(s):  
Marzieh Mortezapour ◽  
Brian Menounos ◽  
Peter L. Jackson ◽  
Andre R. Erler ◽  
Ben M. Pelto
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Model Complexity ◽  
Columbia River Basin ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Meteorological Forcing ◽  
Snow Model

scholarly journals Slight mass loss revealed by reanalyzing glacier mass-balance observations on Glaciar Antisana 15α (inner tropics) during the 1995–2012 period

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (231) ◽  
pp. 124-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUBÉN BASANTES-SERRANO ◽  
ANTOINE RABATEL ◽  
BERNARD FRANCOU ◽  
CHRISTIAN VINCENT ◽  
LUIS MAISINCHO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Clear Identification ◽  
The Common ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we reanalyze the glacier mass balance on Glaciar Antisana 15α over the 1995–2012 period. Annual glacier mass balances were quantified on the basis of monthly glaciological measurements using an adaptation of Lliboutry's statistical approach. The geodetic mass balance was computed between 1997 and 2009 giving a cumulative balance of −1.39 ± 1.97 m w.e. and a slightly negative adjusted annual glaciological mass balance (−0.12 ± 0.16 m w.e. a−1). Despite a careful analysis of uncertainties, we found a large discrepancy between the cumulative glaciological and the geodetic mass balances over the common period, of 4.66 m w.e. This discrepancy can mainly be explained by underestimated net accumulation in the glacier upper reaches, which could be due to the peculiar climate conditions of the equatorial zone with year round accumulation, thereby preventing clear identification of annual layers. An increase of ~70% in measured rates of net accumulation would be needed to balance the glaciological and geodetic mass balances; a hypothesis confirmed by estimated ice flux in the vicinity of the ELA. Consequently, the vertical gradient of precipitation may be higher than previously estimated and the accumulation processes (including the role of frost deposition) need to be carefully analyzed.

scholarly journals South Cascade Glacier mass balance, 1935–2006

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (50) ◽  
pp. 215-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Meteorological Variables ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Weather Station ◽  
Temperature Lapse Rate ◽  
Lapse Rates ◽  
Precipitation Ratio ◽  
Precipitation And Temperature

AbstractA simple model uses daily observations of precipitation and temperature at a nearby weather station to estimate glacier-average seasonal mass-balance components at South Cascade Glacier, Washington, USA, from 1935, 24 years before measurements began at the glacier. This is 13 years earlier than measurements that can be derived using the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis database (begins 1 January 1948). Although the model’s error in estimating winter balance and summer balance over 1959–2006 is greater than that of a model using the reanalysis database, its error in estimating net balance is comparable. The model uses an empirically determined precipitation ratio between the station and the glacier, and a seasonally varying temperature lapse rate determined from 9 years of measurements at the glacier. Temperature is used with a degree-day formulation to estimate ablation and to partition precipitation between rain and snow for estimating accumulation. Both processes are assumed to exist throughout the year, and model results are compared seasonally with adjusted observations of winter and summer balances. The published mass-balance series is adjusted to a constant-topography (1970) series in an attempt to remove the influence of changing topography on the glacier’s response to climate. The reconstructed values prior to 1959 are also with respect to the 1970 glacier topography. Because precipitation is measured at the weather station, rather than being inferred from other meteorological variables, it enables us to distinguish more accurately between wet-day and dry-day conditions, including vertical lapse rates of temperature.

scholarly journals Possibilistic uncertainty analysis of a conceptual model of snowmelt runoff

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 2053-2084
Author(s):  
A. P. Jacquin
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Snow Cover ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Possibility Theory ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Snowmelt Runoff ◽  
Watershed Model ◽  
Parameter Uncertainties ◽  
Predictive Uncertainty ◽  
Additional Information

Abstract. This study presents the analysis of predictive uncertainty of a conceptual type snowmelt runoff model. The method applied uses possibilistic rather than probabilistic calculus for the evaluation of predictive uncertainty. Possibility theory is an information theory meant to model uncertainties caused by imprecise or incomplete knowledge about a real system rather than by randomness. A snow dominated catchment in the Chilean Andes is used as case study. Predictive uncertainty arising from parameter uncertainties of the watershed model is assessed. Model performance is evaluated according to several criteria, in order to define the possibility distribution of the model representations. The likelihood of the simulated glacier mass balance and snow cover are used for further assessing model credibility. Possibility distributions of the discharge estimates and prediction uncertainty bounds are subsequently derived. The results of the study indicate that the use of additional information allows a reduction of predictive uncertainty. In particular, the assessment of the simulated glacier mass balance and snow cover helps to reduce the width of the uncertainty bounds without a significant increment in the number of unbounded observations.

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