Articles | Volume 11, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1417-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1417-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Jun 2017
Research article |
| 22 Jun 2017
Reanalysis of a 10-year record (2004–2013) of seasonal mass balances at Langenferner/Vedretta Lunga, Ortler Alps, Italy
Stephan Peter Galos
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Christoph Klug
Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Fabien Maussion
Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Federico Covi
Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA
Lindsey Nicholson
Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Lorenzo Rieg
Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Wolfgang Gurgiser
Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Thomas Mölg
Climate System Research Group, Institute of Geography, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
Georg Kaser
Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
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Nidheesh Gangadharan, Hugues Goosse, David Parkes, Heiko Goelzer, Fabien Maussion, and Ben Marzeion
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Jonathan P. Conway, Jakob Abermann, Liss M. Andreassen, Mohd Farooq Azam, Nicolas J. Cullen, Noel Fitzpatrick, Rianne H. Giesen, Kirsty Langley, Shelley MacDonell, Thomas Mölg, Valentina Radić, Carleen H. Reijmer, and Jean-Emmanuel Sicart
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A. B. Voordendag, B. Goger, C. Klug, R. Prinz, M. Rutzinger, and G. Kaser
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Lorenz Hänchen, Cornelia Klein, Fabien Maussion, Wolfgang Gurgiser, Pierluigi Calanca, and Georg Wohlfahrt
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Adina E. Racoviteanu, Lindsey Nicholson, and Neil F. Glasser
The Cryosphere, 15, 4557–4588, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4557-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4557-2021, 2021
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A. B. Voordendag, B. Goger, C. Klug, R. Prinz, M. Rutzinger, and G. Kaser
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Lilian Schuster, Fabien Maussion, Lukas Langhamer, and Gina E. Moseley
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Rebecca Mott, Ivana Stiperski, and Lindsey Nicholson
The Cryosphere, 14, 4699–4718, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4699-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4699-2020, 2020
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Emily Collier and Thomas Mölg
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3097–3112, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3097-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3097-2020, 2020
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Catrin Stadelmann, Johannes Jakob Fürst, Thomas Mölg, and Matthias Braun
The Cryosphere, 14, 3399–3406, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3399-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3399-2020, 2020
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Thomas Mölg, Douglas R. Hardy, Emily Collier, Elena Kropač, Christina Schmid, Nicolas J. Cullen, Georg Kaser, Rainer Prinz, and Michael Winkler
Earth Syst. Dynam., 11, 653–672, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-653-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-11-653-2020, 2020
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The glaciers on Kilimanjaro summit are like sample spots of the climate in the tropical mid-troposphere. Measurements of air temperature, air humidity, and precipitation with automated weather stations show that the differences in these meteorological elements between two altitudes (~ 5600 and ~ 5900 m) vary significantly over the day and the seasons, in concert with airflow dynamics around the mountain. Knowledge of these variations will improve atmosphere and cryosphere models.
Jenny V. Turton, Thomas Mölg, and Emily Collier
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1191–1202, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1191-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1191-2020, 2020
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Julia Eis, Fabien Maussion, and Ben Marzeion
The Cryosphere, 13, 3317–3335, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3317-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3317-2019, 2019
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To provide estimates of past glacier mass changes, an adequate initial state is required. However, information about past glacier states at regional or global scales is largely incomplete. Our study presents a new way to initialize the Open Global Glacier Model from past climate information and present-day geometries. We show that even with perfectly known but incomplete boundary conditions, the problem of model initialization leads to nonunique solutions, and we propose an ensemble approach.
Beatriz Recinos, Fabien Maussion, Timo Rothenpieler, and Ben Marzeion
The Cryosphere, 13, 2657–2672, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2657-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2657-2019, 2019
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We have implemented a frontal ablation parameterization into the Open Global Glacier Model and have shown that inversion methods based on mass conservation systematically underestimate the mass turnover (and therefore the thickness) of tidewater glaciers when neglecting frontal ablation. This underestimation can rise up to 19 % on a regional scale. Not accounting for frontal ablation will have an impact on the estimate of the glaciers’ potential contribution to sea level rise.
Johannes Horak, Marlis Hofer, Fabien Maussion, Ethan Gutmann, Alexander Gohm, and Mathias W. Rotach
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 2715–2734, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2715-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-2715-2019, 2019
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This study presents an in-depth evaluation of the Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research (ICAR) model for high-resolution precipitation fields in complex topography. ICAR is evaluated with data from weather stations located in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. While ICAR underestimates rainfall amounts, it clearly improves over a coarser global model and shows potential to generate precipitation fields for long-term impact studies focused on the local impact of a changing global climate.
Ian Allison, Charles Fierz, Regine Hock, Andrew Mackintosh, Georg Kaser, and Samuel U. Nussbaumer
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Fabien Maussion, Anton Butenko, Nicolas Champollion, Matthias Dusch, Julia Eis, Kévin Fourteau, Philipp Gregor, Alexander H. Jarosch, Johannes Landmann, Felix Oesterle, Beatriz Recinos, Timo Rothenpieler, Anouk Vlug, Christian T. Wild, and Ben Marzeion
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Mountain glaciers are one of the few remaining subsystems of the global climate system for which no globally applicable community-driven model exists. Here we present the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM; www.oggm.org), developed to provide a modular and open-source numerical model framework for simulating past and future change of any glacier in the world.
Tobias Zolles, Fabien Maussion, Stephan Peter Galos, Wolfgang Gurgiser, and Lindsey Nicholson
The Cryosphere, 13, 469–489, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-469-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-469-2019, 2019
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A mass and energy balance model was subjected to sensitivity and uncertainty analysis on two different Alpine glaciers. The global sensitivity analysis allowed for a mass balance measurement independent assessment of the model sensitivity and functioned as a reduction of the model free parameter space. A novel approach of a multi-objective optimization estimates the uncertainty of the simulated mass balance and the energy fluxes. The final model uncertainty is up to 1300 kg m−3 per year.
Lindsey I. Nicholson, Michael McCarthy, Hamish D. Pritchard, and Ian Willis
The Cryosphere, 12, 3719–3734, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3719-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3719-2018, 2018
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Ground-penetrating radar of supraglacial debris thickness is used to study local thickness variability. Freshly emergent debris cover appears to have higher skewness and kurtosis than more mature debris covers. Accounting for debris thickness variability in ablation models can result in markedly different ice ablation than is calculated using the mean debris thickness. Slope stability modelling reveals likely locations for locally thin debris with high ablation.
Hugues Goosse, Pierre-Yves Barriat, Quentin Dalaiden, François Klein, Ben Marzeion, Fabien Maussion, Paolo Pelucchi, and Anouk Vlug
Clim. Past, 14, 1119–1133, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1119-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1119-2018, 2018
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Glaciers provide iconic illustrations of past climate change, but records of glacier length fluctuations have not been used systematically to test the ability of models to reproduce past changes. One reason is that glacier length depends on several complex factors and so cannot be simply linked to the climate simulated by models. This is done here, and it is shown that the observed glacier length fluctuations are generally well within the range of the simulations.
Christoph Klug, Erik Bollmann, Stephan Peter Galos, Lindsey Nicholson, Rainer Prinz, Lorenzo Rieg, Rudolf Sailer, Johann Stötter, and Georg Kaser
The Cryosphere, 12, 833–849, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-833-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-833-2018, 2018
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This study presents a reanalysis of the glacier mass balance record at Hintereisferner, Austria, for the period 2001 to 2011. We provide a year-by-year comparison of glaciological and geodetic mass balances obtained from annual airborne laser scanning data. After applying a series of corrections, a comparison of the methods reveals major differences for certain years. We thoroughly discuss the origin of these discrepancies and implications for future glaciological mass balance measurements.
Ulrich Strasser, Thomas Marke, Ludwig Braun, Heidi Escher-Vetter, Irmgard Juen, Michael Kuhn, Fabien Maussion, Christoph Mayer, Lindsey Nicholson, Klaus Niedertscheider, Rudolf Sailer, Johann Stötter, Markus Weber, and Georg Kaser
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 151–171, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-151-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-151-2018, 2018
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A hydrometeorological and glaciological data set is presented with recordings from several research sites in the Rofental (1891–3772 m a.s.l., Ötztal Alps, Austria). The data sets are spanning 150 years and represent a unique pool of high mountain observations, enabling combined research of atmospheric, cryospheric and hydrological processes in complex terrain, and the development of state-of-the-art hydroclimatological and glacier mass balance models.
Anna Wirbel, Alexander H. Jarosch, and Lindsey Nicholson
The Cryosphere, 12, 189–204, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-189-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-189-2018, 2018
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As debris cover affects the meltwater production and behaviour of glaciers it is important to understand how, and over what timescales, it forms. Here we develop an advanced 3-D numerical model that describes transport of sediment through a glacier to the point where it emerges at the surface. The numerical performance of the model is satisfactory and it reproduces debris structures observed within real-world glaciers, thereby offering a useful tool for future studies of debris-covered glaciers.
Ann V. Rowan, Lindsey Nicholson, Emily Collier, Duncan J. Quincey, Morgan J. Gibson, Patrick Wagnon, David R. Rounce, Sarah S. Thompson, Owen King, C. Scott Watson, Tristram D. L. Irvine-Fynn, and Neil F. Glasser
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2017-239, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2017-239, 2017
Revised manuscript not accepted
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Many glaciers in the Himalaya are covered with thick layers of rock debris that acts as an insulating blanket and so reduces melting of the underlying ice. Little is known about how melt beneath supraglacial debris varies across glaciers and through the monsoon season. We measured debris temperatures across three glaciers and several years to investigate seasonal trends, and found that sub-debris ice melt can be predicted using a temperature–depth relationship with surface temperature data.
Douglas I. Benn, Sarah Thompson, Jason Gulley, Jordan Mertes, Adrian Luckman, and Lindsey Nicholson
The Cryosphere, 11, 2247–2264, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2247-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2247-2017, 2017
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This paper provides the first complete view of the drainage system of a large Himalayan glacier, based on ice-cave exploration and satellite image analysis. Drainage tunnels inside glaciers have a major impact on melting rates, by providing lines of weakness inside the ice and potential pathways for melt-water, and play a key role in the response of debris-covered glaciers to sustained periods of negative mass balance.
Kai-Uwe Eiselt, Frank Kaspar, Thomas Mölg, Stefan Krähenmann, Rafael Posada, and Jens O. Riede
Adv. Sci. Res., 14, 163–173, https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-14-163-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/asr-14-163-2017, 2017
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As one element of the SASSCAL initiative (a cooperation of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and Germany) networks of automatic weather stations have been installed or improved in Southern Africa. Here we compare interpolation methods for monthly minimum and maximum temperatures which were calculated from hourly measurements. The best interpolation results have been achieved combining multiple linear regression with three dimensional inverse distance weighted interpolation.
Daniel Farinotti, Douglas J. Brinkerhoff, Garry K. C. Clarke, Johannes J. Fürst, Holger Frey, Prateek Gantayat, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Claire Girard, Matthias Huss, Paul W. Leclercq, Andreas Linsbauer, Horst Machguth, Carlos Martin, Fabien Maussion, Mathieu Morlighem, Cyrille Mosbeux, Ankur Pandit, Andrea Portmann, Antoine Rabatel, RAAJ Ramsankaran, Thomas J. Reerink, Olivier Sanchez, Peter A. Stentoft, Sangita Singh Kumari, Ward J. J. van Pelt, Brian Anderson, Toby Benham, Daniel Binder, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Andrea Fischer, Kay Helfricht, Stanislav Kutuzov, Ivan Lavrentiev, Robert McNabb, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, Huilin Li, and Liss M. Andreassen
The Cryosphere, 11, 949–970, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-949-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-949-2017, 2017
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ITMIX – the Ice Thickness Models Intercomparison eXperiment – was the first coordinated performance assessment for models inferring glacier ice thickness from surface characteristics. Considering 17 different models and 21 different test cases, we show that although solutions of individual models can differ considerably, an ensemble average can yield uncertainties in the order of 10 ± 24 % the mean ice thickness. Ways forward for improving such estimates are sketched.
Tobias Sauter and Stephan Peter Galos
The Cryosphere, 10, 2887–2905, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2887-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2887-2016, 2016
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The paper deals with the micrometeorological conditions on mountain glaciers. We use idealized large-eddy simulations to study the heat transport associated with the local wind systems and its impact on the energy exchange between atmosphere and glaciers. Our results demonstrate how the sensible heat flux variablility on glaciers is related to topographic effects and that the energy surplus is strong enough to significantly increase the local glacier melting rates.
Paolo Gabrielli, Carlo Barbante, Giuliano Bertagna, Michele Bertó, Daniel Binder, Alberto Carton, Luca Carturan, Federico Cazorzi, Giulio Cozzi, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Mary Davis, Fabrizio De Blasi, Roberto Dinale, Gianfranco Dragà, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Massimo Frezzotti, Jacopo Gabrieli, Stephan P. Galos, Patrick Ginot, Petra Heidenwolf, Theo M. Jenk, Natalie Kehrwald, Donald Kenny, Olivier Magand, Volkmar Mair, Vladimir Mikhalenko, Ping Nan Lin, Klaus Oeggl, Gianni Piffer, Mirko Rinaldi, Ulrich Schotterer, Margit Schwikowski, Roberto Seppi, Andrea Spolaor, Barbara Stenni, David Tonidandel, Chiara Uglietti, Victor Zagorodnov, Thomas Zanoner, and Piero Zennaro
The Cryosphere, 10, 2779–2797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2779-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2779-2016, 2016
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New ice cores were extracted from Alto dell'Ortles, the highest glacier of South Tyrol in the Italian Alps, to check whether prehistoric ice, which is coeval to the famous 5300-yr-old Tyrolean Iceman, is still preserved in this region. Dating of the ice cores confirms the hypothesis and indicates the drilling site has been glaciated since the end of the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum (7000 yrs BP). We also infer that an unprecedented acceleration of the glacier flow has recently begun.
Lindsey I. Nicholson, Michał Pętlicki, Ben Partan, and Shelley MacDonell
The Cryosphere, 10, 1897–1913, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1897-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1897-2016, 2016
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An Xbox Kinect sensor was used as a close-range surface scanner to produce the first accurate 3D surface models of spikes of snow and ice (known as penitentes) that develop in cold, dry, sunny conditions. The data collected show how penitentes develop over time and how they affect the surface roughness of a glacier. These surface models are useful inputs to modelling studies of how penitentes alter energy exchanges between the atmosphere and the surface and how this affects meltwater production.
Wolfgang Gurgiser, Irmgard Juen, Katrin Singer, Martina Neuburger, Simone Schauwecker, Marlis Hofer, and Georg Kaser
Earth Syst. Dynam., 7, 499–515, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-7-499-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-7-499-2016, 2016
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Working on the interface of water availability and water demand in a small Andean catchment, peasants’ reports on detrimental precipitation changes during the last decades have attracted our scientific interest. We could not confirm any precipitation trends in this period with nearby precipitation records, but we found precipitation patterns that very likely pose challenges for rain-fed farming – in addition to potential other stresses by environmental and sociopolitical changes.
S. Biskop, F. Maussion, P. Krause, and M. Fink
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 20, 209–225, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-209-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-209-2016, 2016
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In this study, the hydrological model J2000g was extended and applied to four selected endorheic lake basins in the southern-central part of the TP aiming to provide a more quantitative understanding of the key factors controlling their water balance. The model results indicated that the relative contribution of glacier runoff to total water inflow (between 14 and 30 %) plays a less important role compared to runoff generation from rainfall and snowmelt in non-glacierized land areas.
R. Prinz, L. I. Nicholson, T. Mölg, W. Gurgiser, and G. Kaser
The Cryosphere, 10, 133–148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-133-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-133-2016, 2016
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Lewis Glacier has lost > 80 % of its extent since the late 19th century. A sensitivity study using a process-based model assigns this shrinking to decreased atmospheric moisture without increasing air temperatures required. The glacier retreat implies a distinctly different coupling between the glacier's surface-air layer and its surrounding boundary layer, underlining the difficulty of deriving palaeoclimates for larger glacier extents on the basis of modern measurements of small glaciers.
F. Maussion, W. Gurgiser, M. Großhauser, G. Kaser, and B. Marzeion
The Cryosphere, 9, 1663–1683, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1663-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1663-2015, 2015
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Using a newly developed open-source tool, we downscale the glacier surface energy and mass balance fluxes at Shallap Glacier. This allows an unprecedented quantification of the ENSO influence on a tropical glacier at climatological time scales (1980-2013). We find a stronger and steadier anti-correlation between Pacific sea-surface temperature (SST) and glacier mass balance than previously reported and provide keys to understand its mechanism.
E. Collier, F. Maussion, L. I. Nicholson, T. Mölg, W. W. Immerzeel, and A. B. G. Bush
The Cryosphere, 9, 1617–1632, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1617-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1617-2015, 2015
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We investigate the impact of surface debris on glacier energy and mass fluxes and on atmosphere-glacier feedbacks in the Karakoram range, by including debris in an interactively coupled atmosphere-glacier model. The model is run from 1 May to 1 October 2004, with a simple specification of debris thickness. We find an appreciable reduction in ablation that exceeds 5m w.e. on glacier tongues, as well as significant alterations to near-surface air temperatures and boundary layer dynamics.
J. Curio, F. Maussion, and D. Scherer
Earth Syst. Dynam., 6, 109–124, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-109-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-109-2015, 2015
M. Hofer, B. Marzeion, and T. Mölg
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 579–593, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-579-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-579-2015, 2015
E. Collier, L. I. Nicholson, B. W. Brock, F. Maussion, R. Essery, and A. B. G. Bush
The Cryosphere, 8, 1429–1444, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1429-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1429-2014, 2014
E. Dietze, F. Maussion, M. Ahlborn, B. Diekmann, K. Hartmann, K. Henkel, T. Kasper, G. Lockot, S. Opitz, and T. Haberzettl
Clim. Past, 10, 91–106, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-91-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-91-2014, 2014
W. Gurgiser, B. Marzeion, L. Nicholson, M. Ortner, and G. Kaser
The Cryosphere, 7, 1787–1802, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1787-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1787-2013, 2013
S. MacDonell, C. Kinnard, T. Mölg, L. Nicholson, and J. Abermann
The Cryosphere, 7, 1513–1526, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1513-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1513-2013, 2013
L. I. Nicholson, R. Prinz, T. Mölg, and G. Kaser
The Cryosphere, 7, 1205–1225, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1205-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1205-2013, 2013
E. Collier, T. Mölg, F. Maussion, D. Scherer, C. Mayer, and A. B. G. Bush
The Cryosphere, 7, 779–795, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-779-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-779-2013, 2013
N. J. Cullen, P. Sirguey, T. Mölg, G. Kaser, M. Winkler, and S. J. Fitzsimons
The Cryosphere, 7, 419–431, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-419-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-419-2013, 2013
D. B. Bahr, W. T. Pfeffer, and G. Kaser
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-6-5405-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-6-5405-2012, 2012
Revised manuscript not accepted
T. Mölg, F. Maussion, W. Yang, and D. Scherer
The Cryosphere, 6, 1445–1461, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1445-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1445-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Mass Balance Obs
Reanalysis of the longest mass balance series in Himalaya using a nonlinear model: Chhota Shigri Glacier (India)
Accumulation by avalanches as a significant contributor to the mass balance of a peripheral glacier of Greenland
Mapping geodetically inferred Antarctic ice surface height changes into thickness changes: a sensitivity study
Globally consistent estimates of high-resolution Antarctic ice mass balance and spatially resolved glacial isostatic adjustment
On the importance of the humidity flux for the surface mass balance in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Combined GNSS reflectometry–refractometry for automated and continuous in situ surface mass balance estimation on an Antarctic ice shelf
Observations of preferential summer melt of Arctic sea-ice ridge keels from repeated multibeam sonar surveys
Brief communication: The Glacier Loss Day as an indicator of a record-breaking negative glacier mass balance in 2022
European heat waves 2022: contribution to extreme glacier melt in Switzerland inferred from automated ablation readings
Central Asia's spatiotemporal glacier response ambiguity due to data inconsistencies and regional simplifications
Evaluating Greenland surface-mass-balance and firn-densification data using ICESat-2 altimetry
Changes in the annual sea ice freeze–thaw cycle in the Arctic Ocean from 2001 to 2018
Recent contrasting behaviour of mountain glaciers across the European High Arctic revealed by ArcticDEM data
Characteristics of mountain glaciers in the northern Japanese Alps
Assimilating near-real-time mass balance stake readings into a model ensemble using a particle filter
The regional-scale surface mass balance of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, over the period 2005–2014, derived from airborne radar soundings and neutron probe measurements
Geodetic point surface mass balances: a new approach to determine point surface mass balances on glaciers from remote sensing measurements
Review article: Earth's ice imbalance
Applying artificial snowfall to reduce the melting of the Muz Taw Glacier, Sawir Mountains
Satellite-observed monthly glacier and snow mass changes in southeast Tibet: implication for substantial meltwater contribution to the Brahmaputra
Brief communication: Ad hoc estimation of glacier contributions to sea-level rise from the latest glaciological observations
Sensitivity of inverse glacial isostatic adjustment estimates over Antarctica
Recent precipitation decrease across the western Greenland ice sheet percolation zone
Heterogeneous spatial and temporal pattern of surface elevation change and mass balance of the Patagonian ice fields between 2000 and 2016
Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China
Multi-year evaluation of airborne geodetic surveys to estimate seasonal mass balance, Columbia and Rocky Mountains, Canada
Interannual snow accumulation variability on glaciers derived from repeat, spatially extensive ground-penetrating radar surveys
Local topography increasingly influences the mass balance of a retreating cirque glacier
How does the ice sheet surface mass balance relate to snowfall? Insights from a ground-based precipitation radar in East Antarctica
Multi-decadal mass balance series of three Kyrgyz glaciers inferred from modelling constrained with repeated snow line observations
Spatial and temporal distributions of surface mass balance between Concordia and Vostok stations, Antarctica, from combined radar and ice core data: first results and detailed error analysis
Changing pattern of ice flow and mass balance for glaciers discharging into the Larsen A and B embayments, Antarctic Peninsula, 2011 to 2016
Recent glacier mass balance and area changes in the Kangri Karpo Mountains from DEMs and glacier inventories
Using satellite laser ranging to measure ice mass change in Greenland and Antarctica
Accelerating retreat and high-elevation thinning of glaciers in central Spitsbergen
Application and validation of long-range terrestrial laser scanning to monitor the mass balance of very small glaciers in the Swiss Alps
Reconstructing the annual mass balance of the Echaurren Norte glacier (Central Andes, 33.5° S) using local and regional hydroclimatic data
Analysis of the mass balance time series of glaciers in the Italian Alps
Reanalysis of long-term series of glaciological and geodetic mass balance for 10 Norwegian glaciers
Quantifying the resolution level where the GRACE satellites can separate Greenland's glacial mass balance from surface mass balance
Surface elevation and mass changes of all Swiss glaciers 1980–2010
Mass changes in Arctic ice caps and glaciers: implications of regionalizing elevation changes
Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation
Region-wide glacier mass balances over the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya during 1999–2011
Density assumptions for converting geodetic glacier volume change to mass change
Balanced conditions or slight mass gain of glaciers in the Lahaul and Spiti region (northern India, Himalaya) during the nineties preceded recent mass loss
Climatic drivers of seasonal glacier mass balances: an analysis of 6 decades at Glacier de Sarennes (French Alps)
Extrapolating glacier mass balance to the mountain-range scale: the European Alps 1900–2100
Mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet (2003–2008) from ICESat data – the impact of interpolation, sampling and firn density
Assessing high altitude glacier thickness, volume and area changes using field, GIS and remote sensing techniques: the case of Nevado Coropuna (Peru)
Mohd Farooq Azam, Christian Vincent, Smriti Srivastava, Etienne Berthier, Patrick Wagnon, Himanshu Kaushik, Md. Arif Hussain, Manoj Kumar Munda, Arindan Mandal, and Alagappan Ramanathan
The Cryosphere, 18, 5653–5672, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5653-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5653-2024, 2024
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Mass balance series on Chhota Shigri Glacier has been reanalysed by combining the traditional mass balance reanalysis framework and a nonlinear model. The nonlinear model is preferred over traditional glaciological methods to compute the mass balances, as the former can capture the spatiotemporal variability in point mass balances from a heterogeneous in situ point mass balance network. The nonlinear model outperforms the traditional method and agrees better with the geodetic estimates.
Bernhard Hynek, Daniel Binder, Michele Citterio, Signe Hillerup Larsen, Jakob Abermann, Geert Verhoeven, Elke Ludewig, and Wolfgang Schöner
The Cryosphere, 18, 5481–5494, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5481-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5481-2024, 2024
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An avalanche event in February 2018 caused thick snow deposits on Freya Glacier, a peripheral mountain glacier in northeastern Greenland. The avalanche deposits contributed significantly to the mass balance, leaving a strong imprint in the elevation changes in 2013–2021. The 8-year geodetic mass balance (2013–2021) of the glacier is positive, whereas previous estimates by direct measurements were negative and now turned out to have a negative bias.
Natasha Valencic, Linda Pan, Konstantin Latychev, Natalya Gomez, Evelyn Powell, and Jerry X. Mitrovica
The Cryosphere, 18, 2969–2978, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2969-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2969-2024, 2024
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We quantify the effect of ongoing Antarctic bedrock uplift due to Ice Age or modern ice mass changes on estimates of ice thickness changes obtained from satellite-based ice height measurements. We find that variations in the Ice Age signal introduce an uncertainty in estimates of total Antarctic ice change of up to ~10%. Moreover, the usual assumption that the mapping between modern ice height and thickness changes is uniform systematically underestimates net Antarctic ice volume changes.
Matthias O. Willen, Martin Horwath, Eric Buchta, Mirko Scheinert, Veit Helm, Bernd Uebbing, and Jürgen Kusche
The Cryosphere, 18, 775–790, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-775-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-775-2024, 2024
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Shrinkage of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) leads to sea level rise. Satellite gravimetry measures AIS mass changes. We apply a new method that overcomes two limitations: low spatial resolution and large uncertainties due to the Earth's interior mass changes. To do so, we additionally include data from satellite altimetry and climate and firn modelling, which are evaluated in a globally consistent way with thoroughly characterized errors. The results are in better agreement with independent data.
Laura J. Dietrich, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Sonja Wahl, Anne-Katrine Faber, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 18, 289–305, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-289-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-289-2024, 2024
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The contribution of the humidity flux to the surface mass balance in the accumulation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet is uncertain. Here, we evaluate the regional climate model MAR using a multi-annual dataset of eddy covariance measurements and bulk estimates of the humidity flux. The humidity flux largely contributes to the summer surface mass balance (SMB) in the accumulation zone, indicating its potential importance for the annual SMB in a warming climate.
Ladina Steiner, Holger Schmithüsen, Jens Wickert, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 17, 4903–4916, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4903-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4903-2023, 2023
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The present study illustrates the potential of a combined Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry and refractometry (GNSS-RR) method for accurate, simultaneous, and continuous estimation of in situ snow accumulation, snow water equivalent, and snow density time series. The combined GNSS-RR method was successfully applied on a fast-moving, polar ice shelf. The combined GNSS-RR approach could be highly advantageous for a continuous quantification of ice sheet surface mass balances.
Evgenii Salganik, Benjamin A. Lange, Christian Katlein, Ilkka Matero, Philipp Anhaus, Morven Muilwijk, Knut V. Høyland, and Mats A. Granskog
The Cryosphere, 17, 4873–4887, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4873-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4873-2023, 2023
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The Arctic Ocean is covered by a layer of sea ice that can break up, forming ice ridges. Here we measure ice thickness using an underwater sonar and compare ice thickness reduction for different ice types. We also study how the shape of ridged ice influences how it melts, showing that deeper, steeper, and narrower ridged ice melts the fastest. We show that deformed ice melts 3.8 times faster than undeformed ice at the bottom ice--ocean boundary, while at the surface they melt at a similar rate.
Annelies Voordendag, Rainer Prinz, Lilian Schuster, and Georg Kaser
The Cryosphere, 17, 3661–3665, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3661-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3661-2023, 2023
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The Glacier Loss Day (GLD) is the day on which all mass gained from the accumulation period is lost, and the glacier loses mass irrecoverably for the rest of the mass balance year. In 2022, the GLD was already reached on 23 June at Hintereisferner (Austria), and this led to a record-breaking mass loss. We introduce the GLD as a gross yet expressive indicator of the glacier’s imbalance with a persistently warming climate.
Aaron Cremona, Matthias Huss, Johannes Marian Landmann, Joël Borner, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 17, 1895–1912, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1895-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1895-2023, 2023
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Summer heat waves have a substantial impact on glacier melt as emphasized by the extreme summer of 2022. This study presents a novel approach for detecting extreme glacier melt events at the regional scale based on the combination of automatically retrieved point mass balance observations and modelling approaches. The in-depth analysis of summer 2022 evidences the strong correspondence between heat waves and extreme melt events and demonstrates their significance for seasonal melt.
Martina Barandun and Eric Pohl
The Cryosphere, 17, 1343–1371, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1343-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1343-2023, 2023
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Meteorological and glacier mass balance data scarcity introduces large uncertainties about drivers of heterogeneous glacier mass balance response in Central Asia. We investigate the consistency of interpretations derived from various datasets through a systematic correlation analysis between climatic and static drivers with mass balance estimates. Our results show in particular that even supposedly similar datasets lead to different and partly contradicting assumptions on dominant drivers.
Benjamin E. Smith, Brooke Medley, Xavier Fettweis, Tyler Sutterley, Patrick Alexander, David Porter, and Marco Tedesco
The Cryosphere, 17, 789–808, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023, 2023
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We use repeated satellite measurements of the height of the Greenland ice sheet to learn about how three computational models of snowfall, melt, and snow compaction represent actual changes in the ice sheet. We find that the models do a good job of estimating how the parts of the ice sheet near the coast have changed but that two of the models have trouble representing surface melt for the highest part of the ice sheet. This work provides suggestions for how to better model snowmelt.
Long Lin, Ruibo Lei, Mario Hoppmann, Donald K. Perovich, and Hailun He
The Cryosphere, 16, 4779–4796, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4779-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4779-2022, 2022
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Ice mass balance observations indicated that average basal melt onset was comparable in the central Arctic Ocean and approximately 17 d earlier than surface melt in the Beaufort Gyre. The average onset of basal growth lagged behind the surface of the pan-Arctic Ocean for almost 3 months. In the Beaufort Gyre, both drifting-buoy observations and fixed-point observations exhibit a trend towards earlier basal melt onset, which can be ascribed to the earlier warming of the surface ocean.
Jakub Małecki
The Cryosphere, 16, 2067–2082, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2067-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2067-2022, 2022
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This study presents a snapshot of the recent state of small mountain glaciers across the European High Arctic, where severe climate warming has been occurring over the past years. The analysis revealed that this class of ice mass might melt away from many study sites within the coming two to five decades even without further warming. Glacier changes were, however, very variable in space, and some glaciers have been gaining mass, but the exact drivers behind this phenomenon are unclear.
Kenshiro Arie, Chiyuki Narama, Ryohei Yamamoto, Kotaro Fukui, and Hajime Iida
The Cryosphere, 16, 1091–1106, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1091-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1091-2022, 2022
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In recent years, seven glaciers are confirmed in the northern Japanese Alps. However, their mass balance has not been clarified. In this study, we calculated the seasonal and continuous annual mass balance of these glaciers during 2015–2019 by the geodetic method using aerial images and SfM–MVS technology. Our results showed that the mass balance of these glaciers was different from other glaciers in the world. The characteristics of Japanese glaciers provide new insights for earth science.
Johannes Marian Landmann, Hans Rudolf Künsch, Matthias Huss, Christophe Ogier, Markus Kalisch, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 15, 5017–5040, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5017-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5017-2021, 2021
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In this study, we (1) acquire real-time information on point glacier mass balance with autonomous real-time cameras and (2) assimilate these observations into a mass balance model ensemble driven by meteorological input. For doing so, we use a customized particle filter that we designed for the specific purposes of our study. We find melt rates of up to 0.12 m water equivalent per day and show that our assimilation method has a higher performance than reference mass balance models.
Stefan Kowalewski, Veit Helm, Elizabeth Mary Morris, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 15, 1285–1305, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1285-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1285-2021, 2021
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This study presents estimates of total mass input for the Pine Island Glacier (PIG) over the period 2005–2014 from airborne radar measurements. Our analysis reveals a total mass input similar to an earlier estimate for the period 1985–2009 and same area. This suggests a stationary total mass input contrary to the accelerated mass loss of PIG over the past decades. However, we also find that its uncertainty is highly sensitive to the geostatistical assumptions required for its calculation.
Christian Vincent, Diego Cusicanqui, Bruno Jourdain, Olivier Laarman, Delphine Six, Adrien Gilbert, Andrea Walpersdorf, Antoine Rabatel, Luc Piard, Florent Gimbert, Olivier Gagliardini, Vincent Peyaud, Laurent Arnaud, Emmanuel Thibert, Fanny Brun, and Ugo Nanni
The Cryosphere, 15, 1259–1276, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1259-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1259-2021, 2021
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In situ glacier point mass balance data are crucial to assess climate change in different regions of the world. Unfortunately, these data are rare because huge efforts are required to conduct in situ measurements on glaciers. Here, we propose a new approach from remote sensing observations. The method has been tested on the Argentière and Mer de Glace glaciers (France). It should be possible to apply this method to high-spatial-resolution satellite images and on numerous glaciers in the world.
Thomas Slater, Isobel R. Lawrence, Inès N. Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Noel Gourmelen, Livia Jakob, Paul Tepes, Lin Gilbert, and Peter Nienow
The Cryosphere, 15, 233–246, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-233-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-233-2021, 2021
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Satellite observations are the best method for tracking ice loss, because the cryosphere is vast and remote. Using these, and some numerical models, we show that Earth has lost 28 trillion tonnes (Tt) of ice since 1994 from Arctic sea ice (7.6 Tt), ice shelves (6.5 Tt), mountain glaciers (6.1 Tt), the Greenland (3.8 Tt) and Antarctic ice sheets (2.5 Tt), and Antarctic sea ice (0.9 Tt). It has taken just 3.2 % of the excess energy Earth has absorbed due to climate warming to cause this ice loss.
Feiteng Wang, Xiaoying Yue, Lin Wang, Huilin Li, Zhencai Du, Jing Ming, and Zhongqin Li
The Cryosphere, 14, 2597–2606, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2597-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2597-2020, 2020
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How to mitigate the melting of most mountainous glaciers is a disturbing issue for scientists and the public. We chose the Muz Taw Glacier of the Sawir Mountains as our study object. We carried out two artificial precipitation experiments on the glacier to study the role of precipitation in mitigating its melting. The average mass loss from the glacier decreased by over 14 %. We also propose a possible mechanism describing the role of precipitation in mitigating the melting of the glaciers.
Shuang Yi, Chunqiao Song, Kosuke Heki, Shichang Kang, Qiuyu Wang, and Le Chang
The Cryosphere, 14, 2267–2281, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2267-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2267-2020, 2020
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High-Asia glaciers have been observed to be retreating the fastest in the southeastern Tibeten Plateau, where vast amounts of glacier and snow feed the streamflow of the Brahmaputra. Here, we provide the first monthly glacier and snow mass balance during 2002–2017 based on satellite gravimetry. The results confirm previous long-term decreases but reveal strong seasonal variations. This work helps resolve previous divergent model estimates and underlines the importance of meltwater.
Michael Zemp, Matthias Huss, Nicolas Eckert, Emmanuel Thibert, Frank Paul, Samuel U. Nussbaumer, and Isabelle Gärtner-Roer
The Cryosphere, 14, 1043–1050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1043-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1043-2020, 2020
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Comprehensive assessments of global glacier mass changes have been published at multi-annual intervals, typically in IPCC reports. For the years in between, we present an approach to infer timely but preliminary estimates of global-scale glacier mass changes from glaciological observations. These ad hoc estimates for 2017/18 indicate that annual glacier contributions to sea-level rise exceeded 1 mm sea-level equivalent, which corresponds to more than a quarter of the currently observed rise.
Matthias O. Willen, Martin Horwath, Ludwig Schröder, Andreas Groh, Stefan R. M. Ligtenberg, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 14, 349–366, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-349-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-349-2020, 2020
Gabriel Lewis, Erich Osterberg, Robert Hawley, Hans Peter Marshall, Tate Meehan, Karina Graeter, Forrest McCarthy, Thomas Overly, Zayta Thundercloud, and David Ferris
The Cryosphere, 13, 2797–2815, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2797-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2797-2019, 2019
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We present accumulation records from sixteen 22–32 m long firn cores and 4436 km of ground-penetrating radar, covering the past 20–60 years of accumulation, collected across the western Greenland Ice Sheet percolation zone. Trends from both radar and firn cores, as well as commonly used regional climate models, show decreasing accumulation over the 1996–2016 period.
Wael Abdel Jaber, Helmut Rott, Dana Floricioiu, Jan Wuite, and Nuno Miranda
The Cryosphere, 13, 2511–2535, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2511-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2511-2019, 2019
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We use topographic maps from two radar remote-sensing missions to map surface elevation changes of the northern and southern Patagonian ice fields (NPI and SPI) for two epochs (2000–2012 and 2012–2016). We find a heterogeneous pattern of thinning within the ice fields and a varying temporal trend, which may be explained by complex interdependence between surface mass balance and effects of flow dynamics. The contribution to sea level rise amounts to 0.05 mm a−1 for both ice fields for 2000–2016.
Chunhai Xu, Zhongqin Li, Huilin Li, Feiteng Wang, and Ping Zhou
The Cryosphere, 13, 2361–2383, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2361-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2361-2019, 2019
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We take Urumqi Glacier No. 1 as an example and validate a long-range terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) as an efficient tool for monitoring annual and intra-annual mass balances, especially for inaccessible glacier areas where no glaciological measurements are available. The TLS has application potential for glacier mass-balance monitoring in China. For wide applications of the TLS, we can select some benchmark glaciers and use stable scan positions and in-situ-measured densities of snow–firn.
Ben M. Pelto, Brian Menounos, and Shawn J. Marshall
The Cryosphere, 13, 1709–1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1709-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1709-2019, 2019
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Changes in glacier mass are the direct response to meteorological conditions during the accumulation and melt seasons. We derived multi-year, seasonal mass balance from airborne laser scanning surveys and compared them to field measurements for six glaciers in the Columbia and Rocky Mountains, Canada. Our method can accurately measure seasonal changes in glacier mass and can be easily adapted to derive seasonal mass change for entire mountain ranges.
Daniel McGrath, Louis Sass, Shad O'Neel, Chris McNeil, Salvatore G. Candela, Emily H. Baker, and Hans-Peter Marshall
The Cryosphere, 12, 3617–3633, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3617-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3617-2018, 2018
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Measuring the amount and spatial pattern of snow on glaciers is essential for monitoring glacier mass balance and quantifying the water budget of glacierized basins. Using repeat radar surveys for 5 consecutive years, we found that the spatial pattern in snow distribution is stable over the majority of the glacier and scales with the glacier-wide average. Our findings support the use of sparse stake networks for effectively measuring interannual variability in winter balance on glaciers.
Caitlyn Florentine, Joel Harper, Daniel Fagre, Johnnie Moore, and Erich Peitzsch
The Cryosphere, 12, 2109–2122, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2109-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2109-2018, 2018
Niels Souverijns, Alexandra Gossart, Irina V. Gorodetskaya, Stef Lhermitte, Alexander Mangold, Quentin Laffineur, Andy Delcloo, and Nicole P. M. van Lipzig
The Cryosphere, 12, 1987–2003, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1987-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1987-2018, 2018
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This work is the first to gain insight into the local surface mass balance over Antarctica using accurate long-term snowfall observations. A non-linear relationship between accumulation and snowfall is discovered, indicating that total surface mass balance measurements are not a good proxy for snowfall over Antarctica. Furthermore, the meteorological drivers causing changes in the local SMB are identified.
Martina Barandun, Matthias Huss, Ryskul Usubaliev, Erlan Azisov, Etienne Berthier, Andreas Kääb, Tobias Bolch, and Martin Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 12, 1899–1919, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1899-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1899-2018, 2018
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In this study, we used three independent methods (in situ measurements, comparison of digital elevation models and modelling) to reconstruct the mass change from 2000 to 2016 for three glaciers in the Tien Shan and Pamir. Snow lines observed on remote sensing images were used to improve conventional modelling by constraining a mass balance model. As a result, glacier mass changes for unmeasured years and glaciers can be better assessed. Substantial mass loss was confirmed for the three glaciers.
Emmanuel Le Meur, Olivier Magand, Laurent Arnaud, Michel Fily, Massimo Frezzotti, Marie Cavitte, Robert Mulvaney, and Stefano Urbini
The Cryosphere, 12, 1831–1850, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1831-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1831-2018, 2018
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This paper presents surface mass balance measurements from both GPR and ice core data collected during a traverse in a so-far-unexplored area between the DC and Vostok stations. Results presented here will contribute to a better knowledge of the global mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet and thus help in constraining its contribution to sea level rise. Another novelty of the paper resides in the comprehensive error budget proposed for the method used for inferring accumulation rates.
Helmut Rott, Wael Abdel Jaber, Jan Wuite, Stefan Scheiblauer, Dana Floricioiu, Jan Melchior van Wessem, Thomas Nagler, Nuno Miranda, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 12, 1273–1291, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1273-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1273-2018, 2018
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We analysed volume change, mass balance and ice flow of glaciers draining into the Larsen A and Larsen B embayments on the Antarctic Peninsula for 2011 to 2013 and 2013 to 2016. The mass balance is based on elevation change measured by the radar satellite mission TanDEM-X and on the mass budget method. The glaciers show continuing losses in ice mass, which is a response to ice shelf break-up. After 2013 the downwasting of glaciers slowed down, coinciding with years of persistent sea ice cover.
Kunpeng Wu, Shiyin Liu, Zongli Jiang, Junli Xu, Junfeng Wei, and Wanqin Guo
The Cryosphere, 12, 103–121, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-103-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-103-2018, 2018
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This study presents diminishing ice cover in the Kangri Karpo Mountains by 24.9 % ± 2.2 % or 0.71 % ± 0.06 % a−1 from 1980 to 2015 but with nine glaciers advancing. By utilizing geodetic methods, glaciers have experienced a mean mass deficit of 0.46 ± 0.08 m w.e. a−1 from 1980 to 2014. These glaciers showed slight accelerated shrinkage and significant accelerated mass loss during 2000–2015 compared to that during 1980–2000, which is consistent with the tendency of climate warming.
Jennifer A. Bonin, Don P. Chambers, and Minkang Cheng
The Cryosphere, 12, 71–79, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-71-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-71-2018, 2018
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Before GRACE in 2002, few large-scale measurements of mass change over Greenland and Antarctica existed. We use a least squares inversion of satellite laser ranging (SLR) data to expand the polar mass change time series back to 1994. We explain the technique and analyze its errors, then apply it to SLR and GRACE data. We can estimate the summed mass change over Greenland and Antarctica with low uncertainty. SLR's noise causes interannual errors, but the 20-year estimate is reliable.
Jakub Małecki
The Cryosphere, 10, 1317–1329, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1317-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1317-2016, 2016
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Svalbard is a major terrestrial ice repository in the Arctic. This paper characterizes response of glaciers in its central part (Dickson Land) to climate change. After the Little Ice Age termination (ca. 1900) all glaciers have been retreating with an accelerating trend. After 1990 they have been thinning also in their highest zones, so most of them may be expected to disappear. These negative changes are linked to increasing air temperature over the region and contribute to sea-level rise.
Mauro Fischer, Matthias Huss, Mario Kummert, and Martin Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 10, 1279–1295, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1279-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1279-2016, 2016
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This study provides the first thorough validation of geodetic glacier mass changes derived from close-range high-resolution remote sensing techniques, and highlights the potential of terrestrial laser scanning for repeated mass balance monitoring of very small alpine glaciers. The presented methodology is promising, as laborious and potentially dangerous in situ measurements as well as the spatial inter- and extrapolation of point measurements over the entire glacier can be circumvented.
Mariano H. Masiokas, Duncan A. Christie, Carlos Le Quesne, Pierre Pitte, Lucas Ruiz, Ricardo Villalba, Brian H. Luckman, Etienne Berthier, Samuel U. Nussbaumer, Álvaro González-Reyes, James McPhee, and Gonzalo Barcaza
The Cryosphere, 10, 927–940, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-927-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-927-2016, 2016
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Glacier Echaurren Norte (ECH, 34° S) has the longest (> 35 yrs) mass-balance record in South America. A minimal model that explains 78 % of the variance in the ECH annual record identifies precipitation as the most important forcing. A regional streamflow series allows for extending the ECH annual record back to 1909 and shows a clear cumulative ice-mass loss. Similarities with documented glacier advances and other shorter mass-balance series suggest the ECH reconstruction is regionally representative.
Luca Carturan, Carlo Baroni, Michele Brunetti, Alberto Carton, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Maria Cristina Salvatore, Thomas Zanoner, and Giulia Zuecco
The Cryosphere, 10, 695–712, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-695-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-695-2016, 2016
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This work analyses the longer mass balance series of Italian glaciers. All glaciers experienced mass loss in the observation period, with increasing mass loss rates mainly due to increased ablation during longer and warmer ablation seasons. Low-altitude glaciers with low range of elevation are more out of balance than the higher, larger and steeper glaciers, which maintain accumulation areas. Because most of the monitored glaciers are at risk of extinction, they require a soon replacement.
Liss M. Andreassen, Hallgeir Elvehøy, Bjarne Kjøllmoen, and Rune V. Engeset
The Cryosphere, 10, 535–552, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-535-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-535-2016, 2016
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This study provides homogenised and partly calibrated data series of glaciological and geodetic mass balance for the 10 Norwegian glaciers with long-term observations. In total, 21 periods of data were compared. Uncertainties were quantified for relevant sources of errors, both in the glaciological and geodetic series. The reanalysis processes altered seasonal, annual, and cumulative as well as ELA and AAR values for many of the years for the 10 glaciers presented.
J. A. Bonin and D. P. Chambers
The Cryosphere, 9, 1761–1772, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1761-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1761-2015, 2015
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Separating surface mass balance from glacial mass balance over Greenland would provide important climatological information and constraints for models, but due to poor spatial resolution, the GRACE gravity satellites cannot ordinarily accomplish this. We demonstrate a least-squares technique which allows us to do so, in theory. However we also find that the GRACE errors are too large to make it practical for real-world use at this time. About a 9-fold reduction in noise would be needed.
M. Fischer, M. Huss, and M. Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 9, 525–540, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-525-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-525-2015, 2015
J. Nilsson, L. Sandberg Sørensen, V. R. Barletta, and R. Forsberg
The Cryosphere, 9, 139–150, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-139-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-139-2015, 2015
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The aim of this study is to determine and quantify the impact of different regionalization schemes on surface elevation changes, and how they affect the estimated spread in mass balance of Arctic ice caps and glaciers. The study found that the choice of regionalization has an important effect in regions with maritime climate and high variability in elevation change. In these areas the spread in mass balance was in many cases larger than the estimated errors of the individual methods.
B. Medley, I. Joughin, B. E. Smith, S. B. Das, E. J. Steig, H. Conway, S. Gogineni, C. Lewis, A. S. Criscitiello, J. R. McConnell, M. R. van den Broeke, J. T. M. Lenaerts, D. H. Bromwich, J. P. Nicolas, and C. Leuschen
The Cryosphere, 8, 1375–1392, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1375-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1375-2014, 2014
J. Gardelle, E. Berthier, Y. Arnaud, and A. Kääb
The Cryosphere, 7, 1263–1286, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1263-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1263-2013, 2013
M. Huss
The Cryosphere, 7, 877–887, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-877-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-877-2013, 2013
C. Vincent, Al. Ramanathan, P. Wagnon, D. P. Dobhal, A. Linda, E. Berthier, P. Sharma, Y. Arnaud, M. F. Azam, P. G. Jose, and J. Gardelle
The Cryosphere, 7, 569–582, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-569-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-569-2013, 2013
E. Thibert, N. Eckert, and C. Vincent
The Cryosphere, 7, 47–66, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-47-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-47-2013, 2013
M. Huss
The Cryosphere, 6, 713–727, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-713-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-713-2012, 2012
L. S. Sørensen, S. B. Simonsen, K. Nielsen, P. Lucas-Picher, G. Spada, G. Adalgeirsdottir, R. Forsberg, and C. S. Hvidberg
The Cryosphere, 5, 173–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-173-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-173-2011, 2011
P. Peduzzi, C. Herold, and W. Silverio
The Cryosphere, 4, 313–323, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-313-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-313-2010, 2010
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