The authors have provided a detailed examination of the efficacy and operational approach to using smart stakes. Place Glacier, British Columbia is the location for this detailed field test. This location has a combination of long-term mass balance records, ongoing mass balance observations, automatic weather station, PlanetScope and recent annual Lidar observations. This makes for a perfect test site location. The authors emphasize repeatedly that smart stakes are low cost as a key part of this study but have not provided a cost range for the product or its operation. The cost is as essential as identifying their accuracy, for determining if they are best suited as a supplement to an existing stake network, adding high temporal resolution data or can be deployed in place of that network. There have been other detailed ablation surveys conducted during specific heat events that should be noted as part of this important growing data set. Smart stakes can be a valuable tool for expanding this data set. Melt models based on data with limited temporal resolution can be impaired by temporal and spatial variations in ice dynamics, albedo variations, and wind effects. The smart stakes can be effective in identifying the temporal variations that impact all ablation stake studies.

I applaud the authors for a thorough test of a new system and providing a best-case approach to utilization of extensive complimentary data sets for both analysis and validation.  In future it would be wonderful to see how much melt context smart stake data can provide from a glacier that otherwise has limited field monitoring but has ongoing LIDAR or other geodetic observation.

Specific Comments

93: It is noted the upper part of the accumulation area was not instrumented due to logistical and safety reasons. However, earlier it was noted that the glacier has minimal crevassing. Is it worth being more specific on this constraint.

220: Other studies have utilized snow line migration across areas of previously measured snow depth to identify ablation. Is this what is being done with PlanetScope?

269: This is substantial tipping, did the manual stakes suffer this level of tilt due to near melt out? Are the smart stakes not emplaced as deeply or are they simply top heavy and prone to tilt earlier? The 4.88 m long stakes were drilled how deeply, it is noted that at least 0.8 m is exposed?

286: Figure 4A provides an excellent visual of snowpack variation.  I recommend that the accumulation area ratio be reported for each. Given the difference in melt rates for snow surface vs ice surface this is important.

316: This similarity in ablation from stake to stake has been noted for other regional glaciers, which maybe worth noting that this is not unusual.

339: The number of melt days is a crucial variable to identify for a melt model to work accuartely, the mapping of this variable in Figure 9 is quite valuable as a an example of best practice

400: Important to note the increased specific melt rates observed during 24 recent heat wave event in the Nooksack Basin, North Cascades (Pelto et al. 2022) that supports observations provided here.

412: Providing a better reference to more specific regional studies where melt factors were derived demonstrates contrast and context. Bidlake et al (2010) noted melt factors for South Cascade Glacier of 0.0039+ 0.0006 for snow and 0.0056 + 0.0008 for ice. On Mount Baker in the North Cascades, Pelto et al (2022) reported under overall weather conditions DDFs for snow is 0.0035 m w.e. °C⁻¹d⁻¹. For ice, the DDFi is 0.0053 m w.e. °C⁻¹d⁻¹ During heat waves this rose to a DDFs snow of 0.0043 m w.e. °C⁻¹d⁻¹. For ice, the DDFi is 0.0067 m w.e. °C⁻¹d⁻¹.

425: The four smart stakes did provide high resolution temporal data but at a low spatial resolution raising again the cost issue.

442: Good description of the challenges posed by the vertical component of velocity. Make sure to note that this poses the same challenge for any ablation stake system . Smart stakes may in fact allow for better understanding of this.

References

Bidlake, W.R., Josberger, E.G. and Savoca, M.E.: Modelled and Measured Glacier Change and Related Glacioloical, Hydrological and Meterorological conditions at South Cascade Galcier, WA, Balance and water years 2006-2007. USGS Science Investigation Report 2010-5143, US Geological Survey, Reston VA USA, 2010.

Pelto, M. S., Dryak, M., Pelto, J., Matthews, T., & Perry, L. B.: Contribution of Glacier Runoff during Heat Waves in the Nooksack River Basin USA. Water (7), 1145. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14071145, 2022.