Continuous estimates of glacier mass balance in High Mountain Asia based on ICESat‐1,2 and GRACE/GRACE Follow‐On data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuyu Wang ◽  
Shuang Yi ◽  
Wenke Sun
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance

scholarly journals Examining geodetic glacier mass balance in the eastern Pamir transition zone

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (260) ◽  
pp. 927-937
Author(s):  
Mingyang Lv ◽  
Duncan J. Quincey ◽  
Huadong Guo ◽  
Owen King ◽  
Guang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Statistical Difference ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Negative Mass ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Individual Scale

AbstractGlaciers in the eastern Pamir have reportedly been gaining mass during recent decades, even though glaciers in most other regions in High Mountain Asia have been in recession. Questions still remain about whether the trend is strengthening or weakening, and how far the positive balances extend into the eastern Pamir. To address these gaps, we use three different digital elevation models to reconstruct glacier surface elevation changes over two periods (2000–09 and 2000–15/16). We characterize the eastern Pamir as a zone of transition from positive to negative mass balance with the boundary lying at the northern end of Kongur Tagh, and find that glaciers situated at higher elevations are those with the most positive balances. Most (67% of 55) glaciers displayed a net mass gain since the 21st century. This led to an increasing regional geodetic glacier mass balance from −0.06 ± 0.16 m w.e. a−1 in 2000–09 to 0.06 ± 0.04 m w.e. a−1 in 2000–15/16. Surge-type glaciers, which are prevalent in the eastern Pamir, showed fluctuations in mass balance on an individual scale during and after surges, but no statistical difference compared to non-surge-type glaciers when aggregated across the region.

scholarly journals A Systematic, Regional Assessment of High Mountain Asia Glacier Mass Balance

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Shean ◽  
Shashank Bhushan ◽  
Paul Montesano ◽  
David R. Rounce ◽  
Anthony Arendt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Assessment

scholarly journals Glacier evolution in high-mountain Asia under stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection geoengineering

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 6547-6564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyun Zhao ◽  
Yi Yang ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
Duoying Ji ◽  
John C. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Sulfate Aerosol ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Climate Projections ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Volume Loss ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Glacier Shrinkage

Abstract. Geoengineering by stratospheric sulfate aerosol injection may help preserve mountain glaciers by reducing summer temperatures. We examine this hypothesis for the glaciers in high-mountain Asia using a glacier mass balance model driven by climate simulations from the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP). The G3 and G4 schemes specify use of stratospheric sulfate aerosols to reduce the radiative forcing under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario for the 50 years between 2020 and 2069, and for a further 20 years after termination of geoengineering. We estimate and compare glacier volume loss for every glacier in the region using a glacier model based on surface mass balance parameterization under climate projections from three Earth system models under G3, five models under G4, and six models under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The ensemble projections suggest that glacier shrinkage over the period 2010–2069 is equivalent to sea-level rise of 9.0 ± 1.6 mm (G3), 9.8 ± 4.3 mm (G4), 15.5 ± 2.3 mm (RCP4.5), and 18.5 ± 1.7 mm (RCP8.5). Although G3 keeps the average temperature from increasing in the geoengineering period, G3 only slows glacier shrinkage by about 50 % relative to losses from RCP8.5. Approximately 72 % of glaciated area remains at 2069 under G3, as compared with about 30 % for RCP8.5. The widely reported reduction in mean precipitation expected for solar geoengineering is unlikely to be as important as the temperature-driven shift from solid to liquid precipitation for forcing Himalayan glacier change. The termination of geoengineering at 2069 under G3 leads to temperature rise of about 1.3 °C over the period 2070–2089 relative to the period 2050-2069 and corresponding increase in annual mean glacier volume loss rate from 0.17 to 1.1 % yr−1, which is higher than the 0.66 % yr−1 under RCP8.5 during 2070–2089.

scholarly journals The High Mountain Asia glacier contribution to sea-level rise from 2000 to 2050

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (71) ◽  
pp. 223-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liyun Zhao ◽  
Ran Ding ◽  
John C. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Summer Temperatures

AbstractWe estimate all the individual glacier area and volume changes in High Mountain Asia (HMA) by 2050 based on Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI) version 4.0, using different methods of assessing sensitivity to summer temperatures driven by a regional climate model and the IPCC A1B radiative forcing scenario. A large range of sea-level rise variation comes from varying equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) sensitivity to summer temperatures. This sensitivity and also the glacier mass-balance gradients with elevation have the largest coefficients of variability (amounting to ~50%) among factors examined. Prescribing ELA sensitivities from energy-balance models produces the highest sea-level rise (9.2 mm, or 0.76% of glacier volume a–1), while the ELA sensitivities estimated from summer temperatures at Chinese meteorological stations and also from 1°x1° gridded temperatures in the Berkeley Earth database produce 3.6 and 3.8 mm, respectively. Different choices of the initial ELA or summer precipitation lead to 15% uncertainties in modelled glacier volume loss. RGI version 4.0 produces 20% lower sea-level rise than version 2.0. More surface mass-balance observations, meteorological data from the glaciated areas, and detailed satellite altimetry data can provide better estimates of sea-level rise in the future.

Glacier mass balance in High Mountain Asia inferred from a GRACE release-6 gravity solution for the period 2002–2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-238
Author(s):  
Longwei Xiang ◽  
Hansheng Wang ◽  
Liming Jiang ◽  
Qiang Shen ◽  
Holger Steffen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance

scholarly journals The Rofental: a high Alpine research basin (1890 m – 3770 m a.s.l.) in the Ötztal Alps (Austria) with over 150 years of hydro-meteorological and glaciological observations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Strasser ◽  
Thomas Marke ◽  
Ludwig Braun ◽  
Heidi Escher-Vetter ◽  
Irmgard Juen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Longwave Radiation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Original Research ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Entire Area

Abstract. A comprehensive hydrometeorological and glaciological data set is presented, originating from a multitude of recordings at several intensively operated research sites in the Rofental (1891–3772 m a.s.l., Ötztal Alps, Austria). The data sets are spanning a period of 150 years and hence represent a unique, worldwide unprecedented pool of high mountain observations. Their collection has originally been initiated to support the scientific investigation of the glaciers Hintereis-, Kesselwand- and Vernagtferner. Later, additional measurements of meteorological and hydrological variables have been undertaken; data now comprise records of temperature, relative humidity, short- and longwave radiation, wind speed and direction, air pressure, precipitation and water levels. For the glaciers, annual mass balance, glacier front variation and flow velocities as well as photographic images of the glacier status have been recorded. Since 2001, a series of distributed (airborne and terrestrial) laserscans has been processed. Most recently, a permanent terrestrial laser scanner installed on "Im hintern Eis" (3244 m a.s.l.) enables to continuously observe almost the entire area of Hintereisferner. The data and research undertaken at the sites of investigation enable combined research of atmospheric, cryospheric and hydrological processes in complex terrain, and support the development of several state-of-the art hydroclimatological and glacier mass balance models. The institutions taking part in the Rofental research framework have joined to a cooperation consortium and promote their site in several international research initiatives. In the framework of INARCH, all original research data sets are now provided to the scientific community according to the Creative Commons Attribution License by means of the PANGAEA repository (https://doi.org/doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.876120).

Evolution of the debris-covered Miage Glacier

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Stefaniak ◽  
Ben Robson ◽  
Simon Cook ◽  
Ben Clutterbuck ◽  
Nicholas Midgley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Debris Cover ◽  
Geomorphological Changes ◽  
Miage Glacier

<p>Glaciers in high-mountain regions typically exhibit a debris cover that moderates their response to climatic change. Here we present an integrated study that integrates long-term observations of debris-covered glacier mass balance, velocity, surface debris evolution and geomorphological changes (such as ponds and ice cliffs) of Miage Glacier, Italian Alps over the period 1952 – 2018. Analysis of the evolution of Miage Glacier highlighted a reduction in glacier activity associated with a period of sustained negative mass balance (-0.86 ± 0.27 metres per year water equivalent [m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup>]) and a substantial reduction in surface velocity (-46%). Ice mass loss of Miage Glacier was quantified using satellite imagery and derived digital elevation models (DEMs) applying the geodetic approach over a 28-year time period, 1990 – 2018. Temporal analysis highlighted an increase in surface lowering rates from 2012 – 2018. Further, the increase in debris-cover extent, supraglacial ponds and ice cliffs was evident since the 1990s. Supraglacial ponds and ice cliffs accounted for up to 8 times the magnitude of the average glacier surface lowering, whilst only covering 1.2 – 1.5% of the glacier area.</p><p>Ground-based photogrammetry and bathymetry surveys undertaken in 2017 and 2018 indicated the total volume of water storage at Miage Glacier increased by 46%, however, intermittent drainage events suggest this is highly variable over both seasonal and annual timescales. All ice cliffs underwent substantial vertical retreat up<sup></sup>to a maximum rate of -8.15 ma<sup>-1 </sup>resulting in ice loss of 39,569 m<sup>3</sup>. Thus, ice loss from supraglacial ponds and ice cliffs are important to account for and have the potential to substantially impact future glacier evolution.</p>

Estimation of multi-period glacier mass balance in southeast Tibet using high-resolution remote sensing observations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yushan Zhou ◽  
Zhiwei Li ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Donghai Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Glacier Changes ◽  
Southeast Tibet ◽  
Proglacial Lake ◽  
Basal Melting

<p>Glaciers in the southeastern part of the Tibet Plateau (TP) have experienced the most rapid mass loss over the High Mountain Asia. Hence, a multi-period investigation on the mass balance with focus on how glaciers evolve is imperative for better understanding of the glacier dynamics responding to climate change. Taking the Yanong glacier connected with a proglacial lake in the southeast TP as an example, we estimate the glacier mass budget at multiple-year and interannual timescales via reproducing a multiple-period DEM datasets, including KH-9 (1975), SRTM (2000), TanDEM-X (2011<strong>−</strong>2014) and SPOT-7 (2015) DEMs. We also estimate the penetration depths of both X- and C-band radar using Pléiades stereo images and TanDEM-X data , which are found to be 3.2 m and 4.5 m on average in this area. The results show that the Yanong glacier has been subject to an accelerated mass loss over the past four decades (1975<strong>−</strong>2015), and the tendency of surface thinning spread from low altitudes to high altitudes. Specifically, the mass balance of the Yanong glacier changes from <strong>−</strong>0.50 ± 0.13 m w.e./a (1974<strong>−</strong>2000) to <strong>−</strong>0.95 ± 0.13 m w.e./a (2000<strong>−</strong>2012) and to <strong>−</strong>1.02 ± 0.31 m w.e./a (2012<strong>−</strong>2015) at the multi-year timescale. A serious surface subsidence event is noted in areas that are about 2 km away from the glacier fronts after 2012, which are possibly caused by the internal/basal melting or collapsing. After further analyzing the evolution process of the proglacial lake, we found that the continuous disintegration of the glacier fronts may be the main reason for the accelerated mass deficit.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Distributed glacier mass-balance modelling as an important component of modern multi-level glacier monitoring

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 335-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Machguth ◽  
Frank Paul ◽  
Martin Hoelzle ◽  
Wilfried Haeberli
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Length Change ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Spatio Temporal

AbstractModern concepts of worldwide glacier monitoring include numerical models for (1) interconnecting the different levels of observations (local mass balance, representative length change, glacier inventories for global coverage) and (2) extrapolations in space (coupling with climate models) and time (backward and forward). In this context, one important new tool is distributed mass-balance modelling in complex mountain topography. This approach builds on simplified energy-balance models and can be applied for investigating the spatio-temporal representativity of the few mass-balance measurements, for estimating balance values at the tongue of unmeasured glaciers in order to derive long-term average balance values from a great number of glaciers with known length change, and for assessing special effects such as the influence of Sahara dust falls on the albedo and mass balance or autocorrelation effects due to surface darkening of glaciers with strongly negative balances. Experience from first model runs in the Swiss Alps and from applications to the extreme conditions in summer 2003 provides evidence about the usefulness of this approach for glacier monitoring and analysis of glacier changes in high-mountain regions. The main difficulties concern the spatial variability of the input parameters (e.g. precipitation, snow cover and surface albedo) and the uncertainties in the parameterizations of the components of the energy balance. Field measurements remain essential to tie the models to real ground conditions.

scholarly journals Towards understanding the pattern of glacier mass balances in High Mountain Asia using regional climatic modelling

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 3215-3234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remco J. de Kok ◽  
Philip D. A. Kraaijenbrink ◽  
Obbe A. Tuinenburg ◽  
Pleun N. J. Bonekamp ◽  
Walter W. Immerzeel
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Climatic Forcing ◽  
Western Kunlun

Abstract. Glaciers in High Mountain Asia (HMA) provide an important water resource for communities downstream, and they are markedly impacted by global warming, yet there is a lack of understanding of the observed glacier mass balances and their spatial variability. In particular, the glaciers in the western Kunlun Shan and Karakoram (WKSK) ranges show neutral to positive mass balances despite global warming. Using models of the regional climate and glacier mass balance, we reproduce the observed patterns of glacier mass balance in High Mountain Asia of the last decades within uncertainties. We show that low temperature sensitivities of glaciers and an increase in snowfall, for a large part caused by increases in evapotranspiration from irrigated agriculture, result in positive mass balances in the WKSK. The pattern of mass balances in High Mountain Asia can thus be understood from the combination of changes in climatic forcing and glacier properties, with an important role for irrigated agriculture.

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