Articles | Volume 7, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1227-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1227-2013
© Author(s) 2013. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Aug 2013
Research article |
| 06 Aug 2013
Reanalysing glacier mass balance measurement series
Department of Geography, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
E. Thibert
IRSTEA, UR ETGR Erosion Torrentielle, Neige et Avalanches, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg (UFR), Fribourg, Switzerland
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal
C. Rolstad Denby
Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Ås, Norway
Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo (UiO), Oslo, Norway
S. U. Nussbaumer
Department of Geography, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
G. Moholdt
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, USA
A. Mercer
Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Commission for Geodesy and Glaciology, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich, Germany
P. C. Joerg
Department of Geography, University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
P. Jansson
Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG), Vienna, Austria
A. Fischer
Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Innsbruck, Austria
H. Escher-Vetter
Commission for Geodesy and Glaciology, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich, Germany
H. Elvehøy
Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Oslo, Norway
L. M. Andreassen
Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Oslo, Norway
Related authors
Andreas Güntner, Ehsan Sharifi, Julian Haas, Eva Boergens, Feifei Cao, Christoph Dahle, Neda Darbeheshti, Henryk Dobslaw, Inés Dussaillant, Wouter Dorigo, Frank Flechtner, Adrian Jäggi, Miriam Kosmale, Martin Lasser, Kari Luojus, Ulrich Meyer, Adam Pasik, Wolfgang Preimersberger, Claudia Ruz Vargas, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-797, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-797, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
We provide a data set that illustrates how the amount of water that is stored in the subsurface as groundwater varies in time over the continents of the Earth. A main source of the data are observations with satellites that weigh the changing amount of water by its mass attraction effect. The data allow for assessing how groundwater as the most important freshwater resource for mankind and ecosystems is affected by climate variability, climate change and withdrawal by human activities.
Inés Dussaillant, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Etienne Berthier, Jacqueline Bannwart, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1977–2006, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our research observes glacier mass changes worldwide from 1976 to 2024, revealing an alarming increase in melt, especially in the last decade and the record year of 2023. By combining field and satellite observations, we provide annual mass changes for all glaciers in the world, showing significant contributions to global sea level rise. This work underscores the need for ongoing local monitoring and global climate action to mitigate the effects of glacier loss and its broader environmental impacts.
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.
Karina von Schuckmann, Audrey Minière, Flora Gues, Francisco José Cuesta-Valero, Gottfried Kirchengast, Susheel Adusumilli, Fiammetta Straneo, Michaël Ablain, Richard P. Allan, Paul M. Barker, Hugo Beltrami, Alejandro Blazquez, Tim Boyer, Lijing Cheng, John Church, Damien Desbruyeres, Han Dolman, Catia M. Domingues, Almudena García-García, Donata Giglio, John E. Gilson, Maximilian Gorfer, Leopold Haimberger, Maria Z. Hakuba, Stefan Hendricks, Shigeki Hosoda, Gregory C. Johnson, Rachel Killick, Brian King, Nicolas Kolodziejczyk, Anton Korosov, Gerhard Krinner, Mikael Kuusela, Felix W. Landerer, Moritz Langer, Thomas Lavergne, Isobel Lawrence, Yuehua Li, John Lyman, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Michael Mayer, Andrew H. MacDougall, Trevor McDougall, Didier Paolo Monselesan, Jan Nitzbon, Inès Otosaka, Jian Peng, Sarah Purkey, Dean Roemmich, Kanako Sato, Katsunari Sato, Abhishek Savita, Axel Schweiger, Andrew Shepherd, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Leon Simons, Donald A. Slater, Thomas Slater, Andrea K. Steiner, Toshio Suga, Tanguy Szekely, Wim Thiery, Mary-Louise Timmermans, Inne Vanderkelen, Susan E. Wjiffels, Tonghua Wu, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1675–1709, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's climate is out of energy balance, and this study quantifies how much heat has consequently accumulated over the past decades (ocean: 89 %, land: 6 %, cryosphere: 4 %, atmosphere: 1 %). Since 1971, this accumulated heat reached record values at an increasing pace. The Earth heat inventory provides a comprehensive view on the status and expectation of global warming, and we call for an implementation of this global climate indicator into the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake.
Martin Rückamp, Gong Cheng, Karlheinz Gutjahr, Marco Möller, Petri K. E. Pellikka, and Christoph Mayer
The Cryosphere, 20, 2999–3024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2999-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2999-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The study simulates the 21st-century evolution of Great Aletsch Glacier and Hintereisferner using full-Stokes ice dynamics and surface mass balance under different emission scenarios. Results show significant ice loss, with Hintereisferner expected to disappear by mid-century. Great Aletsch Glacier vanish by the end of the century under high-emission scenarios, but persist under lower-emission scenarios. These trends agree with large-scale models except some variability.
Tancrède P. M. Leger, Guillaume Jouvet, Sarah Kamleitner, Brandon D. Finley, Maxime Bernard, Balthazar Allegri, Frédéric Herman, Andreas Vieli, Andreas Henz, and Samuel U. Nussbaumer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 361–389, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-361-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-361-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
This study reconstructs for the first time the transport-pathways of sediments by glaciers during the last glaciation of the European Alps, 24000 years ago. This helps us understand how the European Alps were shaped by past glaciations and helps us better constrain the mechanisms of iceflow, glacier erosion and the movement of large sediment masses by ice. This breakthrough is achieved by coupling a smart particle-tracking algorithm to a machine-learning-enhanced glacier evolution model.
Theresa Dobler, Wilfried Hagg, Martin Rückamp, Thorsten Seehaus, and Christoph Mayer
The Cryosphere, 20, 2531–2555, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2531-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-2531-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how a glacier in the Austrian Alps moves more slowly over time due to climate change. By combining long-term field data with recent aerial images, we show how thinning reduce glacier flow. Our findings help understand changes in glacier behavior in a warming climate.
Robert S. Fausto, Penelope How, Baptiste Vandecrux, Mads C. Lund, Jason E. Box, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Signe B. Andersen, Dirk van As, Rasmus Bahbah, Michele Citterio, William Colgan, Henrik T. Jakobsgaard, Nanna B. Karlsson, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Signe H. Larsen, Charlotte Olsen, Falk M. Oraschewski, Anja Rutishauser, Christopher L. Shields, Anne M. Solgaard, Ian T. Stevens, Synne H. Svendsen, Kirsty Langley, Alexandra Messerli, Anders A. Bjørk, Jonas K. Andersen, Jakob Abermann, Jakob Steiner, Rainer Prinz, Berhard Hynek, James M. Lea, Stephen Brough, and Andreas P. Ahlstrøm
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 2829–2873, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2829-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2829-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
In summary, the PROMICE (Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet ) | GC-NET AWS (Greenland Climate Network automatic weather station) data product update represents a significant advancement in Arctic climate monitoring. Through enhanced station designs, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and a transparent, automated data processing workflow, the dataset offers an essential resource for studying the Greenland Ice Sheet and its periphery, validating climate models, and supporting global assessments of cryospheric change.
Akash M. Patil, Christoph Mayer, Theo M. Jenk, Astrid Lambrecht, Thorsten Seehaus, Alexander R. Groos, and Michelle Worek
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1721, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1721, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Our study focused on understanding how a warming climate affects the Aletsch glacier accumulation area. We used multi-year radar measurements and direct firn‑core analyses to estimate changes in density, layering, and compaction of snow-to-ice over a year. Our results show that the upper layers of the glacier are changing faster due to stronger summer melt in the lower parts of the accumulation zone. Our findings help to improve firn densification models and glacier mass-balance estimation.
Francesca Pellicciotti, Adrià Fontrodona-Bach, David R. Rounce, Catriona L. Fyffe, Leif S. Anderson, Álvaro Ayala, Ben W. Brock, Pascal Buri, Stefan Fugger, Koji Fujita, Prateek Gantayat, Alexander R. Groos, Walter Immerzeel, Marin Kneib, Christoph Mayer, Shelley MacDonell, Michael McCarthy, James McPhee, Evan Miles, Heather Purdie, Ekaterina Rets, Akiko Sakai, Thomas E. Shaw, Jakob Steiner, Patrick Wagnon, and Alex Winter-Billington
The Cryosphere, 20, 1895–1928, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1895-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1895-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
Rock debris covers many of the world glaciers, modifying the transfer of atmospheric energy to the debris and into the ice. Models of different complexity simulate this process, and we compare 15 models at 9 sites to show that the most complex models at the debris-atmosphere interface have the highest performance. However, we lack debris properties and their derivation from measurements is ambiguous, hindering global modelling and calling for both model development and data collection.
Lea Hartl, Jakob Abermann, Ayla Akgün, Giulia Bertolotti, Tobias Bolch, Svenja Conzelmann, Codrut-Andrei Diaconu, Iris Hansche, Anne Hartig, Anna Haut, Kay Helfricht, Bernhard Hynek, Marie Sophie Kaucher, Andreas Kellerer-Pirklbauer, Ann Christin Kogel, Julie Krippes, Marcela Violeta Lauria, Christoph Mayer, Jan-Christoph Otto, Rainer Prinz, Sina Prölß, Lorenzo Rieg, Lea Schönleber, Gabriele Schwaizer, Bernd Seiser, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Markus Strudl, Martin Verhounik, and Harald Zandler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1241, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1241, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
We mapped glacier outlines in Austria using recent, high resolution imagery. The resulting glacier inventory provides an update on glacier area in Austria in 2021-2023. More than 30% of glacier area was lost and 95 glaciers have disappeared since the mid-2000s. Glacier recession is accelerating and regular updates to glacier inventories are needed to understand downstream changes to the hydrological system, quantify glacier mass loss, and support planning and adaptation measures.
Vikram Goel, Carlos Martín, Kenichi Matsuoka, Bhanu Pratap, Geir Moholdt, Rahul Dey, Chavarukonam M. Laluraj, and Meloth Thamban
The Cryosphere, 20, 1363–1378, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1363-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1363-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
We identified an ideal site in coastal East Antarctica for extracting ice core that contain detailed climate records dating back 20 000 years. We surveyed two ice rises combining radar measurements with ice flow modeling to assess their suitability. One site emerged as optimal, offering well-preserved climate history with high temporal resolution. An ice core record from this site could help us understand historical interactions between sea ice, winds, and precipitation patterns in the region.
Andreas Güntner, Ehsan Sharifi, Julian Haas, Eva Boergens, Feifei Cao, Christoph Dahle, Neda Darbeheshti, Henryk Dobslaw, Inés Dussaillant, Wouter Dorigo, Frank Flechtner, Adrian Jäggi, Miriam Kosmale, Martin Lasser, Kari Luojus, Ulrich Meyer, Adam Pasik, Wolfgang Preimersberger, Claudia Ruz Vargas, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-797, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-797, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
We provide a data set that illustrates how the amount of water that is stored in the subsurface as groundwater varies in time over the continents of the Earth. A main source of the data are observations with satellites that weigh the changing amount of water by its mass attraction effect. The data allow for assessing how groundwater as the most important freshwater resource for mankind and ecosystems is affected by climate variability, climate change and withdrawal by human activities.
Marit van Tiel, Matthias Huss, Massimiliano Zappa, Tobias Jonas, and Daniel Farinotti
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 30, 23–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-23-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-30-23-2026, 2026
Short summary
Short summary
The summer of 2022 was extremely warm and dry in Europe, severely impacting water availability. We calculated water balance anomalies for 88 glacierized catchments in Switzerland, showing that glaciers played a crucial role in alleviating the drought situation by melting at record rates, partially compensating for the lack of rain and snowmelt. By comparing 2022 with past extreme years, we show that while glacier meltwater remains essential during droughts, its contribution is declining.
Alexandra von der Esch, Matthias Huss, Marit van Tiel, Justine Berg, and Daniel Farinotti
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 29, 6761–6780, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-6761-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-29-6761-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers are vital water sources, especially in alpine regions. Using the Glacier Evolution Runoff Model (GERM), we examined how forcing data and model resolution impact glacio-hydrological model results. We find that precipitation biases greatly affect results, and coarse resolutions miss critical small-scale details. This highlights the trade-offs between computational efficiency and model accuracy, emphasizing the need for high-resolution data and precise calibration for reliable predictions.
Andreas Henz, Johannes Reinthaler, Samuel U. Nussbaumer, Tancrède P. M. Leger, Sarah Kamleitner, Guillaume Jouvet, and Andreas Vieli
The Cryosphere, 19, 5913–5937, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5913-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5913-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers are key to understanding climate change, reflecting historical variability. Using glacier models on the computer, we reconstructed European Alps glaciers during the Little Ice Age, with a total ice volume of 283 ± 42 cubic kilometres. Also, the study determines equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) for over 4000 glaciers, showing patterns influenced by temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation. After all, we introduce a new ELA correction approach based on solar incidence.
Henning Åkesson, Kamilla Hauknes Sjursen, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Thorben Dunse, Liss Marie Andreassen, Mette Kusk Gillespie, Benjamin Aubrey Robson, Thomas Schellenberger, and Jacob Clement Yde
The Cryosphere, 19, 5871–5902, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5871-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5871-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We model the historical and future evolution of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap in Norway, projecting substantial and largely irreversible mass loss for the 21st century, and that the ice cap will split into three parts. Further mass loss is in the pipeline, with a disappearance during the 22nd century under high emissions. Our study demonstrates an approach to model complex ice masses, highlights uncertainties due to precipitation, and calls for further research on long-term future glacier change.
Kamilla Hauknes Sjursen, Jordi Bolibar, Marijn van der Meer, Liss Marie Andreassen, Julian Peter Biesheuvel, Thorben Dunse, Matthias Huss, Fabien Maussion, David R. Rounce, and Brandon Tober
The Cryosphere, 19, 5801–5826, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5801-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5801-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding glacier mass changes is crucial for assessing freshwater availability in many regions of the world. We present the Mass Balance Machine, a machine learning model that learns from sparse measurements of glacier mass change to make predictions on unmonitored glaciers. Using data from Norway, we show that the model provides accurate estimates of mass changes at different spatiotemporal scales. Our findings show that machine learning can be a valuable tool to improve such predictions.
Akash M. Patil, Christoph Mayer, Thorsten Seehaus, Alexander R. Groos, and Andreas Bauder
The Cryosphere, 19, 5547–5577, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5547-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5547-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how the density of snow to ice transition varies with depth in the Aletsch glacier using radar-based field measurements and some simple models. We showed that it is possible to track how much snow has accumulated in the last 10–14 years. This helps improve the uncertainties in glacier mass balance estimates. Overall, by utilising non-invasive radar techniques and models, we provide a novel approach to understanding the evolution of glaciers under regional climate conditions.
Aaron Cremona, Matthias Huss, Johannes Marian Landmann, Mauro Marty, Marijn van der Meer, Christian Ginzler, and Daniel Farinotti
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2929, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2929, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our study provides daily mass balance estimates for every Swiss glacier from 2010–2024 using modelling, remote sensing observations, and machine learning. Over the period, Swiss glaciers lost nearly a quarter of their ice volume. The approach enables investigating the spatio-temporal variability of glacier mass balance in relation to the driving climatic factors.
Inés Dussaillant, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Etienne Berthier, Jacqueline Bannwart, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1977–2006, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our research observes glacier mass changes worldwide from 1976 to 2024, revealing an alarming increase in melt, especially in the last decade and the record year of 2023. By combining field and satellite observations, we provide annual mass changes for all glaciers in the world, showing significant contributions to global sea level rise. This work underscores the need for ongoing local monitoring and global climate action to mitigate the effects of glacier loss and its broader environmental impacts.
Finn Wimberly, Lizz Ultee, Lilian Schuster, Matthias Huss, David R. Rounce, Fabien Maussion, Sloan Coats, Jonathan Mackay, and Erik Holmgren
The Cryosphere, 19, 1491–1511, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1491-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1491-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier models have historically been used to understand glacier melt’s contribution to sea level rise. The capacity to project seasonal glacier runoff is a relatively recent development for these models. In this study we provide the first model intercomparison of runoff projections for the glacier evolution models capable of simulating future runoff globally. We compare model projections from 2000 to 2100 for all major river basins larger than 3000 km2 with over 30 km2 of initial glacier cover.
Janneke van Ginkel, Fabian Walter, Fabian Lindner, Miroslav Hallo, Matthias Huss, and Donat Fäh
The Cryosphere, 19, 1469–1490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1469-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study on Glacier de la Plaine Morte in Switzerland employs various passive seismic analysis methods to identify complex hydraulic behaviours at the ice–bedrock interface. In 4 months of seismic records, we detect spatio-temporal variations in the glacier's basal interface, following the drainage of an ice-marginal lake. We identify a low-velocity layer, whose properties are determined using modelling techniques. This low-velocity layer results from temporary water storage subglacially.
Marijn van der Meer, Harry Zekollari, Matthias Huss, Jordi Bolibar, Kamilla Hauknes Sjursen, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 19, 805–826, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-805-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-805-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier retreat poses big challenges, making understanding how climate affects glaciers vital. But glacier measurements worldwide are limited. We created a simple machine-learning model called miniML-MB, which estimates annual changes in glacier mass in the Swiss Alps. As input, miniML-MB uses two climate variables: average temperature (May–Aug) and total precipitation (Oct–Feb). Our model can accurately predict glacier mass from 1961 to 2021 but struggles for extreme years (2022 and 2023).
Jennifer F. Arthur, Calvin Shackleton, Geir Moholdt, Kenichi Matsuoka, and Jelte van Oostveen
The Cryosphere, 19, 375–392, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-375-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-375-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes can form beneath the large ice sheets and can influence ice-sheet dynamics and stability. Some of these subglacial lakes are active, meaning that they periodically drain and refill. Here we report seven new active subglacial lakes close to the Antarctic Ice Sheet margin using satellite measurements of ice surface height changes in a region where little was known previously. These findings improve our understanding of subglacial hydrology and will help refine subglacial hydrological models.
Mette K. Gillespie, Liss M. Andreassen, Matthias Huss, Simon de Villiers, Kamilla H. Sjursen, Jostein Aasen, Jostein Bakke, Jan M. Cederstrøm, Hallgeir Elvehøy, Bjarne Kjøllmoen, Even Loe, Marte Meland, Kjetil Melvold, Sigurd D. Nerhus, Torgeir O. Røthe, Eivind W. N. Støren, Kåre Øst, and Jacob C. Yde
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5799–5825, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5799-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5799-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present an extensive ice thickness dataset from Jostedalsbreen ice cap that will serve as a baseline for future studies of regional climate-induced change. Results show that Jostedalsbreen currently (~2020) has a maximum ice thickness of ~630 m, a mean ice thickness of 154 ± 22 m and an ice volume of 70.6 ±10.2 km3. Ice of less than 50 m thickness covers two narrow regions of Jostedalsbreen, and the ice cap is likely to separate into three parts in a warming climate.
Etienne Berthier, Jérôme Lebreton, Delphine Fontannaz, Steven Hosford, Joaquín Muñoz-Cobo Belart, Fanny Brun, Liss M. Andreassen, Brian Menounos, and Charlotte Blondel
The Cryosphere, 18, 5551–5571, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5551-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5551-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Repeat elevation measurements are crucial for monitoring glacier health and to understand how glaciers affect river flows and sea level. Until recently, high-resolution elevation data were mostly available for polar regions and High Mountain Asia. Our project, the Pléiades Glacier Observatory, now provides high-resolution topographies of 140 glacier sites worldwide. This is a novel and open dataset to monitor the impact of climate change on glaciers at high resolution and accuracy.
Bernhard Hynek, Daniel Binder, Michele Citterio, Signe Hillerup Larsen, Jakob Abermann, Geert Verhoeven, Elke Ludewig, and Wolfgang Schöner
The Cryosphere, 18, 5481–5494, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5481-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5481-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
An avalanche event in February 2018 caused thick snow deposits on Freya Glacier, a peripheral mountain glacier in northeastern Greenland. The avalanche deposits contributed significantly to the mass balance, leaving a strong imprint in the elevation changes in 2013–2021. The 8-year geodetic mass balance (2013–2021) of the glacier is positive, whereas previous estimates by direct measurements were negative and now turned out to have a negative bias.
Harry Zekollari, Matthias Huss, Lilian Schuster, Fabien Maussion, David R. Rounce, Rodrigo Aguayo, Nicolas Champollion, Loris Compagno, Romain Hugonnet, Ben Marzeion, Seyedhamidreza Mojtabavi, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 18, 5045–5066, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5045-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5045-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers are major contributors to sea-level rise and act as key water resources. Here, we model the global evolution of glaciers under the latest generation of climate scenarios. We show that the type of observations used for model calibration can strongly affect the projections at the local scale. Our newly projected 21st century global mass loss is higher than the current community estimate as reported in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Signe Hillerup Larsen, Daniel Binder, Anja Rutishauser, Bernhard Hynek, Robert Schjøtt Fausto, and Michele Citterio
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 4103–4118, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4103-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4103-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring programme has been running since 1995. In 2008, the Glaciological monitoring sub-program GlacioBasis was initiated at the Zackenberg site in northeast Greenland, with a transect of three weather stations on the A. P. Olsen Ice Cap. In 2022, the weather stations were replaced with a more standardized set up. Here, we provide the reprocessed and quality-checked data from 2008 to 2022, i.e., the first 15 years of continued monitoring.
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.
Jérôme Lopez-Saez, Christophe Corona, Lenka Slamova, Matthias Huss, Valérie Daux, Kurt Nicolussi, and Markus Stoffel
Clim. Past, 20, 1251–1267, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1251-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1251-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in the European Alps have been retreating since the 1850s. Monitoring glacier mass balance is vital for understanding global changes, but only a few glaciers have long-term data. This study aims to reconstruct the mass balance of the Silvretta Glacier in the Swiss Alps using stable isotopes and tree ring proxies. Results indicate increased glacier mass until the 19th century, followed by a sharp decline after the Little Ice Age with accelerated losses due to anthropogenic warming.
Anna Wendleder, Jasmin Bramboeck, Jamie Izzard, Thilo Erbertseder, Pablo d'Angelo, Andreas Schmitt, Duncan J. Quincey, Christoph Mayer, and Matthias H. Braun
The Cryosphere, 18, 1085–1103, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1085-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1085-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study analyses the basal sliding and the hydrological drainage of Baltoro Glacier, Pakistan. The surface velocity was characterized by a spring speed-up, summer peak, and autumn speed-up. Snow melt has the largest impact on the spring speed-up, summer velocity peak, and the transition from inefficient to efficient drainage. Drainage from supraglacial lakes contributed to the fall speed-up. Increased summer temperatures will intensify the magnitude of meltwater and thus surface velocities.
Michael Paster, Peter Flödl, Anton Neureiter, Gernot Weyss, Berhnard Hynek, Ulrich Pulg, Rannveig Øvrevik Skoglund, Helmut Habersack, and Christoph Hauer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2023-267, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2023-267, 2024
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Triggered by global warming, glacier melt is repeatedly reaching peak values year by year. This development leads to a continuous enlargement of glacier forelands, accompanied by increasing sediment availability and a change in meltwater runoff behavior. The study describes an essential development step of proglacial channel evolution using river engineering methods. This is relevant to adequately define glacifluvial processes and downstream sediment yields in these transitioning landscapes.
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.
Lander Van Tricht, Harry Zekollari, Matthias Huss, Daniel Farinotti, and Philippe Huybrechts
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-87, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-87, 2023
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Detailed 3D models can be applied for well-studied glaciers, whereas simplified approaches are used for regional/global assessments. We conducted a comparison of six Tien Shan glaciers employing different models and investigated the impact of in-situ measurements. Our results reveal that the choice of mass balance and ice flow model as well as calibration have minimal impact on the projected volume. The initial ice thickness exerts the greatest influence on the future remaining ice volume.
Christian Sommer, Johannes J. Fürst, Matthias Huss, and Matthias H. Braun
The Cryosphere, 17, 2285–2303, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2285-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2285-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge on the volume of glaciers is important to project future runoff. Here, we present a novel approach to reconstruct the regional ice thickness distribution from easily available remote-sensing data. We show that past ice thickness, derived from spaceborne glacier area and elevation datasets, can constrain the estimated ice thickness. Based on the unique glaciological database of the European Alps, the approach will be most beneficial in regions without direct thickness measurements.
Lena Katharina Schmidt, Till Francke, Peter Martin Grosse, Christoph Mayer, and Axel Bronstert
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 1841–1863, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1841-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-1841-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present a suitable method to reconstruct sediment export from decadal records of hydroclimatic predictors (discharge, precipitation, temperature) and shorter suspended sediment measurements. This lets us fill the knowledge gap on how sediment export from glacierized high-alpine areas has responded to climate change. We find positive trends in sediment export from the two investigated nested catchments with step-like increases around 1981 which are linked to crucial changes in glacier melt.
Aaron Cremona, Matthias Huss, Johannes Marian Landmann, Joël Borner, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 17, 1895–1912, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1895-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1895-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Summer heat waves have a substantial impact on glacier melt as emphasized by the extreme summer of 2022. This study presents a novel approach for detecting extreme glacier melt events at the regional scale based on the combination of automatically retrieved point mass balance observations and modelling approaches. The in-depth analysis of summer 2022 evidences the strong correspondence between heat waves and extreme melt events and demonstrates their significance for seasonal melt.
Karina von Schuckmann, Audrey Minière, Flora Gues, Francisco José Cuesta-Valero, Gottfried Kirchengast, Susheel Adusumilli, Fiammetta Straneo, Michaël Ablain, Richard P. Allan, Paul M. Barker, Hugo Beltrami, Alejandro Blazquez, Tim Boyer, Lijing Cheng, John Church, Damien Desbruyeres, Han Dolman, Catia M. Domingues, Almudena García-García, Donata Giglio, John E. Gilson, Maximilian Gorfer, Leopold Haimberger, Maria Z. Hakuba, Stefan Hendricks, Shigeki Hosoda, Gregory C. Johnson, Rachel Killick, Brian King, Nicolas Kolodziejczyk, Anton Korosov, Gerhard Krinner, Mikael Kuusela, Felix W. Landerer, Moritz Langer, Thomas Lavergne, Isobel Lawrence, Yuehua Li, John Lyman, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Michael Mayer, Andrew H. MacDougall, Trevor McDougall, Didier Paolo Monselesan, Jan Nitzbon, Inès Otosaka, Jian Peng, Sarah Purkey, Dean Roemmich, Kanako Sato, Katsunari Sato, Abhishek Savita, Axel Schweiger, Andrew Shepherd, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Leon Simons, Donald A. Slater, Thomas Slater, Andrea K. Steiner, Toshio Suga, Tanguy Szekely, Wim Thiery, Mary-Louise Timmermans, Inne Vanderkelen, Susan E. Wjiffels, Tonghua Wu, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1675–1709, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's climate is out of energy balance, and this study quantifies how much heat has consequently accumulated over the past decades (ocean: 89 %, land: 6 %, cryosphere: 4 %, atmosphere: 1 %). Since 1971, this accumulated heat reached record values at an increasing pace. The Earth heat inventory provides a comprehensive view on the status and expectation of global warming, and we call for an implementation of this global climate indicator into the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake.
Matteo Guidicelli, Matthias Huss, Marco Gabella, and Nadine Salzmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 977–1002, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-977-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-977-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Spatio-temporal reconstruction of winter glacier mass balance is important for assessing long-term impacts of climate change. However, high-altitude regions significantly lack reliable observations, which is limiting the calibration of glaciological and hydrological models. We aim at improving knowledge on the spatio-temporal variations in winter glacier mass balance by exploring the combination of data from reanalyses and direct snow accumulation observations on glaciers with machine learning.
Anirudha Mahagaonkar, Geir Moholdt, and Thomas V. Schuler
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-4, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-4, 2023
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Surface meltwater lakes along the margins of the Antarctic Ice Sheet can be important for ice shelf dynamics and stability. We used optical satellite imagery to study seasonal evolution of meltwater lakes in Dronning Maud Land. We found large interannual variability in lake extents, but with consistent seasonal patterns. Although correlation with summer air temperature was strong locally, other climatic and environmental factors need to be considered to explain the large regional variability.
Michael Paster, Peter Flödl, Anton Neureiter, Gernot Weyss, Bernhard Hynek, Ulrich Pulg, Rannveig Øvrevik Skoglund, Helmut Habersack, and Christoph Hauer
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-347, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-347, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers experienced record-breaking melting rates in recent years. This development leads to a continuous enlargement of glacier forelands, accompanied by increasing sediment availability and altered meltwater runoff behavior. This study describes the final development step of the gradual meltwater channel evolution using river engineering techniques. This is relevant to adequately define high alpine fluvial processes and sediment yields in these transitional landscapes.
Pau Wiersma, Jerom Aerts, Harry Zekollari, Markus Hrachowitz, Niels Drost, Matthias Huss, Edwin H. Sutanudjaja, and Rolf Hut
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 5971–5986, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5971-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-5971-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We test whether coupling a global glacier model (GloGEM) with a global hydrological model (PCR-GLOBWB 2) leads to a more realistic glacier representation and to improved basin runoff simulations across 25 large-scale basins. The coupling does lead to improved glacier representation, mainly by accounting for glacier flow and net glacier mass loss, and to improved basin runoff simulations, mostly in strongly glacier-influenced basins, which is where the coupling has the most impact.
Jonathan P. Conway, Jakob Abermann, Liss M. Andreassen, Mohd Farooq Azam, Nicolas J. Cullen, Noel Fitzpatrick, Rianne H. Giesen, Kirsty Langley, Shelley MacDonell, Thomas Mölg, Valentina Radić, Carleen H. Reijmer, and Jean-Emmanuel Sicart
The Cryosphere, 16, 3331–3356, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3331-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3331-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We used data from automatic weather stations on 16 glaciers to show how clouds influence glacier melt in different climates around the world. We found surface melt was always more frequent when it was cloudy but was not universally faster or slower than under clear-sky conditions. Also, air temperature was related to clouds in opposite ways in different climates – warmer with clouds in cold climates and vice versa. These results will help us improve how we model past and future glacier melt.
Erik Schytt Mannerfelt, Amaury Dehecq, Romain Hugonnet, Elias Hodel, Matthias Huss, Andreas Bauder, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 16, 3249–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3249-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
How glaciers have responded to climate change over the last 20 years is well-known, but earlier data are much more scarce. We change this in Switzerland by using 22 000 photographs taken from mountain tops between the world wars and find a halving of Swiss glacier volume since 1931. This was done through new automated processing techniques that we created. The data are interesting for more than just glaciers, such as mapping forest changes, landslides, and human impacts on the terrain.
Lea Geibel, Matthias Huss, Claudia Kurzböck, Elias Hodel, Andreas Bauder, and Daniel Farinotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3293–3312, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3293-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier monitoring in Switzerland started in the 19th century, providing exceptional data series documenting snow accumulation and ice melt. Raw point observations of surface mass balance have, however, never been systematically compiled so far, including complete metadata. Here, we present an extensive dataset with more than 60 000 point observations of surface mass balance covering 60 Swiss glaciers and almost 140 years, promoting a better understanding of the drivers of recent glacier change.
Tim Steffen, Matthias Huss, Rebekka Estermann, Elias Hodel, and Daniel Farinotti
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 723–741, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-723-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-723-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is rapidly altering high-alpine landscapes. The formation of new lakes in areas becoming ice free due to glacier retreat is one of the many consequences of this process. Here, we provide an estimate for the number, size, time of emergence, and sediment infill of future glacier lakes that will emerge in the Swiss Alps. We estimate that up to ~ 680 potential lakes could form over the course of the 21st century, with the potential to hold a total water volume of up to ~ 1.16 km3.
Astrid Oetting, Emma C. Smith, Jan Erik Arndt, Boris Dorschel, Reinhard Drews, Todd A. Ehlers, Christoph Gaedicke, Coen Hofstede, Johann P. Klages, Gerhard Kuhn, Astrid Lambrecht, Andreas Läufer, Christoph Mayer, Ralf Tiedemann, Frank Wilhelms, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 16, 2051–2066, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2051-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2051-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study combines a variety of geophysical measurements in front of and beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf in order to identify and interpret geomorphological evidences of past ice sheet flow, extent and retreat.
The maximal extent of grounded ice in this region was 11 km away from the continental shelf break.
The thickness of palaeo-ice on the calving front around the LGM was estimated to be at least 305 to 320 m.
We provide essential boundary conditions for palaeo-ice-sheet models.
Loris Compagno, Matthias Huss, Evan Stewart Miles, Michael James McCarthy, Harry Zekollari, Amaury Dehecq, Francesca Pellicciotti, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 16, 1697–1718, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1697-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1697-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Christophe Ogier, Mauro A. Werder, Matthias Huss, Isabelle Kull, David Hodel, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 15, 5133–5150, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5133-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5133-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier-dammed lakes are prone to draining rapidly when the ice dam breaks and constitute a serious threat to populations downstream. Such a lake drainage can proceed through an open-air channel at the glacier surface. In this study, we present what we believe to be the most complete dataset to date of an ice-dammed lake drainage through such an open-air channel. We provide new insights for future glacier-dammed lake drainage modelling studies and hazard assessments.
Johannes Marian Landmann, Hans Rudolf Künsch, Matthias Huss, Christophe Ogier, Markus Kalisch, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 15, 5017–5040, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5017-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5017-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we (1) acquire real-time information on point glacier mass balance with autonomous real-time cameras and (2) assimilate these observations into a mass balance model ensemble driven by meteorological input. For doing so, we use a customized particle filter that we designed for the specific purposes of our study. We find melt rates of up to 0.12 m water equivalent per day and show that our assimilation method has a higher performance than reference mass balance models.
Joschka Geissler, Christoph Mayer, Juilson Jubanski, Ulrich Münzer, and Florian Siegert
The Cryosphere, 15, 3699–3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3699-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3699-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The study demonstrates the potential of photogrammetry for analyzing glacier retreat with high spatial resolution. Twenty-three glaciers within the Ötztal Alps are analyzed. We compare photogrammetric and glaciologic mass balances of the Vernagtferner by using the ELA for our density assumption and an UAV survey for a temporal correction of the geodetic mass balances. The results reveal regions of anomalous mass balance and allow estimates of the imbalance between mass balances and ice dynamics.
Dorothea Stumm, Sharad Prasad Joshi, Tika Ram Gurung, and Gunjan Silwal
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 3791–3818, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3791-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3791-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier mass change data are valuable as a climate indicator and help to verify simulations of glaciological and hydrological processes. Data from the Himalaya are rare; hence, we established monitoring programmes on two glaciers in the Nepal Himalaya. We measured annual mass changes on Yala and Rikha Samba glaciers from 2011 to 2017 and calculated satellite-based mass changes from 2000 to 2012 for Yala Glacier. Both glaciers are shrinking, following the general trend in the Himalayas.
Lukas Müller, Martin Horwath, Mirko Scheinert, Christoph Mayer, Benjamin Ebermann, Dana Floricioiu, Lukas Krieger, Ralf Rosenau, and Saurabh Vijay
The Cryosphere, 15, 3355–3375, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3355-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3355-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Harald Moltke Bræ, a marine-terminating glacier in north-western Greenland, undergoes remarkable surges of episodic character. Our data show that a recent surge from 2013 to 2019 was initiated at the glacier front and exhibits a pronounced seasonality with flow velocities varying by 1 order of magnitude, which has not been observed at Harald Moltke Bræ in this way before. These findings are crucial for understanding surge mechanisms at Harald Moltke Bræ and other marine-terminating glaciers.
Hannah R. Field, William H. Armstrong, and Matthias Huss
The Cryosphere, 15, 3255–3278, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3255-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The growth of a glacier lake alters the hydrology, ecology, and glaciology of its surrounding region. We investigate modern glacier lake area change across northwestern North America using repeat satellite imagery. Broadly, we find that lakes downstream from glaciers grew, while lakes dammed by glaciers shrunk. Our results suggest that the shape of the landscape surrounding a glacier lake plays a larger role in determining how quickly a lake changes than climatic or glaciologic factors.
Loris Compagno, Sarah Eggs, Matthias Huss, Harry Zekollari, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 15, 2593–2599, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2593-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2593-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Recently, discussions have focused on the difference in limiting the increase in global average temperatures to below 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 °C compared to preindustrial levels. Here, we assess the impacts that such different scenarios would have on both the future evolution of glaciers in the European Alps and the water resources they provide. Our results show that the different temperature targets have important implications for the changes predicted until 2100.
Cited articles
Aguilar, E., Auer, I., Brunet, M., Peterson, T. C., and Wieringa, J.: Guidelines on climate metadata and homogenization, World Climate Programme Data and Monitoring, 53, 50 pp., 2003.
Albrecht, O., Jansson, P., and Blatter, H.: Modelling glacier response to measured mass-balance forcing, Ann. Glaciol., 31, 91–96, 2000.
Alexander, D., Shulmeister, J., and Davies, T.: High basal melting rates within high-precipitation temperate glaciers, J. Glaciol., 57, 789–795, 2011.
Andreassen, L. M., Kjøllmoen, B., Rasmussen, A., Melvold, K., and Nordli, Ø.: Langfjordjøkelen, a rapidly shrinking glacier in northern Norway, J. Glaciol., 58, 581–593, 2012.
Arendt, A. A., Echelmeyer, K. A., Harrison, W. D., Lingle, C. S., and Valentine, V. B.: Rapid wastage of Alaska glaciers and their contribution to rising sea level, Science, 297, 382–6, 2002.
Begert, M., Schlegel, T., and Kirchhofer, W.: Homogeneous temperature and precipitation series of Switzerland from 1864 to 2000, Int. J. Climatol., 25, 65–80, 2005.
Berthier, E., Arnaud, Y., Kumar, R., Ahmad, S., Wagnon, P., and Chevallier, P.: Remote sensing estimates of glacier mass balances in the Himachal Pradesh (Western Himalaya, India), Remote Sens. Environ., 108, 327–338, 2007.
Berthier, E., Schiefer, E., Clarke, G. K. C., Menounos, B., and Rémy, F.: Contribution of Alaskan glaciers to sea-level rise derived from satellite imagery, Nat. Geosci., 3, 92–95, 2010.
Cogley, J.: Geodetic and direct mass-balance measurements: comparison and joint analysis, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 96–100, 2009.
Cogley, J. G. and Adams, W. P.: Mass balance of glaciers other than the ice sheets, J. Glaciol., 44, 315–325, 1998.
Cogley, J. G., Hock, R., Rasmussen, L. A., Arendt, A. A., Bauder, A., Braithwaite, R. J., Jansson, P., Kaser, G., Möller, M., Nicholson, L., and Zemp, M.: Glossary of Glacier Mass Balance and Related Terms, IHP-VII Technical Documents in Hydrology No. 86, IACS Contribution No. 2, Paris, UNESCO-IHP, 114 pp., 2011.
Cox, L. H. and March, R. S.: Comparison of geodetic and glaciological mass-balance techniques, Gulkana Glacier, Alaska, USA, J. Glaciol., 50, 363–370, 2004.
Cuffey, K. and Paterson, W. S. B.: The physics of glaciers, 5th Edn., Massachusetts Academic Press, Burlington, 704 pp., 2010.
Eckert, N., Thibert, E., and Vincent, C.: Extracting the temporal signal from a winter and summer mass-balance series: application to a six-decade record at Glacier de Sarennes, French Alps, J. Glaciol., 57, 134–150, 2011.
Elsberg, D. H., Harrison, W. D., Echelmeyer, K. A., and Krimmel, R. M.: Quantifying the effects of climate and surface change on glacier mass balance, J. Glaciol., 47, 649–658, 2001.
Elvehøy, H., Jackson, M., and Andreassen, L. M.: The influence of drainage boundaries on specific mass-balance results: a case study of Engabreen, Norway, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 135–140, 2009.
Escher-Vetter, H., Kuhn, M., and Weber, M.: Four decades of winter mass balance of Vernagtferner and Hintereisferner, Austria: methodology and results, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 87–95, 2009.
Etzelmüller, B.: On the quantification of surface changes using grid-based Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), Transactions in GIS, 4, 129–143, 2000.
Finsterwalder, R. and Rentsch, H.: Zur Höhenänderung von Ostalpengletschern im Zeitraum 1969–1979, Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 16, 111–115, 1981.
Fischer, A.: Glaciers and climate change: Interpretation of 50 years of direct mass balance of Hintereisferner, Global Planet. Change, 71, 13–26, 2010.
Fischer, A.: Comparison of direct and geodetic mass balances on a multi-annual time scale, The Cryosphere, 5, 107–124, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-107-2011, 2011.
Fischer, A. and Markl, G.: Mass balance measurements on Hintereisferner, Kesselwandferner and Jamtalferner 2003 to 2006: database and results, Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 42, 47–83, 2009.
Fountain, A. G. and Vecchia, A.: How many stakes are required to measure the mass balance of a glacier?, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 563–573, 1999.
Funk, M., Morelli, R., and Stahel, W.: Mass balance of Griesgletscher 1961–1994: Different methods of determination, Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 33, 41–56, 1997.
GAA: Special issue on Methods of Mass Balance Measurements and Modelling, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 461–796, 1999.
Geist, T., Elvehøy, H., Jackson M., and Stötter J.: Investigations on intra-annual elevation changes using multitemporal airborne laser scanning data – case study Engabreen, Norway, Ann. Glaciol., 42, 195–201, 2005.
Gerbaux, M., Genthon, C., Etchevers, P., Vincent, C., and Dedieu, J. P.: Surface mass balance of glaciers in the French Alps: distributed modeling and sensitivity to climate change, J. Glaciol., 51, 561–572, 2005.
Haeberli, W.: Historical evolution and operational aspects of worldwide glacier monitoring, in: Into the second century of worldwide glacier monitoring: Prospects and strategies, edited by: Haeberli, W., Hoelzle, M., and Suter, S., UNESCO-IHP, Paris, France, 35–51, 1998.
Hagen, J. O., Eiken, T., Kohler, J., and Melvold, K.: Geometry changes on Svalbard glaciers: mass-balance or dynamic response?, Ann. Glaciol., 42, 255–261, 2005.
Haug, T., Rolstad, C., Elvehøy, H., Jackson, M., and Maalen-Johansen, I.: Geodetic mass balance of the western Svartisen ice cap, Norway, in the periods 1968–1985 and 1985–2002, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 119–125, 2009.
Hoinkes, H. C.: Methoden und Möglichkeiten von Massenhaushaltsstudien auf Gletschern: Ergebnisse der Messreihe Hintereisferner (Ötztaler Alpen) 1953–1968, Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 6, 37–90, 1970.
Holmlund, P.: Maps of Storglaciären and their use in glacier monitoring studies, Geogr. Ann. A, 78, 193–196, 1996.
Holmlund, P., Jansson, P., and Pettersson, R.: A re-analysis of the 58 year mass-balance record of Storglaciären, Sweden, Ann. Glaciol., 42, 389–394, 2005.
Hock, R. and Jensen, H.: Application of kriging interpolation for glacier mass balance computations, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 611–619, 1999.
Huss, M.: Density assumptions for converting geodetic glacier volume change to mass change, The Cryosphere, 7, 877–887, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-877-2013, 2013.
Huss, M., Bauder, A., and Funk, M.: Homogenization of long-term mass-balance time series, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 198–206, 2009.
Huss, M., Hock, R., Bauder, A., and Funk, M.: Conventional versus reference-surface mass balance, J. Glaciol., 58, 278–286, 2012.
Hynek, B., Unger, R., Schöner, W., Binder, D., and Weyss, G.: Comparison of direct and geodetic mass balances of three small glaciers in the Eastern Alps, Geophys. Res. Abstr., 14, EGU2012-9025, 2012.
IGS: Thematic issue on Mass Balance Measurements and Modelling, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 220 pp., 2009.
Jansson, P.: Effect of uncertainties in measured variables on the calculated mass balance of Storglaciären, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 633–642, 1999.
Joerg, P. C., Morsdorf, F., and Zemp, M.: Uncertainty assessment of multi-temporal airborne laser scanning data: A case study on an Alpine glacier, Remote Sens. Environ., 127, 118–129, 2012.
Josberg, E. G., Bidlake, W. R., March, R. S., and Kennedy, B. W.: Glacier mass-balance fluctuations in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, USA, Ann. Glaciol., 46, 291–296, 2007.
Kääb, A., Berthier, E., Nuth, C., Gardelle, J., and Arnaud, Y.: Contrasting patterns of early twenty-first century glacier mass change in the Himalayas, Nature, 488, 495–498, 2012.
Kalnay, E., Kanamitsu, M., Kistler, R., Collins, W., Deaven, D., Gandin, L., Iredell, M., Saha, S., White, G., Woollen, J., Zhu, Y., Chelliah, M., Ebisuzaki, W., Higgins, W., Janowiak, J., Mo, K. C., Ropelewski, C., Wang, J., Leetmaa, A., Reynolds, R., Jenne, R., and Dennis, J.: The NCEP/NCAR 40-year Reanalysis Project, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 77, 437–471, 1996.
Kaser, G., Fountain, A. G., and Jansson, P.: A manual for monitoring the mass balance of mountain glaciers with particular attention to low latitude characteristics. A contribution to the UNESCO HKH-Friend programme, Paris, France, 107 pp., 2003.
Kaser, G., Cogley, J., Dyurgerov, M., Meier, M., and Ohmura, A.: Mass balance of glaciers and ice caps: consensus estimates for 1961–2004, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L19501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027511, 2006.
Kjøllmoen, B., Andreassen, L. M., Elvehøy, H., Jackson, M., and Giesen, R. H.: Glaciological investigations in Norway in 2010, NVE Report, 2011-3, 89 pp., 2011.
Koblet, T., Gärtner-Roer, I., Zemp, M., Jansson, P., Thee, P., Haeberli, W., and Holmlund, P.: Reanalysis of multi-temporal aerial images of Storglaciären, Sweden (1959–99) – Part 1: Determination of length, area, and volume changes, The Cryosphere, 4, 333–343, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-333-2010, 2010.
Lang, H. and Patzelt, G.: Die Volumenänderungen des Hintereisferners (Ötztaler Alpen) im Vergleich zur Massenänderung im Zeitraum 1953–64, Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 7, 229–238, 1971.
Lliboutry, L.: Multivariate statistical analysis of glacier annual balances. J. Glaciol., 13, 371–392, 1974.
Magnússon, E., Björnsson, H., Dall, J., and Pálsson, F.: Volume changes of Vatnajökull Ice Cap, Iceland, due to surface mass balance, ice flow, and subglacial melting at geothermal areas, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L05504, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021615, 2005.
March, R. S. and Trabant, D. C.: Mass balance, meteorological, ice motion, surface altitude, and runoff data at Gulkana Glacier, Alaska, 1993 balance year, USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report, 96–4299, 30 pp., 1997.
Meier, M. F., Tangborn, W. V., Mayo, L. R., and Post, A.: Combined ice and water balances of Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers, Alaska, and South Cascade Glacier, Washington, 1965 and 1966 hydrologic years, USGS Prof. Pap. 715-A, 23 pp., 1971.
Miller, M. and Pelto, M.: Mass balance measurements on the Lemon Creek Glacier, Juneau Icefield, Alaska 1953–1998, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 671–681, 1999.
Moholdt, G., Nuth, C., Hagen, J., and Kohler, J.: Recent elevation changes of Svalbard glaciers derived from ICESat laser altimetry, Remote Sens. Environ., 114, 2756–2767, 2010.
Moser, H., Escher-Vetter, H., Oerter, H., Reinwarth, and Zunke, O. D.: Abfluß in und von Gletschern. GSF-Bericht 41/86, Teil I und II, GSF Gesellschaft für Strahlen- und Umweltforschung, München, 408 pp. and 147 pp., 1986.
Nussbaumer, S. U., Zemp, M., and Jansson, P.: Summary report on the "Workshop on Measurement and Uncertainty Assessment of Glacier Mass Balance", 9–11 July 2012, Tarfala, Sweden, World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, Switzerland, 11 pp., 2012.
Nuth, C. and Kääb, A.: Co-registration and bias corrections of satellite elevation data sets for quantifying glacier thickness change, The Cryosphere, 5, 271–290, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-271-2011, 2011.
Nuth, C., Schuler, T. V., Kohler, J., Altena, B., and Hagen, J. O.: Estimating the long-term calving flux of Kronebreen, Svalbard, from geodetic elevation changes and mass-balance modelling, J. Glaciol., 58, 119–133, 2012.
Østrem, G. and Brugman, M.: Glacier mass-balance measurements: A manual for field and office work, NHRI Science Report, Saskatoon, Canada, 224 pp., 1991.
Østrem, G. and Haakensen, N.: Map comparison or traditional mass-balance measurements: which method is better?, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 703–711, 1999.
Paul, F.: Calculation of glacier elevation changes with SRTM: Is there an elevation dependent bias?, J. Glaciol., 55, 945–946, 2008.
Paul, F.: The influence of changes in glacier extent and surface elevation on modeled mass balance, The Cryosphere, 4, 569–581, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-569-2010, 2010.
Pelto, M. S.: The impact of sampling density on glacier mass balance determination, Hydrol. Proc., 14, 3215–3225, 2000.
Reijmer, C. and Hock, R.: Internal accumulation on Storglaciären, Sweden, in a multilayer snow model coupled to a distributed energy- and mass-balance model, J. Glaciol., 54, 61–72, 2008.
Reinwarth, O. and Escher-Vetter, H.: Mass balance of Vernagtferner, Austria, from 1964/65 to 1996/97: Results for three sections and the entire glacier, Geogr. Ann. A, 81, 743–751, 1999.
Reinwarth, O. and Rentsch, H.: Volume and mass balance of Vernagtferner / Oetztal Alps, Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 30, 99–107, 1994.
Rolstad, C., Haug, T., and Denby, B.: Spatially integrated geodetic glacier mass balance and its uncertainty based on geostatistical analysis: application to the western Svartisen ice cap, Norway, J. Glaciol., 55, 666–680, 2009.
Rykiel Jr., E. J.: Testing ecological models: the meaning of validation, Ecol. Model., 90, 229–244, 1996.
Sapiano, J., Harrison, W., and Echelmeyer, K.: Elevation, volume and terminus changes of nine glaciers in North America, J. Glaciol., 44, 119–135, 1998.
Schiefer, E., Menounos, B., and Wheate, R.: Recent volume loss of British Columbian glaciers, Canada, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L16503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030780, 2007.
Schneider, T. and Jansson, P.: Internal accumulation within firn and its significance for the mass balance of Storglaciären, Sweden, J. Glaciol., 50, 25–34, 2004.
Schytt, V.: Re-freezing melt-water on the surface glacier ice, Geogr. Ann. A, 31, 222–227, 1949.
Thibert, E. and Vincent, C.: Best possible estimation of mass balance combining glaciological and geodetic methods, Ann. Glaciol, 50, 112–118, 2009.
Thibert, E., Blanc, R., Vincent, C., and Eckert, N.: Glaciological and volumetric mass-balance measurements: error analysis over 51 years for Glacier de Sarennes, French Alps, J. Glaciol., 54, 522–532, 2008.
Trabant, D. C. and Benson, C. S.: Influence of internal accumulation and superimposed ice formation on mass balance of McCall Glacier in Alaska, Data of Glaciological Studies, 58, 40–49, 1986.
Trabant, D. C. and Mayo, L. R.: Estimation and effects of internal accumulation on five glaciers in Alaska, Ann. Glaciol., 6, 113–117, 1985.
Vallon, M.: Errors in the determination of ablation using stakes, J. Glaciol., 7, 132–133, 1968.
Vallon, M. and Leiva, J.C.: Bilans de masse et fluctuations récentes du Glacier de Saint-Sorlin (Alpes Françaises), Z. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 17, 143–167, 1981.
Van Beusekom, A. E., O'Neel, S. R., March, R. S., Sass, L. C., and Cox, L. H.: Re-analysis of Alaskan benchmark glacier mass-balance data using the index method, US Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report, 5247, 16 pp., 2010.
Weber, M., Braun, L., Mauser, W., and Prasch, M.: Contribution of rain, snow- and icemelt in the upper Danube discharge today and in the future, Bulletino del Comitato Glaciologico Italiano, Ser. 3, Geogr. Fis. Din. Quat., 33, 221–230, 2010.
WGMS: Fluctuations of Glaciers 2005–2010, Volume X, edited by: Zemp, M., Frey, H., Gärtner-Roer, I., Nussbaumer, S. U., Hoelzle, M., Paul, F., and Haeberli, W.: ICSU(WDS)/IUGG(IACS)/UNEP/UNESCO/WMO, World Glacier Monitoring Service, Zurich, Switzerland, 336 pp., publication based on database version: https://doi.org/10.5904/wgms-fog-2012-11, 2012.
Wright, A. P., Wadham, J. L., Siegert, M. J., Luckman, A., Kohler, J., and Nuttall, A. M.: Modeling the refreezing of meltwater as superimposed ice on a high Arctic glacier: A comparison of approaches, J. Geophys. Res., 112, F04016, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JF000818, 2007.
Zemp, M., Hoelzle, M., and Haeberli, W.: Six decades of glacier mass-balance observations: a review of the worldwide monitoring network, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 101–111, 2009.
Zemp, M., Jansson, P., Holmlund, P., Gärtner-Roer, I., Koblet, T., Thee, P., and Haeberli, W.: Reanalysis of multi-temporal aerial images of Storglaciären, Sweden (1959–99) – Part 2: Comparison of glaciological and volumetric mass balances, The Cryosphere, 4, 345–357, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-345-2010, 2010.
