The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
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Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5365-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5365-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
Research article
 | 
21 Sep 2026
Research article |  | 21 Sep 2026

Feedbacks and timescales in the modelled transient response of debris-covered glaciers

Florian Hardmeier, James C. Ferguson, and Andreas Vieli

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Cited articles

Anderson, L. S. and Anderson, R. S.: Modeling debris-covered glaciers: response to steady debris deposition, The Cryosphere, 10, 1105–1124, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1105-2016, 2016. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z
Anderson, L. S. and Anderson, R. S.: Debris thickness patterns on debris-covered glaciers, Geomorphology, 311, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GEOMORPH.2018.03.014, 2018. a, b
Anderson, L. S., Armstrong, W. H., Anderson, R. S., Scherler, D., and Petersen, E.: The Causes of Debris-Covered Glacier Thinning: Evidence for the Importance of Ice Dynamics From Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, Front. Earth Sci., 9, 680995, https://doi.org/10.3389/FEART.2021.680995, 2021.  a
Anderson, R. S.: A model of ablation-dominated medial moraines and the generation of debris-mantled glacier snouts, J. Glaciol., 46, 459–469, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756500781833025, 2000. a
Anderson, R. S., Anderson, L. S., Armstrong, W. H., Rossi, M. W., and Crump, S. E.: Glaciation of alpine valleys: The glacier – debris-covered glacier – rock glacier continuum, Geomorphology, 311, 127–142, https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GEOMORPH.2018.03.015, 2018. a
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As mountain glaciers are retreating, they are becoming increasingly debris-covered. We want to better understand how these glaciers respond to a changing climate. Here, we present an improved model that simulates transport of debris within and on the glacier. We find that short-term changes have a low impact due to long response times. However, long-term warming can lead to fast collapse of the glacier tongue after a phase of thinning, where debris cover expands and thickens.
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