scholarly journals Reconstructing the mass balance of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, using MODIS-derived glacier-wide albedo

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Sirguey ◽  
Holly Still ◽  
Nicolas J. Cullen ◽  
Marie Dumont ◽  
Yves Arnaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Annual Balance

Abstract. In New Zealand, direct measurements of mass balance are sparse due to the inaccessibility of glaciers in the Southern Alps and the logistical difficulties associated with maintaining a mass balance record. In order to explore the benefit of remotely sensed imaging to monitor mass balance in the Southern Alps, this research assesses the relationship between measurements of glacier surface albedo derived from MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and mass balance observations using the glaciological method on Brewster Glacier over the 2005–2013 period. We confirm that minimum glacier-wide albedo is a reliable predictor for annual mass balance in this maritime environment (R2 = 0.93). Furthermore, we show that regular monitoring of glacier-wide albedo enables a new metric of winter accumulation to be derived, namely the cumulative winter albedo, that is found to correlate strongly with winter mass balance (R2 = 0.88), thus enabling the reconstruction of separate winter and summer mass balance records. This allows the mass balance record for Brewster Glacier to be extended back to the start of MODIS observations in 2000 and to confirm that the annual balance of Brewster Glacier is largely controlled by summer balance (R2 = 92 %). An application of the extended record is proposed whereby the relationship between mass balance and the photographic record of the end-of-summer snowline altitude is assessed. This allowed the annual balance record of Brewster Glacier to be reconstructed over the period 1977–2013, thus providing the longest record of mass balance for a glacier in New Zealand. Over the 37-year period, our results show that Brewster Glacier gained significant mass of up to 14.5 ± 2.7 m w.e. by 2007. This gain was offset by a marked shift toward negative balances after 2008, yielding a loss of 5.1 ± 1.2 m w.e., or 35 % of the gain accumulated over the previous 30 years. The good correspondence between mass balance of Brewster Glacier and the phase of the Pacific (Inter-)Decadal Oscillation (PDO/IPO) associated with the fast terminus retreat observed between 1978 and 1998 strongly suggests that observed mass gain of Brewster Glacier since 1977 is only offsetting a longer sequence of dominantly negative balances.

scholarly journals Reconstructing the mass balance of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, using MODIS-derived glacier-wide albedo

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2465-2484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Sirguey ◽  
Holly Still ◽  
Nicolas J. Cullen ◽  
Marie Dumont ◽  
Yves Arnaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Annual Balance

Abstract. In New Zealand, direct measurements of mass balance are sparse due to the inaccessibility of glaciers in the Southern Alps and the logistical difficulties associated with maintaining a mass balance record. In order to explore the benefit of remotely sensed imaging to monitor mass balance in the Southern Alps, this research assesses the relationship between measurements of glacier surface albedo derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and mass balance observations using the glaciological method on Brewster Glacier over the 2005–2013 period. We confirm that minimum glacier-wide albedo is a reliable predictor for annual mass balance in this maritime environment (R2 = 0.93). Furthermore, we show that regular monitoring of glacier-wide albedo enables a new metric of winter accumulation to be derived, namely the cumulative winter albedo, which is found to correlate strongly with winter mass balance (R2 = 0.88), thus enabling the reconstruction of separate winter and summer mass balance records. This allows the mass balance record for Brewster Glacier to be extended back to the start of MODIS observations in 2000 and to confirm that the annual balance of Brewster Glacier is largely controlled by summer balance (R2  =  92 %). An application of the extended record is proposed whereby the relationship between mass balance and the photographic record of the end-of-summer snowline altitude is assessed. This allowed the annual balance record of Brewster Glacier to be reconstructed over the period 1977–2013, thus providing the longest record of mass balance for a glacier in New Zealand. Over the 37-year period, our results show that Brewster Glacier gained a significant mass of up to 14.5 ± 2.7 m w.e. by 2007. This gain was offset by a marked shift toward negative balances after 2008, yielding a loss of 5.1 ± 1.2 m w.e., or 35 % of the gain accumulated over the previous 30 years. The good correspondence between mass balance of Brewster Glacier and the phase of the Pacific (Inter-)Decadal Oscillation (PDO/IPO), associated with the fast terminus retreat observed between 1978 and 1998, strongly suggests that the observed mass gain of Brewster Glacier since 1977 is only offsetting a longer sequence of dominantly negative balances.

scholarly journals Variability in glacier albedo and links to annual mass balance for the gardens of Eden and Allah, Southern Alps, New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 3425-3448
Author(s):  
Angus J. Dowson ◽  
Pascal Sirguey ◽  
Nicolas J. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Climate Signal ◽  
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ◽  
High Consistency

Abstract. The gardens of Eden and Allah (GoEA) are two of New Zealand's largest ice fields. However, their remote location and protected conservation status have limited access and complicated monitoring and research efforts. To improve our understanding of the spatial and temporal changes in mass balance of these unique ice fields, observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors are used to monitor annual minimum glacier-wide albedo (α¯yrmin) over the period 2000–2018. The α¯yrmin for 12 individual glaciers ranges between 0.42 and 0.70 and can occur as early as mid-January and as late as the end of April. The evolution of the timing of α¯yrmin indicates a shift to later in the summer over the 19-year period on 10 of the 12 glaciers. However, there is only a weak relationship between the delay in timing and the magnitude of α¯yrmin, which implies that albedo is not necessarily lower if it is delayed. The largest negative departures in α¯yrmin (lower-than-average albedo) are consistent with high snowline altitudes (SLAs) relative to the long-term average as determined from the End of Summer Snowline (EOSS) survey, which has been the benchmark for monitoring glaciers in the Southern Alps for over 40 years. While the record of α¯yrmin for Vertebrae Col 25, an index glacier of the EOSS survey and one of the GoEA glaciers, explains less than half of the variability observed in the corresponding EOSS SLA (R2=0.43, p=0.003), the relationship is stronger when compared to other GoEA glaciers. Angel Glacier has the strongest relationship with EOSS observations at Vertebrae Col 25, accounting for 69 % of its variance (p<0.001). A key advantage in using the α¯yrmin approach is that it enables variability in the response of individual glaciers to be explored, revealing that topographic setting plays a key role in addition to the regional climate signal. The observed variability in individual glacier response at the scale of the GoEA contrasts with the high consistency of responses found by the EOSS record across the Southern Alps and challenges the suggestion that New Zealand glaciers behave as a unified climatic unit. MODIS imagery acquired from the Terra and Aqua platforms also provides insights about the spatial and temporal variability in clouds. The frequency of clouds in pixels west of the Main Divide is as high as 90 % during summer months and reaches a minimum of 35 % in some locations in winter. These complex cloud interactions deserve further attention as they are likely a contributing factor in controlling the spatial and temporal variability in glacier response observed in the GoEA.

The Influence of Weather Systems in Controlling Mass Balance in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

2019 ◽  
Vol 124 (8) ◽  
pp. 4514-4529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas J. Cullen ◽  
Peter B. Gibson ◽  
Thomas Mölg ◽  
Jonathan P. Conway ◽  
Pascal Sirguey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Southern Alps

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.

Recognition and paleoclimatic implications of late-Holocene glaciation on Mt Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand

The Holocene ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1151-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin S. Brook ◽  
Vince E. Neall ◽  
Robert B. Stewart ◽  
Rob C. Dykes ◽  
Derek L. Birks
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
The South ◽  
Mountain Glacier ◽  
Climate Fluctuations ◽  
The North ◽  
Spatial Positioning ◽  
The Relationship

Evidence for the timings of inter-hemispheric climate fluctuations during the Holocene is important, with mountain glacier moraine systems routinely used as a proxy for climate. In New Zealand such evidence for glacier expansion during the late Holocene is fragmentary and is limited to glaciers in a narrow zone within the Southern Alps. Here, we present the first evidence for late-Holocene glacier expansion on the North Island of New Zealand in the form of two unconsolidated debris ridges on the south side of the stratovolcano, Mt Taranaki/Mt Egmont, at ~1920 m a.s.l. The two ridges are aligned north–south along the western and eastern sides of a small basin (Rangitoto Flat), which is formed between the main Taranaki cone (to the north), and the parasitic cone of Fanthams Peak (to the south). The approximate age of the ridges is constrained by dated eruptive events and the relationship between ridge locations and the spatial positioning of adjacent volcanic landforms. We propose the ridges formed as two lateral moraines on the margins of a cirque glacier during the final construction phase of Fanthams Peak between 3.3 and 0.5 ka BP, during late-Holocene time. This time interval accords with published cosmogenic 10Be dating of moraine-building episodes in the Southern Alps, indicating the Mt Taranaki moraines are a response to the same regional climatic forcings.

scholarly journals Age constraints of rock glaciers in the Southern Alps/New Zealand – Exploring their palaeoclimatic potential

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 778-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Winkler ◽  
Christophe Lambiel
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Southern Alps ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Schmidt Hammer ◽  
Rock Glacier ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Exposure Age ◽  
Rock Glaciers

Two rock glaciers in the valley head of Irishman Stream in the central Ben Ohau Range, Southern Alps/New Zealand, have been investigated using the electronic Schmidt-hammer (SilverSchmidt). Longitudinal profiles on both features reveal a consistent trend of decreasing R(Rebound)-values and, hence, increasing weathering intensity and surface-exposure age on their numerous transverse surface ridges from rooting zone towards the front. Previously published numerical ages obtained by terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide dating (TCND) allowed the calculation of a local Schmidt-hammer exposure-age dating (SHD) age-calibration curve by serving as the required fixed points. Age estimates for the lowermost rock glacier surface ridges fall within the early Holocene between 12 and 10.5 ka and indicate a fast disappearance of the Late Glacial glacier formerly occupying the valley head, followed by the initiation of rock glacier formation around or shortly after the onset of the Holocene. Although it cannot be judged whether the rock glaciers investigated were active within the entire Holocene or only repeatedly during multiple episodes within, their location and intact morphology exclude any substantial glacial activity at Irishman Stream during the Holocene. This has considerable regional palaeoclimatic implications because it opens for the hypothesis that climatic conditions during early Holocene were possibly comparatively dry and favourable for rock glacier initiation, but less so for glaciers. It would also challenge the view that air temperature is the sole major climate driver of glacier variability in the Southern Alps. More work utilising the palaeoclimatic potential of rock glaciers in the Southern Alps is advised.

scholarly journals Long-Term Deceleration of Glaciers in the Eastern Nyainqentanglha Mountains, Southeastern Tibetan Plateau, Revealed from Landsat Images

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 2387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiyou Fu ◽  
Jianmin Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Landsat Images ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Glacier Velocity ◽  
The Relationship

Temperate glaciers are very sensitive to variations in temperature and precipitation, and thus represent a good indicator of climate change. By exploiting complete Landsat archives during periods of 1988–1990, 2000–2002 and 2014–2016, we derived three velocity maps of the temperate glaciers on the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Mountains in southeastern Tibetan to reveal the long-term changes of glacier surface velocity. Our results show that all the investigated glaciers experienced deceleration, with rates of deceleration varying from 4.15% to 29.8% per decade during the period from 1988–1990 to 2014–2016, showing heterogeneous deceleration patterns. A significant rise in temperature and an insignificant decrease in precipitation was found from the meteorological data of the nearby meteorological station. The region-wide deceleration of glaciers was, thus, attributed to the negative mass balance induced mainly by the rise in temperature. The averaged rates of deceleration for periods from 1988–1990 to 2000–2002 and from 2000–2002 to 2014–2016 are 20.97% and 22.02% per decade, respectively, indicating a nearly even speed of deceleration in velocities during study periods. The nearly even speed of deceleration in velocities and the accelerating mass loss trend from periods before the 2000s to after the 2000s highlighted the complexity of the relationship between mass balance and glacier velocity.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document