Articles | Volume 15, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5577-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5577-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
10 Dec 2021
Research article |
| 10 Dec 2021
| 10 Dec 2021
Contrasting surface velocities between lake- and land-terminating glaciers in the Himalayan region
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St
Andrews, St Andrews, UK
Tobias Bolch
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St
Andrews, St Andrews, UK
Owen King
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St
Andrews, St Andrews, UK
Bert Wouters
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht
University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of
Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
Douglas I. Benn
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St
Andrews, St Andrews, UK
Related authors
No articles found.
Weiran Li, Stef Lhermitte, Bert Wouters, Cornelis Slobbe, Max Brils, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 19, 3419–3442, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3419-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-3419-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Due to recurrent melt and refreezing events in recent decades, the snow conditions over Greenland have changed. To observe this, we use a parameter (leading edge width; LeW) derived from satellite altimetry and analyse its spatial and temporal variations. By comparing the LeW variations with modelled firn parameters, we concluded that the 2012 melt event and the recent and increasingly frequent melt events have a long-lasting impact on the volume scattering of Greenland firn.
Line Rouyet, Tobias Bolch, Francesco Brardinoni, Rafael Caduff, Diego Cusicanqui, Margaret Darrow, Reynald Delaloye, Thomas Echelard, Christophe Lambiel, Cécile Pellet, Lucas Ruiz, Lea Schmid, Flavius Sirbu, and Tazio Strozzi
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 4125–4157, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4125-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-4125-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Rock glaciers are landforms generated by the creep of frozen ground (permafrost) in cold-climate mountains. Mapping rock glaciers contributes to documenting the distribution and the dynamics of mountain permafrost. We compiled inventories documenting the location, the characteristics, and the extent of rock glaciers in 12 mountain regions around the world. In each region, a team of operators performed the work following common rules and agreed on final solutions when discrepancies were identified.
Valeria Di Biase, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Bert Wouters, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Maurice van Tiggelen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2900, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2900, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
We produce annual maps of Antarctic surface melt volumes from 2012 to 2021 using satellite microwave data. We detect melting days from thresholds on the satellite signal and then use actual melt measurements from weather stations to convert those signals into water‑equivalent volumes. Our maps capture known melt hotspots and show slightly lower totals than climate models. This dataset supports climate and ice‑shelf studies.
Jakob Steiner, William Armstrong, Will Kochtitzky, Robert McNabb, Rodrigo Aguayo, Tobias Bolch, Fabien Maussion, Vibhor Agarwal, Iestyn Barr, Nathaniel R. Baurley, Mike Cloutier, Katelyn DeWater, Frank Donachie, Yoann Drocourt, Siddhi Garg, Gunjan Joshi, Byron Guzman, Stanislav Kutuzov, Thomas Loriaux, Caleb Mathias, Biran Menounos, Evan Miles, Aleksandra Osika, Kaleigh Potter, Adina Racoviteanu, Brianna Rick, Miles Sterner, Guy D. Tallentire, Levan Tielidze, Rebecca White, Kunpeng Wu, and Whyjay Zheng
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-315, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-315, 2025
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Many mountain glaciers around the world flow into lakes – exactly how many however, has never been mapped. Across a large team of experts we have now identified all glaciers that end in lakes. Only about 1% do so, but they are generally larger than those which end on land. This is important to understand, as lakes can influence the behaviour of glacier ice, including how fast it disappears. This new dataset allows us to better model glaciers at a global scale, accounting for the effect of lakes.
Thirza Feenstra, Miren Vizcaino, Bert Wouters, Michele Petrini, Raymond Sellevold, and Katherine Thayer-Calder
The Cryosphere, 19, 2289–2314, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2289-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2289-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present the first evaluation of Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) and climate feedbacks with a CMIP model. Under 4×CO2 forcing, lower elevations reduce GrIS summer blocking and incoming solar radiation and increase precipitation. Simulated increases of near-surface summer temperature are much lower than the 6 K km-1 lapse rate that is commonly used in non-coupled simulations. CO2 reduction to pre-industrial (PI) halts GrIS mass loss regardless of higher global warming and albedo than PI control.
Matthias O. Willen, Bert Wouters, Taco Broerse, Eric Buchta, and Veit Helm
The Cryosphere, 19, 2213–2227, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2213-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2213-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely in the near future. Vertical uplift of bedrock due to glacial isostatic adjustment stabilizes the ice sheet and may delay its collapse. So far, only spatially and temporally sparse GPS measurements have been able to observe this bedrock motion. We have combined satellite data and quantified a region-wide bedrock motion that independently matches GPS measurements. This can improve ice sheet predictions.
Yu Zhu, Shiyin Liu, Junfeng Wei, Kunpeng Wu, Tobias Bolch, Junli Xu, Wanqin Guo, Zongli Jiang, Fuming Xie, Ying Yi, Donghui Shangguan, Xiaojun Yao, and Zhen Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1851–1871, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study compiled a near-complete inventory of glacier mass changes across the eastern Tibetan Plateau using topographical maps. These data enhance our understanding of glacier change variability before 2000. When combined with existing research, our dataset provides a nearly 5-decade record of mass balance, aiding hydrological simulations and assessments of mountain glacier contributions to sea-level rise.
Ann-Sofie P. Zinck, Bert Wouters, Franka Jesse, and Stef Lhermitte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-573, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-573, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ocean-driven basal melting of ice shelves can carve channels into the ice shelf base. These channels represent potential weak areas of the ice shelf. On George VI Ice shelf we discover a new channel which onset coincides with the 2015 El-Nino Southern Oscillation event. Since the channel has developed rapidly and is located within a highly channelized area close to the ice shelf front it poses a potential thread of ice shelf retreat.
Enrico Mattea, Etienne Berthier, Amaury Dehecq, Tobias Bolch, Atanu Bhattacharya, Sajid Ghuffar, Martina Barandun, and Martin Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 19, 219–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-219-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-219-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct the evolution of terminus position, ice thickness, and surface flow velocity of the reference Abramov glacier (Kyrgyzstan) from 1968 to present. We describe a front pulsation in the early 2000s and the multi-annual present-day buildup of a new pulsation. Such dynamic instabilities can challenge the representativity of Abramov as a reference glacier. For our work we used satellite‑based optical remote sensing from multiple platforms, including recently declassified archives.
Julius Sommer, Maaike Izeboud, Sophie de Roda Husman, Bert Wouters, and Stef Lhermitte
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3105, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3105, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice shelves, the floating extensions of Antarctica’s ice sheet, play a crucial role in preventing mass ice loss, and understanding their stability is crucial. If surface meltwater lakes drain rapidly through fractures, the ice shelf can destabilize. We analyzed satellite images of three years from the Shackleton Ice Shelf and found that lake drainages occurred in areas where damage is present and developing, and coincided with rising tides, offering insights into the drivers of this process.
Iain Wheel, Douglas I. Benn, Anna J. Crawford, Joe Todd, and Thomas Zwinger
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 5759–5777, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5759-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5759-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Calving, the detachment of large icebergs from glaciers, is one of the largest uncertainties in future sea level rise projections. This process is poorly understood, and there is an absence of detailed models capable of simulating calving. A new 3D calving model has been developed to better understand calving at glaciers where detailed modelling was previously limited. Importantly, the new model is very flexible. By allowing for unrestricted calving geometries, it can be applied at any location.
Livia Piermattei, Michael Zemp, Christian Sommer, Fanny Brun, Matthias H. Braun, Liss M. Andreassen, Joaquín M. C. Belart, Etienne Berthier, Atanu Bhattacharya, Laura Boehm Vock, Tobias Bolch, Amaury Dehecq, Inés Dussaillant, Daniel Falaschi, Caitlyn Florentine, Dana Floricioiu, Christian Ginzler, Gregoire Guillet, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Andreas Kääb, Owen King, Christoph Klug, Friedrich Knuth, Lukas Krieger, Jeff La Frenierre, Robert McNabb, Christopher McNeil, Rainer Prinz, Louis Sass, Thorsten Seehaus, David Shean, Désirée Treichler, Anja Wendt, and Ruitang Yang
The Cryosphere, 18, 3195–3230, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3195-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3195-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Satellites have made it possible to observe glacier elevation changes from all around the world. In the present study, we compared the results produced from two different types of satellite data between different research groups and against validation measurements from aeroplanes. We found a large spread between individual results but showed that the group ensemble can be used to reliably estimate glacier elevation changes and related errors from satellite data.
Daniel Falaschi, Atanu Bhattacharya, Gregoire Guillet, Lei Huang, Owen King, Kriti Mukherjee, Philipp Rastner, Tandong Yao, and Tobias Bolch
The Cryosphere, 17, 5435–5458, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5435-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5435-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Because glaciers are crucial freshwater sources in the lowlands surrounding High Mountain Asia, constraining short-term glacier mass changes is essential. We investigate the potential of state-of-the-art satellite elevation data to measure glacier mass changes in two selected regions. The results demonstrate the ability of our dataset to characterize glacier changes of different magnitudes, allowing for an increase in the number of inaccessible glaciers that can be readily monitored.
Jordi Bolibar, Facundo Sapienza, Fabien Maussion, Redouane Lguensat, Bert Wouters, and Fernando Pérez
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 6671–6687, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-6671-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-6671-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new modelling framework combining numerical methods with machine learning. Using this approach, we focused on understanding how ice moves within glaciers, and we successfully learnt a prescribed law describing ice movement for 17 glaciers worldwide as a proof of concept. Our framework has the potential to discover important laws governing glacier processes, aiding our understanding of glacier physics and their contribution to water resources and sea-level rise.
Lena G. Buth, Valeria Di Biase, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Sophie de Roda Husman, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Bert Wouters
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2000, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2000, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid meltwater which is stored in air bubbles in the compacted snow near the surface of Antarctica can affect ice shelf stability. In order to detect the presence of such firn aquifers over large scales, satellite remote sensing is needed. In this paper, we present our new detection method using radar satellite data as well as the results for the whole Antarctic Peninsula. Firn aquifers are found in the north and northwest of the peninsula, in agreement with locations predicted by models.
Ann-Sofie Priergaard Zinck, Bert Wouters, Erwin Lambert, and Stef Lhermitte
The Cryosphere, 17, 3785–3801, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The ice shelves in Antarctica are melting from below, which puts their stability at risk. Therefore, it is important to observe how much and where they are melting. In this study we use high-resolution satellite imagery to derive 50 m resolution basal melt rates of the Dotson Ice Shelf. With the high resolution of our product we are able to uncover small-scale features which may in the future help us to understand the state and fate of the Antarctic ice shelves and their (in)stability.
Fanny Brun, Owen King, Marion Réveillet, Charles Amory, Anton Planchot, Etienne Berthier, Amaury Dehecq, Tobias Bolch, Kévin Fourteau, Julien Brondex, Marie Dumont, Christoph Mayer, Silvan Leinss, Romain Hugonnet, and Patrick Wagnon
The Cryosphere, 17, 3251–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3251-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The South Col Glacier is a small body of ice and snow located on the southern ridge of Mt. Everest. A recent study proposed that South Col Glacier is rapidly losing mass. In this study, we examined the glacier thickness change for the period 1984–2017 and found no thickness change. To reconcile these results, we investigate wind erosion and surface energy and mass balance and find that melt is unlikely a dominant process, contrary to previous findings.
Inès N. Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Erik R. Ivins, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Charles Amory, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Martin Horwath, Ian Joughin, Michalea D. King, Gerhard Krinner, Sophie Nowicki, Anthony J. Payne, Eric Rignot, Ted Scambos, Karen M. Simon, Benjamin E. Smith, Louise S. Sørensen, Isabella Velicogna, Pippa L. Whitehouse, Geruo A, Cécile Agosta, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Alejandro Blazquez, William Colgan, Marcus E. Engdahl, Xavier Fettweis, Rene Forsberg, Hubert Gallée, Alex Gardner, Lin Gilbert, Noel Gourmelen, Andreas Groh, Brian C. Gunter, Christopher Harig, Veit Helm, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Christoph Kittel, Hannes Konrad, Peter L. Langen, Benoit S. Lecavalier, Chia-Chun Liang, Bryant D. Loomis, Malcolm McMillan, Daniele Melini, Sebastian H. Mernild, Ruth Mottram, Jeremie Mouginot, Johan Nilsson, Brice Noël, Mark E. Pattle, William R. Peltier, Nadege Pie, Mònica Roca, Ingo Sasgen, Himanshu V. Save, Ki-Weon Seo, Bernd Scheuchl, Ernst J. O. Schrama, Ludwig Schröder, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Thomas Slater, Giorgio Spada, Tyler C. Sutterley, Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma, Jan Melchior van Wessem, David Wiese, Wouter van der Wal, and Bert Wouters
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1597–1616, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1597-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1597-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
By measuring changes in the volume, gravitational attraction, and ice flow of Greenland and Antarctica from space, we can monitor their mass gain and loss over time. Here, we present a new record of the Earth’s polar ice sheet mass balance produced by aggregating 50 satellite-based estimates of ice sheet mass change. This new assessment shows that the ice sheets have lost (7.5 x 1012) t of ice between 1992 and 2020, contributing 21 mm to sea level rise.
Sajid Ghuffar, Owen King, Grégoire Guillet, Ewelina Rupnik, and Tobias Bolch
The Cryosphere, 17, 1299–1306, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1299-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1299-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The panoramic cameras (PCs) on board Hexagon KH-9 satellite missions from 1971–1984 captured very high-resolution stereo imagery with up to 60 cm spatial resolution. This study explores the potential of this imagery for glacier mapping and change estimation. The high resolution of KH-9PC leads to higher-quality DEMs which better resolve the accumulation region of glaciers in comparison to the KH-9 mapping camera, and KH-9PC imagery can be useful in several Earth observation applications.
Fuming Xie, Shiyin Liu, Yongpeng Gao, Yu Zhu, Tobias Bolch, Andreas Kääb, Shimei Duan, Wenfei Miao, Jianfang Kang, Yaonan Zhang, Xiran Pan, Caixia Qin, Kunpeng Wu, Miaomiao Qi, Xianhe Zhang, Ying Yi, Fengze Han, Xiaojun Yao, Qiao Liu, Xin Wang, Zongli Jiang, Donghui Shangguan, Yong Zhang, Richard Grünwald, Muhammad Adnan, Jyoti Karki, and Muhammad Saifullah
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 847–867, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-847-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-847-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, first we generated inventories which allowed us to systematically detect glacier change patterns in the Karakoram range. We found that, by the 2020s, there were approximately 10 500 glaciers in the Karakoram mountains covering an area of 22 510.73 km2, of which ~ 10.2 % is covered by debris. During the past 30 years (from 1990 to 2020), the total glacier cover area in Karakoram remained relatively stable, with a slight increase in area of 23.5 km2.
Yu Zhu, Shiyin Liu, Junfeng Wei, Kunpeng Wu, Tobias Bolch, Junli Xu, Wanqin Guo, Zongli Jiang, Fuming Xie, Ying Yi, Donghui Shangguan, Xiaojun Yao, and Zhen Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-473, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-473, 2023
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we presented a nearly complete inventory of glacier mass change dataset across the eastern Tibetan Plateau by using topographical maps, which will enhance the knowledge on the heterogeneity of glacier change before 2000. Our dataset, in combination with the published results, provide a nearly five decades mass balance to support hydrological simulation, and to evaluate the contribution of mountain glacier loss to sea level.
Simon K. Allen, Ashim Sattar, Owen King, Guoqing Zhang, Atanu Bhattacharya, Tandong Yao, and Tobias Bolch
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3765–3785, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3765-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3765-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study demonstrates how the threat of a very large outburst from a future lake can be feasibly assessed alongside that from current lakes to inform disaster risk management within a transboundary basin between Tibet and Nepal. Results show that engineering measures and early warning systems would need to be coupled with effective land use zoning and programmes to strengthen local response capacities in order to effectively reduce the risk associated with current and future outburst events.
Lena G. Buth, Bert Wouters, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Stef Lhermitte, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-127, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-127, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Liquid meltwater which is stored in air bubbles in the compacted snow near the surface of Antarctica can affect ice shelf stability. In order to detect the presence of such firn aquifers over large scales, satellite remote sensing is needed. In this paper, we present our new detection method using radar satellite data as well as the results for the whole Antarctic Peninsula. Firn aquifers are found in the north and northwest of the peninsula, in agreement with locations predicted by models.
Aldo Bertone, Chloé Barboux, Xavier Bodin, Tobias Bolch, Francesco Brardinoni, Rafael Caduff, Hanne H. Christiansen, Margaret M. Darrow, Reynald Delaloye, Bernd Etzelmüller, Ole Humlum, Christophe Lambiel, Karianne S. Lilleøren, Volkmar Mair, Gabriel Pellegrinon, Line Rouyet, Lucas Ruiz, and Tazio Strozzi
The Cryosphere, 16, 2769–2792, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2769-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2769-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present the guidelines developed by the IPA Action Group and within the ESA Permafrost CCI project to include InSAR-based kinematic information in rock glacier inventories. Nine operators applied these guidelines to 11 regions worldwide; more than 3600 rock glaciers are classified according to their kinematics. We test and demonstrate the feasibility of applying common rules to produce homogeneous kinematic inventories at global scale, useful for hydrological and climate change purposes.
Douglas I. Benn, Adrian Luckman, Jan A. Åström, Anna J. Crawford, Stephen L. Cornford, Suzanne L. Bevan, Thomas Zwinger, Rupert Gladstone, Karen Alley, Erin Pettit, and Jeremy Bassis
The Cryosphere, 16, 2545–2564, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2545-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2545-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Thwaites Glacier (TG), in West Antarctica, is potentially unstable and may contribute significantly to sea-level rise as global warming continues. Using satellite data, we show that Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, the largest remaining floating extension of TG, has started to accelerate as it fragments along a shear zone. Computer modelling does not indicate that fragmentation will lead to imminent glacier collapse, but it is clear that major, rapid, and unpredictable changes are underway.
Bas Altena, Andreas Kääb, and Bert Wouters
The Cryosphere, 16, 2285–2300, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2285-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2285-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Repeat overflights of satellites are used to estimate surface displacements. However, such products lack a simple error description for individual measurements, but variation in precision occurs, since the calculation is based on the similarity of texture. Fortunately, variation in precision manifests itself in the correlation peak, which is used for the displacement calculation. This spread is used to make a connection to measurement precision, which can be of great use for model inversion.
F. Dahle, J. Tanke, B. Wouters, and R. Lindenbergh
ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., V-2-2022, 237–244, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-V-2-2022-237-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-V-2-2022-237-2022, 2022
Benjamin Aubrey Robson, Shelley MacDonell, Álvaro Ayala, Tobias Bolch, Pål Ringkjøb Nielsen, and Sebastián Vivero
The Cryosphere, 16, 647–665, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-647-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-647-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This work uses satellite and aerial data to study glaciers and rock glacier changes in La Laguna catchment within the semi-arid Andes of Chile, where ice melt is an important factor in river flow. The results show the rate of ice loss of Tapado Glacier has been increasing since the 1950s, which possibly relates to a dryer, warmer climate over the previous decades. Several rock glaciers show high surface velocities and elevation changes between 2012 and 2020, indicating they may be ice-rich.
Gregoire Guillet, Owen King, Mingyang Lv, Sajid Ghuffar, Douglas Benn, Duncan Quincey, and Tobias Bolch
The Cryosphere, 16, 603–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-603-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-603-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Surging glaciers show cyclical changes in flow behavior – between slow and fast flow – and can have drastic impacts on settlements in their vicinity.
One of the clusters of surging glaciers worldwide is High Mountain Asia (HMA).
We present an inventory of surging glaciers in HMA, identified from satellite imagery. We show that the number of surging glaciers was underestimated and that they represent 20 % of the area covered by glaciers in HMA, before discussing new physics for glacier surges.
Rajashree Tri Datta and Bert Wouters
The Cryosphere, 15, 5115–5132, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5115-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5115-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The ICESat-2 laser altimeter can detect the surface and bottom of a supraglacial lake. We introduce the Watta algorithm, automatically calculating lake surface, corrected bottom, and (sub-)surface ice at high resolution adapting to signal strength. ICESat-2 depths constrain full lake depths of 46 lakes over Jakobshavn glacier using multiple sources of imagery, including very high-resolution Planet imagery, used for the first time to extract supraglacial lake depths empirically using ICESat-2.
Suzanne L. Bevan, Adrian J. Luckman, Douglas I. Benn, Susheel Adusumilli, and Anna Crawford
The Cryosphere, 15, 3317–3328, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet depends on the behaviour of the fast-flowing glaciers, such as Thwaites, that connect it to the ocean. Here we show that a large ocean-melted cavity beneath Thwaites Glacier has remained stable since it first formed, implying that, in line with current theory, basal melt is now concentrated close to where the ice first goes afloat. We also show that Thwaites Glacier continues to thin and to speed up and that continued retreat is therefore likely.
Maurice van Tiggelen, Paul C. J. P. Smeets, Carleen H. Reijmer, Bert Wouters, Jakob F. Steiner, Emile J. Nieuwstraten, Walter W. Immerzeel, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 15, 2601–2621, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2601-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2601-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a method to estimate the aerodynamic properties of the Greenland Ice Sheet surface using either UAV or ICESat-2 elevation data. We show that this new method is able to reproduce the important spatiotemporal variability in surface aerodynamic roughness, measured by the field observations. The new maps of surface roughness can be used in atmospheric models to improve simulations of surface turbulent heat fluxes and therefore surface energy and mass balance over rough ice worldwide.
Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, Michael Avian, Douglas I. Benn, Felix Bernsteiner, Philipp Krisch, and Christian Ziesler
The Cryosphere, 15, 1237–1258, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1237-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1237-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Present climate warming leads to glacier recession and formation of lakes. We studied the nature and rate of lake evolution in the period 1998–2019 at Pasterze Glacier, Austria. We detected for instance several large-scale and rapidly occurring ice-breakup events from below the water level. This process, previously not reported from the European Alps, might play an important role at alpine glaciers in the future as many glaciers are expected to recede into valley basins allowing lake formation.
Andreas Kääb, Tazio Strozzi, Tobias Bolch, Rafael Caduff, Håkon Trefall, Markus Stoffel, and Alexander Kokarev
The Cryosphere, 15, 927–949, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-927-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-927-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a map of rock glacier motion over parts of the northern Tien Shan and time series of surface speed for six of them over almost 70 years.
This is by far the most detailed investigation of this kind available for central Asia.
We detect a 2- to 4-fold increase in rock glacier motion between the 1950s and present, which we attribute to atmospheric warming.
Relative to the shrinking glaciers in the region, this implies increased importance of periglacial sediment transport.
Eef C. H. van Dongen, Guillaume Jouvet, Shin Sugiyama, Evgeny A. Podolskiy, Martin Funk, Douglas I. Benn, Fabian Lindner, Andreas Bauder, Julien Seguinot, Silvan Leinss, and Fabian Walter
The Cryosphere, 15, 485–500, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-485-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The dynamic mass loss of tidewater glaciers is strongly linked to glacier calving. We study calving mechanisms under a thinning regime, based on 5 years of field and remote-sensing data of Bowdoin Glacier. Our data suggest that Bowdoin Glacier ungrounded recently, and its calving behaviour changed from calving due to surface crevasses to buoyancy-induced calving resulting from basal crevasses. This change may be a precursor to glacier retreat.
Franz Goerlich, Tobias Bolch, and Frank Paul
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3161–3176, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3161-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3161-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This work indicates all glaciers in the Pamir that surged between 1988 and 2018 as revealed by different remote sensing data, mainly Landsat imagery. We found ~ 200 surging glaciers for the entire mountain range and detected the minimum and maximum extents of most of them. The smallest surging glacier is ~ 0.3 km2. This inventory is important for further research on the surging behaviour of glaciers and has to be considered when processing glacier changes (mass, area) of the region.
Xavier Fettweis, Stefan Hofer, Uta Krebs-Kanzow, Charles Amory, Teruo Aoki, Constantijn J. Berends, Andreas Born, Jason E. Box, Alison Delhasse, Koji Fujita, Paul Gierz, Heiko Goelzer, Edward Hanna, Akihiro Hashimoto, Philippe Huybrechts, Marie-Luise Kapsch, Michalea D. King, Christoph Kittel, Charlotte Lang, Peter L. Langen, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Glen E. Liston, Gerrit Lohmann, Sebastian H. Mernild, Uwe Mikolajewicz, Kameswarrao Modali, Ruth H. Mottram, Masashi Niwano, Brice Noël, Jonathan C. Ryan, Amy Smith, Jan Streffing, Marco Tedesco, Willem Jan van de Berg, Michiel van den Broeke, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Leo van Kampenhout, David Wilton, Bert Wouters, Florian Ziemen, and Tobias Zolles
The Cryosphere, 14, 3935–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3935-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3935-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluated simulated Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance from 5 kinds of models. While the most complex (but expensive to compute) models remain the best, the faster/simpler models also compare reliably with observations and have biases of the same order as the regional models. Discrepancies in the trend over 2000–2012, however, suggest that large uncertainties remain in the modelled future SMB changes as they are highly impacted by the meltwater runoff biases over the current climate.
Cited articles
Ageta, Y. and Higuchi, K.: Estimation of mass balance components of a
summer-accumulation type glacier in the Nepal Himalaya, Geogr. Ann., 66, 249–255, https://doi.org/10.2307/520698, 1984.
Azam, M. F., Wagnon, P., Berthier, E., Vincent, C., Fujita, K., and Kargel,
J. S.: Review of the status and mass changes of Himalayan-Karakoram
glaciers, J. Glaciol., 64, 61–74, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.86,
2018.
Bahr, D. B., Meier, M. F., and Peckham, S. D.: The physical basis of glacier
volume-area scaling, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 20355–20362,
https://doi.org/10.1029/97jb01696, 1997.
Bahr, D. B., Pfeffer, W. T., and Kaser, G.: A review of volume-area scaling of glaciers, Rev. Geophys., 53, 95–140, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014RG000470, 2015.
Basnett, S., Kulkarni, A. V., and Bolch, T.: The influence of debris cover
and glacial lakes on the recession of glaciers in Sikkim Himalaya, India, J.
Glaciol., 59, 1035–1046, https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J184, 2013.
Benn, D. I., Hulton, N. R. J., and Mottram, R. H.: “Calving laws”,
“sliding laws” and the stability of tidewater glaciers, Ann. Glaciol., 46,
123–130, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756407782871161, 2007a.
Benn, D. I., Warren, C. R., and Mottram, R. H.: Calving processes and the
dynamics of calving glaciers, Earth Sci. Rev., 82, 143–179,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2007.02.002, 2007b.
Benn, D. I., Bolch, T., Hands, K., Gulley, J., Luckman, A., Nicholson, L.
I., Quincey, D., Thompson, S., Toumi, R., and Wiseman, S.: Response of
debris-covered glaciers in the Mount Everest region to recent warming, and
implications for outburst flood hazards, Earth-Sci. Rev., 114,
156–174, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.03.008, 2012.
Bhattacharya, A., Bolch, T., Mukherjee, K., King, O., Menounos, B., Kapitsa,
V., Neckel, N., Yang, W., and Yao, T.: High Mountain Asian glacier response
to climate revealed by multi-temporal satellite observations since the
1960s, Nat. Commun., 12, 4133,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24180-y, 2021.
Bindschadler, R.: The importance of pressurized subglacial water in
separation and sliding at the glacier bed, J. Glaciol., 29, 3–19,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000005104, 1983.
Bisset, R. R., Dehecq, A., Goldberg, D. N., Huss, M., Bingham, R. G., and
Gourmelen, N.: Reversed surface-mass-balance gradients on Himalayan
debris-covered glaciers inferred from remote sensing, Remote Sens., 12,
1563, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12101563, 2020.
Bolch, T.: Asian glaciers are a reliable water source, Nature, 545,
161–162, https://doi.org/10.1038/545161a, 2017.
Bolch, T., Kulkarni, A., Kääb, A., Huggel, C., Paul, F., Cogley, J.
G., Frey, H., Kargel, J. S., Fujita, K., Scheel, M., Bajracharya, S., and
Stoffel, M.: The state and fate of Himalayan glaciers, Science, 336,
310–314, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1215828, 2012.
Bolch, T., Shea, J. M., Liu, S., Azam, F. M., Gao, Y., Gruber, S.,
Immerzeel, W. W., Kulkarni, A., Li, H., Tahir, A. A., Zhang, G., and Zhang,
Y.: Status and change of the cryosphere in the extended Hindu Kush Himalaya
region, in: The Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment: Mountains, Climate Change,
Sustainability and People, edited by: Wester, P., Mishra, A., Mukherji, A., and
Shrestha, A. B., Springer International Publishing, Cham, 209–255,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92288-1_7, 2019.
Braithwaite, R. J. and Raper, S. C. B.: Estimating equilibrium-line altitude
(ELA) from glacier inventory data, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 127–132,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756410790595930, 2009.
Brun, F., Berthier, E., Wagnon, P., Kääb, A., and Treichler, D.: A
spatially resolved estimate of High Mountain Asia glacier mass balances from
2000 to 2016, Nat. Geosci., 10, 668–673,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2999, 2017.
Brun, F., Wagnon, P., Berthier, E., Jomelli, V., Maharjan, S. B., Shrestha, F., and Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A.: Heterogeneous Influence of Glacier Morphology on the Mass Balance Variability in High Mountain Asia, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 124, 1331–1345, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004838, 2019.
Carrivick, J. L. and Tweed, F. S.: Proglacial Lakes: Character, behaviour
and geological importance, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 78, 34–52,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.07.028, 2013.
Carrivick, J. L., Tweed, F. S., Sutherland, J. L., and Mallalieu, J.: Toward
Numerical Modeling of Interactions Between Ice-Marginal Proglacial Lakes and
Glaciers, Front. Earth Sci., 8, 500,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.577068, 2020.
Clerc, S., Devignot, O., and Pessiot, L.: Sentinel-2 L1C Data Quality Report, The European Space Agency, S2-PDGS-MPC-DQR, 50, 49 pp., 2020.
Chen, F., Zhang, M., Guo, H., Allen, S., Kargel, J. S., Haritashya, U. K., and Watson, C. S.: Annual 30 m dataset for glacial lakes in High Mountain Asia from 2008 to 2017, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 741–766, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-741-2021, 2021.
Cuffey, K. and Paterson, W.: The physics of glaciers: Fourth edition,
Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2010.
Dehecq, A., Gourmelen, N., and Trouve, E.: Deriving large-scale glacier
velocities from a complete satellite archive: Application to the
Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya, Remote Sens. Environ., 162, 55–66,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2015.01.031, 2015.
Dehecq, A., Gourmelen, N., and Trouvé, E.: High Mountain Asia glacier
velocities 2013–2015 (Landsat 8), Zenodo [data set],
https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.2578199, 2019a.
Dehecq, A., Gourmelen, N., Gardner, A. S., Brun, F., Goldberg, D., Nienow,
P. W., Berthier, E., Vincent, C., Wagnon, P., and Trouvé, E.:
Twenty-first century glacier slowdown driven by mass loss in High Mountain
Asia, Nat. Geosci., 12, 22–27,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0271-9, 2019b.
Enderlin, E. M., Howat, I. M., and Vieli, A.: High sensitivity of tidewater outlet glacier dynamics to shape, The Cryosphere, 7, 1007–1015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1007-2013, 2013.
Farinotti, D., Huss, M., Fürst, J. J., Landmann, J., Machguth, H.,
Maussion, F., and Pandit, A.: A consensus estimate for the ice thickness
distribution of all glaciers on Earth, Nat. Geosci., 12, 168–173,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0300-3, 2019.
Field, H. R., Armstrong, W. H., and Huss, M.: Gulf of Alaska ice-marginal lake area change over the Landsat record and potential physical controls, The Cryosphere, 15, 3255–3278, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3255-2021, 2021.
Fitch, A. J., Kadyrov, A., Christmas, W. J., and Kittler, J.: Orientation
Correlation, BMVC, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.5244/c.16.11, 2002.
Gardner, A., Lei, Y., and Agram, P.: autoRIFT (autonomous Repeat Image
Feature Tracking), Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.3756192, 2020.
Gardner, A. S., Fahnestock, M. A., and Scambos, T. A.: ITS_LIVE Regional Glacier and Ice Sheet Surface Velocities,
National Snow and Ice Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/6II6VW8LLWJ7,
2019.
Guizar-Sicairos, M., Thurman, S. T., and Fienup, J. R.: Efficient subpixel
image registration algorithms, Opt. Lett., 33, 156,
https://doi.org/10.1364/ol.33.000156, 2008.
Heid, T. and Kääb, A.: Evaluation of existing image matching methods
for deriving glacier surface displacements globally from optical satellite
imagery, Remote Sens. Environ., 118, 339–355,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.11.024, 2012.
Herreid, S. and Pellicciotti, F.: The state of rock debris covering Earth's
glaciers, Nat. Geosci., 13, 621–627,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0615-0, 2020.
Immerzeel, W. W., van Beek, L. P. H., and Bierkens, M. F. P.: Climate change
will affect the Asian water towers, Science, 328, 1382–1385,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1183188, 2010.
Immerzeel, W. W., Lutz, A. F., Andrade, M., Bahl, A., Biemans, H., Bolch,
T., Hyde, S., Brumby, S., Davies, B. J., Elmore, A. C., Emmer, A., Feng, M.,
Fernández, A., Haritashya, U., Kargel, J. S., Koppes, M., Kraaijenbrink,
P. D. A., Kulkarni, A. V., Mayewski, P. A., Nepal, S., Pacheco, P., Painter,
T. H., Pellicciotti, F., Rajaram, H., Rupper, S., Sinisalo, A., Shrestha, A.
B., Viviroli, D., Wada, Y., Xiao, C., Yao, T., and Baillie, J. E. M.:
Importance and vulnerability of the world's water towers, Nature, 577,
364–369, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1822-y, 2020.
Kääb, A., Winsvold, S. H., Altena, B., Nuth, C., Nagler, T., and
Wuite, J.: Glacier remote sensing using sentinel-2. part I: Radiometric and
geometric performance, and application to ice velocity, Remote Sens., 8,
598, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8070598, 2016.
Katz, R. F. and Worster, M. G.: Stability of ice-sheet grounding lines,
P. R. Soc. A., 466, 1597–1620, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2009.0434, 2010.
Kienholz, C., Rich, J. L., Arendt, A. A., and Hock, R.: A new method for deriving glacier centerlines applied to glaciers in Alaska and northwest Canada, The Cryosphere, 8, 503–519, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-503-2014, 2014.
King, O., Dehecq, A., Quincey, D., and Carrivick, J.: Contrasting geometric
and dynamic evolution of lake and land-terminating glaciers in the central
Himalaya, Global Planet. Change, 167, 46–60,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.05.006, 2018.
King, O., Bhattacharya, A., Bhambri, R., and Bolch, T.: Glacial lakes
exacerbate Himalayan glacier mass loss, Sci. Rep.-UK, 9, 18145,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53733-x, 2019.
Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A., Bierkens, M. F. P., Lutz, A. F., and Immerzeel, W.
W.: Impact of a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius on Asia's
glaciers, Nature, 549, 257–260, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature23878,
2017.
Le Meur, E., Gagliardini, O., Zwinger, T., and Ruokolainen, J.: Glacier flow
modelling: a comparison of the Shallow Ice Approximation and the full-Stokes
solution, C. R. Phys., 5, 709–722,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crhy.2004.10.001, 2004.
Linsbauer, A., Frey, H., Haeberli, W., Machguth, H., Azam, M. F., and Allen,
S.: Modelling glacier-bed overdeepenings and possible future lakes for the
glaciers in the Himalaya-Karakoram region, Ann. Glaciol, 57, 119–130,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2016AoG71A627, 2016.
Liu, Q., Mayer, C., Wang, X., Nie, Y., Wu, K., Wei, J., and Liu, S.:
Interannual flow dynamics driven by frontal retreat of a lake-terminating
glacier in the Chinese central Himalaya, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 546,
116450, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116450, 2020.
Lutz, A. F., Immerzeel, W. W., Gobiet, A., Pellicciotti, F., and Bierkens, M. F. P.: Comparison of climate change signals in CMIP3 and CMIP5 multi-model ensembles and implications for Central Asian glaciers, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 3661–3677, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-17-3661-2013, 2013.
Maurer, J. M., Schaefer, J. M., Rupper, S., and Corley, A.: Acceleration of
ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years, Sci. Adv, 5, 1–12,
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav7266, 2019.
Maussion, F., Butenko, A., Champollion, N., Dusch, M., Eis, J., Fourteau, K., Gregor, P., Jarosch, A. H., Landmann, J., Oesterle, F., Recinos, B., Rothenpieler, T., Vlug, A., Wild, C. T., and Marzeion, B.: The Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM) v1.1, Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 909–931, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-909-2019, 2019.
McClellan, J. H., Schafer, R. W., and Yoder, M. A.: Digital signal processing
first, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 1999.
Mount Cryo: Data, available at: https://www.mountcryo.org/datasets/, last access: 8 December 2021.
Nagler, T., Rott, H., Hetzenecker, M., Wuite, J., and Potin, P.: The
Sentinel-1 mission: New opportunities for ice sheet observations, Remote
Sens., 7, 9371–9389, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs70709371, 2015.
Nick, F. M. and Oerlemans, J.: Dynamics of tidewater glaciers: Comparison of
three models, J. Glaciol, 52, 183–190,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828755, 2006.
Nick, F. M., Vieli, A., Howat, I. M., and Joughin, I.: Large-scale changes in
Greenland outlet glacier dynamics triggered at the terminus, Nat. Geosci,
2, 110–114, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo394, 2009.
Nick, F. M., van der Veen, C. J., Vieli, A., and Benn, D. I.: A physically
based calving model applied to marine outlet glaciers and implications for
the glacier dynamics, J. Glaciol, 56, 781–794,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214310794457344, 2010.
Nie, Y., Sheng, Y., Liu, Q., Liu, L., Liu, S., Zhang, Y., and Song, C.: A
regional-scale assessment of Himalayan glacial lake changes using satellite
observations from 1990 to 2015, Remote Sens. Environ., 189, 1–13,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.11.008, 2017.
Pfeffer, W. T., Arendt, A. A., Bliss, A., Bolch, T., Cogley, J. G., Gardner,
A. S., Hagen, J.-O., Hock, R., Kaser, G., Kienholz, C., Miles, E. S.,
Moholdt, G., Mölg, N., Paul, F., Radić, V., Rastner, P., Raup, B.
H., Rich, J., and Sharp, M. J.: The Randolph Glacier Inventory: a globally
complete inventory of glaciers, J. Glaciol., 60, 537–552,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J176, 2014.
Pritchard, H. D.: Asia's shrinking glaciers protect large populations from
drought stress, Nature, 569, 649–654,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1240-1, 2019.
Pronk, J. B., Bolch, T., King, O., Wouters, B., Benn, D. I.: Central and
Eastern Himalaya glacier velocities 2017-2019 (Sentinel 2), Zenodo [data set],
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4537289, 2021.
Quincey, D. J., Richardson, S. D., Luckman, A., Lucas, R. M., Reynolds, J.
M., Hambrey, M. J., and Glasser, N. F.: Early recognition of glacial lake
hazards in the Himalaya using remote sensing datasets, Global Planet. Change,
56, 137–152, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2006.07.013, 2007.
Rounce, D. R., Hock, R., and Shean, D. E.: Glacier Mass Change in High
Mountain Asia Through 2100 Using the Open-Source Python Glacier Evolution
Model (PyGEM), Front. Earth Sci., 7, 331,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00331, 2020.
Royden, L. H., Burchfiel, B. C., and van der Hilst, R. D.: The geological
evolution of the Tibetan plateau, Science, 321, 1054–1058,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155371, 2008.
RGI Consortium: Randolph Glacier Inventory – A Dataset of Global
Glacier Outlines: Version 6.0, GLIMS Technical Report, 2017.
Scherler, D., Leprince, S., and Strecker, M. R.: Glacier-surface velocities
in alpine terrain from optical satellite imagery-Accuracy improvement and
quality assessment, Remote Sens. Environ., 112, 3806–3819,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2008.05.018, 2008.
Scherler, D., Bookhagen, B., and Strecker, M. R.: Hillslope-glacier coupling:
The interplay of topography and glacial dynamics in High Asia, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 116, F02019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JF001751, 2011.
Shean, D. E.: High Mountain Asia 8-meter DEM mosaics derived from optical
imagery, version 1, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed
Active Archive Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/KXOVQ9L172S2, 2017.
Shean, D. E., Bhushan, S., Montesano, P., Rounce, D. R., Arendt, A., and
Osmanoglu, B.: A systematic, regional sssessment of High Mountain Asia
glacier mass balance, Front. Earth Sci., 7, 363,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00363, 2020.
Shugar, D. H., Burr, A., Haritashya, U. K., Kargel, J. S., Watson, C. S.,
Kennedy, M. C., Bevington, A. R., Betts, R. A., Harrison, S., and Strattman,
K.: Rapid worldwide growth of glacial lakes since 1990, Nat. Clim. Change,
10, 939–945, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0855-4, 2020.
Song, C., Sheng, Y., Wang, J., Ke, L., Madson, A., and Nie, Y.: Heterogeneous
glacial lake changes and links of lake expansions to the rapid thinning of
adjacent glacier termini in the Himalayas, Geomorphology, 280, 30–38,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.12.002, 2017.
Somos-Valenzuela, M. A., McKinney, D. C., Rounce, D. R., and Byers, A. C.: Changes in Imja Tsho in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, The Cryosphere, 8, 1661–1671, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1661-2014, 2014.
Steiner, J. F., Buri, P., Miles, E. S., Ragettli, S., and Pellicciotti, F.:
Supraglacial ice cliffs and ponds on debris-covered glaciers:
Spatio-temporal distribution and characteristics, J. Glaciol, 65,
617–632, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2019.40, 2019.
Sutherland, J. L., Carrivick, J. L., Gandy, N., Shulmeister, J., Quincey, D.
J., and Cornford, S. L.: Proglacial Lakes Control, e2020GL088865,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088865, 2020.
Tadono, T., Ishida, H., Oda, F., Naito, S., Minakawa, K., and Iwamoto, H.: Precise Global DEM Generation by ALOS PRISM, ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., II-4, 71–76, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsannals-II-4-71-2014, 2014.
Truffer, M., and Motyka, R. J.: Where glaciers meet water: subaqueous melt
and its relevance to glaciers in various settings. Rev. Geophys., 54,
220–239, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015RG000494, 2016.
Tsutaki, S., Sugiyama, S., Nishimura, D., and Funk, M.: Acceleration and
flotation of a glacier terminus during formation of a proglacial lake in
Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, J. Glaciol., 59, 559–570,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2013JoG12J107, 2013.
Tsutaki, S., Fujita, K., Nuimura, T., Sakai, A., Sugiyama, S., Komori, J., and Tshering, P.: Contrasting thinning patterns between lake- and land-terminating glaciers in the Bhutanese Himalaya, The Cryosphere, 13, 2733–2750, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2733-2019, 2019.
van der Veen, C. T. and Whillans, I. M.: Model experiments on the evolution
and stability of ice streams, Ann. Glaciol, 23, 129–137,
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0260305500013343, 1996.
Vieli, A. and Nick, F. M.: Understanding and Modelling Rapid Dynamic Changes
of Tidewater Outlet Glaciers: Issues and Implications, Surv. Geophys.,
32, 437–458, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9132-4, 2011.
Vieli, A. and Payne, A. J.: Assessing the ability of numerical ice sheet
models to simulate grounding line migration, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth,
110, F01003, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JF000202, 2005.
Vieli, A., Funk, M., and Blatter, H.: Flow dynamics of tidewater glaciers: A
numerical modelling approach, J. Glaciol., 47, 595–606,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756501781831747, 2001.
Viviroli, D., Dürr, H. H., Messerli, B., Meybeck, M., and Weingartner,
R.: Mountains of the world, water towers for humanity: Typology, mapping,
and global significance, Water Resour. Res., 43, W07447,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006WR005653, 2007.
Wangchuk, S. and Bolch, T.: Mapping of glacial lakes using Sentinel-1 and
Sentinel-2 data and a random forest classifier: Strengths and challenges,
Remote Sens., 2, 100008, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srs.2020.100008, 2020.
Watson, C. S., Kargel, J. S., Shugar, D. H., Haritashya, U. K., Schiassi, E.,
and Furfaro, R.: Mass Loss From Calving in Himalayan Proglacial Lakes,
Front. Earth Sci., 7, 342, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00342, 2020.
Weertman, J.: Stability of the Junction of an Ice Sheet and an Ice Shelf, J.
Glaciol, 13, 3–11, https://doi.org/10.3189/s0022143000023327, 1974.
Wijngaard, R. R., Steiner, J. F., Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A., Klug, C.,
Adhikari, S., Banerjee, A., Pellicciotti, F., van Beek, L. P. H., Bierkens,
M. F. P., Lutz, A. F., and Immerzeel, W. W.: Modeling the response of the
langtang glacier and the hintereisferner to a changing climate since the
little ice age, Front. Earth Sci., 7, 143,
https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00143, 2019.
Willis, M. J., Melkonian, A. K., Pritchard, M. E., and Ramage, J. M.: Ice
loss rates at the Northern Patagonian Icefield derived using a decade of
satellite remote sensing, Remote Sens. Environ., 117, 184–198,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.09.017, 2012.
Xiao, B. and Dai, L.: Disaster analysis of glacial lake in Tibet and typical case of emergency, Water Resour. Power, 29, 75–78, 2011.
Zhang, G., Yao, T., Xie, H., Wang, W., and Yang, W.: An inventory of glacial
lakes in the Third Pole region and their changes in response to global
warming, Global Planet. Change, 131, 148–157,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.05.013, 2015.
Zhang, G., Bolch, T., Allen, S., Linsbauer, A., Chen, W., and Wang, W.:
Glacial lake evolution and glacier–lake interactions in the Poiqu River
basin, central Himalaya, 1964–2017, J. Glaciol., 65, 347–365,
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2019.13, 2019.
Short summary
About 10 % of Himalayan glaciers flow directly into lakes. This study finds, using satellite imagery, that such glaciers show higher flow velocities than glaciers without ice–lake contact. In particular near the glacier tongue the impact of a lake on the glacier flow can be dramatic. The development of current and new meltwater bodies will influence the flow of an increasing number of Himalayan glaciers in the future, a scenario not currently considered in regional ice loss projections.
About 10 % of Himalayan glaciers flow directly into lakes. This study finds, using satellite...
