scholarly journals Meltwater runoff in a changing climate (1951–2099) at Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Northern India

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (75pt1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Engelhardt ◽  
Paul Leclercq ◽  
Trude Eidhammer ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
Oskar Landgren ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMeltwater runoff in the catchment area containing Chhota Shigri glacier (Western Himalaya) is simulated for the period 1951–2099. The applied mass-balance model is forced by downscaled products from four regional climate models with different horizontal resolution. For the future climate scenarios we use high resolution time series of 5 km grid spacing, generated using the newly developed Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research Model. The meteorological input is downscaled to 300 m horizontal resolution. The use of an ice flow model provides annually updated glacier area for the mass-balance calculations. The mass-balance model calculates daily snow accumulation, melt, runoff, as well as the individual runoff components (glacial melt, snowmelt and rain). The resulting glacier area decreases by 35% (representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario) to 70% (RCP 8.5 scenario) by 2099 relative to 2000. The average annual mass balance over the whole model period (1951–2099) was –0.4 (±0.3) m w.e. a–1. Average annual runoff does not differ substantially between the two climate scenarios. However, for the years after 2040 our results show a shift towards earlier snowmelt onset that increases runoff in May and June, and reduced glacier melt that decreases runoff in August and September. This shift is much stronger pronounced in the RCP 8.5 scenario.

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (240) ◽  
pp. 618-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARKUS ENGELHARDT ◽  
AL. RAMANATHAN ◽  
TRUDE EIDHAMMER ◽  
PANKAJ KUMAR ◽  
OSKAR LANDGREN ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGlacier mass balance and runoff are simulated from 1955 to 2014 for the catchment (46% glacier cover) containing Chhota Shigri Glacier (Western Himalaya) using gridded data from three regional climate models: (1) the Rossby Centre regional atmospheric climate model v.4 (RCA4); (2) the REgional atmosphere MOdel (REMO); and (3) the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). The input data are downscaled to the simulation grid (300 m) and calibrated with point measurements of temperature and precipitation. Additional input is daily potential global radiation calculated using a DEM at a resolution of 30 m. The mass-balance model calculates daily snow accumulation, melt and runoff. The model parameters are calibrated with available mass-balance measurements and results are validated with geodetic measurements, other mass-balance model results and run-off measurements. Simulated annual mass balances slightly decreased from −0.3 m w.e. a−1 (1955–99) to −0.6 m w.e. a−1 for 2000–14. For the same periods, mean runoff increased from 2.0 m3 s−1 (1955–99) to 2.4 m3 s−1 (2000–14) with glacier melt contributing about one-third to the runoff. Monthly runoff increases are greatest in July, due to both increased snow and glacier melt, whereas slightly decreased snowmelt in August and September was more than compensated by increased glacier melt.


1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (138) ◽  
pp. 345-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tómas Jóhannesson ◽  
Oddur Sigurdsson ◽  
Tron Laumann ◽  
Michael Kennett

AbstractA degree-day glacier mass-balance model is applied to three glaciers in Iceland, Norway and Greenland for which detailed mass-balance measurements are available over a period of several years. Model results are in good agreement with measured variations in the mass balance with elevation over the time periods considered for each glacier. In addition, the model explains 60-80% of the year-to-year variance in the elevation-averaged summer season mass-balance measurements on the glaciers, using a single parameter set for each glacier.The increase in ablation on the glaciers due to a warming of 2° C is predicted to range from about 1 m w.e. year−1 at the highest elevations to about 2.5 m w.e. year−1 at the lowest elevations. Predicted changes in the winter balance (measured between fixed date) are relatively small, except at the lowest elevations on the Icelandic and Norwegian glaciers where the winter balance is significantly reduced. Equilibrium-line altitudes are raised by 200-300 m on the Icelandic and Norwegian glaciers. Except at the highest elevations, the winter balance of the Icelandic and Norwegian glaciers is predicted to decrease even if the warming is accompanied by a 10% increase in the precipitation.No firm evidence of a climate-related variation in the degree-day factors or in the temperature lapse rate on the same glacier could be found. The model, furthermore, reproduces large variations in the mass balance with elevation and from year to year on each glacier using the same parameter set. We assume, therefore, that these parameters will not change significantly for the climate scenarios considered here.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smriti Srivastava ◽  
Mohd Farooq Azam

<p>Processes controlling the glacier wastage in the Himalaya are still poorly understood. In the present study, a surface energy-mass balance model is applied to reconstruct the long-term mass balances over 1979-2020 on two benchmark glaciers, Dokriani and Chhota Shigri, located in different climatic regimes. The model is forced with ERA5 reanalysis data and calibrated using field-observed point mass balances. The model is validated against available glacier-wide mass balances. Dokriani and Chhota Shigri glaciers show moderate wastage with a mean value of –0.28 and –0.34 m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup>, respectively over 1979-2020. The mean winter and summer glacier-wide mass balances are 0.44 and –0.72 m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup> for Dokriani Glacier and 0.53 and –0.85 m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup> for Chhota Shigri Glacier, respectively, showing a higher mass turn over on Chhota Shigri Glacier. Net radiation flux is the major component of surface energy balance followed by sensible and latent heat fluxes on both the glaciers. The losses through sublimation is around 10% to the total ablation. Surface albedo is one of the most important drivers controlling the annual mass balance of both Dokriani and Chhota Shigri glacier. Summer mass balance (0.76, p<0.05) mainly controls the annual glacier-wide mass balance on Dokriani Glacier whereas the summer (0.91, p<0.05) and winter (0.78, p<0.05) mass balances together control the annual glacier-wide mass balance on Chhota Shigri Glacier.</p>


1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (138) ◽  
pp. 345-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tómas Jóhannesson ◽  
Oddur Sigurdsson ◽  
Tron Laumann ◽  
Michael Kennett

AbstractA degree-day glacier mass-balance model is applied to three glaciers in Iceland, Norway and Greenland for which detailed mass-balance measurements are available over a period of several years. Model results are in good agreement with measured variations in the mass balance with elevation over the time periods considered for each glacier. In addition, the model explains 60-80% of the year-to-year variance in the elevation-averaged summer season mass-balance measurements on the glaciers, using a single parameter set for each glacier.The increase in ablation on the glaciers due to a warming of 2° C is predicted to range from about 1 m w.e. year−1at the highest elevations to about 2.5 m w.e. year−1at the lowest elevations. Predicted changes in the winter balance (measured between fixed date) are relatively small, except at the lowest elevations on the Icelandic and Norwegian glaciers where the winter balance is significantly reduced. Equilibrium-line altitudes are raised by 200-300 m on the Icelandic and Norwegian glaciers. Except at the highest elevations, the winter balance of the Icelandic and Norwegian glaciers is predicted to decrease even if the warming is accompanied by a 10% increase in the precipitation.No firm evidence of a climate-related variation in the degree-day factors or in the temperature lapse rate on the same glacier could be found. The model, furthermore, reproduces large variations in the mass balance with elevation and from year to year on each glacier using the same parameter set. We assume, therefore, that these parameters will not change significantly for the climate scenarios considered here.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 100028
Author(s):  
David R. Ochsenbein ◽  
Matthew Billups ◽  
Bingbing Hong ◽  
Elisabeth Schäfer ◽  
Alexander J. Marchut ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Linden B. Huhmann ◽  
Charles F. Harvey ◽  
Ana Navas-Acien ◽  
Joseph Graziano ◽  
Vesna Slavkovich ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 817-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
COSTANZA DI STEFANO ◽  
VITO FERRO ◽  
SALVATORE RIZZO

1990 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 1079-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Barry ◽  
Marcel Prévost ◽  
Jean Stein ◽  
Andre P. Plamondon

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (151) ◽  
pp. 559-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rijan Bhakta Kayastha ◽  
Tetsuo Ohata ◽  
Yutaka Ageta

AbstractA mass-balance model based on the energy balance at the snow or ice surface is formulated, with particular attention paid to processes affecting absorption of radiation. The model is applied to a small glacier, Glacier AX010 in the Nepalese Himalaya, and tests of its mass-balance sensitivity to input and climatic parameters are carried out. Calculated and observed area-averaged mass balances of the glacier during summer 1978 (June-September) show good agreement, namely -0.44 and -0.46 m w.e., respectively.Results show the mass balance is strongly sensitive to snow or ice albedo, to the effects of screening by surrounding mountain walls, to areal variations in multiple reflection between clouds and the glacier surface, and to thin snow covers which alter the surface albedo. In tests of the sensitivity of the mass balance to seasonal values of climatic parameters, the mass balance is found to be strongly sensitive to summer air temperature and precipitation but only weakly sensitive to relative humidity.


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