The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
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Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2715-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2715-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
Research article
 | 
31 Jul 2025
Research article |  | 31 Jul 2025

Numerical study of the error sources in the experimental estimation of thermal diffusivity: an application to debris-covered glaciers

Calvin Beck and Lindsey Nicholson

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Short summary
A glacier's debris cover strongly modifies its mass balance in contrast to a clean-ice glacier. A key parameter for calculating sub-debris melt is the thermal diffusivity of the debris layer. Conway and Rasmussen (2000) present a method to estimate this value based on simple heat diffusion principles. Our analysis shows that the selected temporal and spatial sampling intervals affect the estimated value of thermal diffusivity, resulting in glacier melt being systematically underestimated.
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