Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3895-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-17-3895-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
12 Sep 2023
Research article |
| 12 Sep 2023
| 12 Sep 2023
Thinning and surface mass balance patterns of two neighbouring debris-covered glaciers in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Chuanxi Zhao
College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University,
Lanzhou, 730000, China
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and
Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
Wei Yang
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and
Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
Evan Miles
High Mountain Glaciers and Hydrology Group, Swiss Federal Institute,
WSL, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
Matthew Westoby
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria
University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
Marin Kneib
High Mountain Glaciers and Hydrology Group, Swiss Federal Institute,
WSL, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, 8093,
Switzerland
Yongjie Wang
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and
Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
Zhen He
State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and
Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Francesca Pellicciotti
High Mountain Glaciers and Hydrology Group, Swiss Federal Institute,
WSL, Birmensdorf, 8903, Switzerland
Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria
University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
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Ice cliffs are believed to be important contributors to the melt of debris-covered glaciers, but this has rarely been quantified as the cliffs can disappear or rapidly expand within a few weeks. We used photogrammetry techniques to quantify the weekly evolution and melt of four cliffs. We found that their behaviour and melt during the monsoon is strongly controlled by supraglacial debris, streams and ponds, thus providing valuable insights on the melt and evolution of debris-covered glaciers.
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We present a new approach for modelling debris area and thickness evolution. We implement the module into a combined mass-balance ice-flow model, and we apply it using different climate scenarios to project the future evolution of all glaciers in High Mountain Asia. We show that glacier geometry, volume, and flow velocity evolve differently when modelling explicitly debris cover compared to glacier evolution without the debris-cover module, demonstrating the importance of accounting for debris.
Stefan Fugger, Catriona L. Fyffe, Simone Fatichi, Evan Miles, Michael McCarthy, Thomas E. Shaw, Baohong Ding, Wei Yang, Patrick Wagnon, Walter Immerzeel, Qiao Liu, and Francesca Pellicciotti
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The monsoon is important for the shrinking and growing of glaciers in the Himalaya during summer. We calculate the melt of seven glaciers in the region using a complex glacier melt model and weather data. We find that monsoonal weather affects glaciers that are covered with a layer of rocky debris and glaciers without such a layer in different ways. It is important to take so-called turbulent fluxes into account. This knowledge is vital for predicting the future of the Himalayan glaciers.
Chuanxi Zhao, Wei Yang, Matthew Westoby, Baosheng An, Guangjian Wu, Weicai Wang, Zhongyan Wang, Yongjie Wang, and Stuart Dunning
The Cryosphere, 16, 1333–1340, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1333-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1333-2022, 2022
Short summary
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On 22 March 2021, a ~ 50 Mm 3 ice-rock avalanche occurred from 6500 m a.s.l. in the Sedongpu basin, southeastern Tibet. It caused temporary blockage of the Yarlung Tsangpo river, a major tributary of the Brahmaputra. We utilize field investigations, high-resolution satellite imagery, seismic records, and meteorological data to analyse the evolution of the 2021 event and its impact, discuss potential drivers, and briefly reflect on implications for the sustainable development of the region.
Yan Zhong, Qiao Liu, Matthew Westoby, Yong Nie, Francesca Pellicciotti, Bo Zhang, Jialun Cai, Guoxiang Liu, Haijun Liao, and Xuyang Lu
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 23–42, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-23-2022, 2022
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Slope failures exist in many paraglacial regions and are the main manifestation of the interaction between debris-covered glaciers and slopes. We mapped paraglacial slope failures (PSFs) along the Hailuogou Glacier (HLG), Mt. Gongga, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. We argue that the formation, evolution, and current status of these typical PSFs are generally related to glacier history and paraglacial geomorphological adjustments, and influenced by the fluctuation of climate conditions.
Thomas E. Shaw, Wei Yang, Álvaro Ayala, Claudio Bravo, Chuanxi Zhao, and Francesca Pellicciotti
The Cryosphere, 15, 595–614, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-595-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-595-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Near surface air temperature (Ta) is important for simulating the melting of glaciers, though its variability in space and time on mountain glaciers is still poorly understood. We combine new Ta observations on glacier in Tibet with several glacier datasets around the world to explore the applicability of an existing method to estimate glacier Ta based upon glacier flow distance. We make a first step at generalising a method and highlight the remaining unknowns for this field of research.
Yanbin Lei, Tandong Yao, Lide Tian, Yongwei Sheng, Lazhu, Jingjuan Liao, Huabiao Zhao, Wei Yang, Kun Yang, Etienne Berthier, Fanny Brun, Yang Gao, Meilin Zhu, and Guangjian Wu
The Cryosphere, 15, 199–214, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-199-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-199-2021, 2021
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Two glaciers in the Aru range, western Tibetan Plateau (TP), collapsed suddenly on 17 July and 21 September 2016, respectively, causing fatal damage to local people and their livestock. The impact of the glacier collapses on the two downstream lakes (i.e., Aru Co and Memar Co) is investigated in terms of lake morphology, water level and water temperature. Our results provide a baseline in understanding the future lake response to glacier melting on the TP under a warming climate.
Yaoming Ma, Zeyong Hu, Zhipeng Xie, Weiqiang Ma, Binbin Wang, Xuelong Chen, Maoshan Li, Lei Zhong, Fanglin Sun, Lianglei Gu, Cunbo Han, Lang Zhang, Xin Liu, Zhangwei Ding, Genhou Sun, Shujin Wang, Yongjie Wang, and Zhongyan Wang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2937–2957, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2937-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2937-2020, 2020
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In comparison with other terrestrial regions of the world, meteorological observations are scarce over the Tibetan Plateau.
This has limited our understanding of the mechanisms underlying complex interactions between the different earth spheres with heterogeneous land surface conditions.
The release of this continuous and long-term dataset with high temporal resolution is expected to facilitate broad multidisciplinary communities in understanding key processes on the
Third Pole of the world.
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Short summary
This paper quantifies the thinning and surface mass balance of two neighbouring debris-covered glaciers in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau during different seasons, based on high spatio-temporal resolution UAV-derived (unpiloted aerial
vehicle) data and in situ observations. Through a comparison approach and high-precision results, we identify that the glacier dynamic and debris thickness are strongly related to the future fate of the debris-covered glaciers in this region.
This paper quantifies the thinning and surface mass balance of two neighbouring debris-covered...
