scholarly journals Aspect controls the survival of ice cliffs on debris-covered glaciers

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (17) ◽  
pp. 4369-4374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Buri ◽  
Francesca Pellicciotti
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
High Mass ◽  
View Factor ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mass Losses ◽  
Very High

Supraglacial ice cliffs exist on debris-covered glaciers worldwide, but despite their importance as melt hot spots, their life cycle is little understood. Early field observations had advanced a hypothesis of survival of north-facing and disappearance of south-facing cliffs, which is central for predicting the contribution of cliffs to total glacier mass losses. Their role as windows of energy transfer suggests they may explain the anomalously high mass losses of debris-covered glaciers in High Mountain Asia (HMA) despite the insulating debris, currently at the center of a debated controversy. We use a 3D model of cliff evolution coupled to very high-resolution topographic data to demonstrate that ice cliffs facing south (in the Northern Hemisphere) disappear within a few months due to enhanced solar radiation receipts and that aspect is the key control on cliffs evolution. We reproduce continuous flattening of south-facing cliffs, a result of their vertical gradient of incoming solar radiation and sky view factor. Our results establish that only north-facing cliffs are recurrent features and thus stable contributors to the melting of debris-covered glaciers. Satellite observations and mass balance modeling confirms that few south-facing cliffs of small size exist on the glaciers of Langtang, and their contribution to the glacier volume losses is very small (∼1%). This has major implications for the mass balance of HMA debris-covered glaciers as it provides the basis for new parameterizations of cliff evolution and distribution to constrain volume losses in a region where glaciers are highly relevant as water sources for millions of people.

scholarly journals A deep learning reconstruction of mass balance series for all glaciers in the French Alps: 1967–2015

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Bolibar ◽  
Antoine Rabatel ◽  
Isabelle Gouttevin ◽  
Clovis Galiez
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Average Error ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
French Alps ◽  
Mass Losses

Abstract. Glacier surface mass balance (SMB) data are crucial to understand and quantify the regional effects of climate on glaciers and the high-mountain water cycle, yet observations cover only a small fraction of glaciers in the world. We present a dataset of annual glacier-wide surface mass balance of all the glaciers in the French Alps for the 1967–2015 period. This dataset has been reconstructed using deep learning (i.e. a deep artificial neural network), based on direct and remote sensing SMB observations, meteorological reanalyses and topographical data from glacier inventories. This data science reconstruction approach is embedded as a SMB component of the open-source ALpine Parameterized Glacier Model (ALPGM). An extensive cross-validation allowed to assess the method’s validity, with an estimated average error (RMSE) of 0.49 m w.e. a−1, an explained variance (r2) of 79 % and an average bias of +0.017 m w.e. a−1. We estimate an average regional area-weighted glacier-wide SMB of −0.72 ± 0.20 m w.e. a−1 for the 1967–2015 period, with moderately negative mass balances in the 1970s (−0.52 m w.e. a−1) and 1980s (−0.12 m w.e. a−1), and an increasing negative trend from the 1990s onwards, up to −1.39 m w.e. a−1 in the 2010s. Following a topographical and regional analysis, we estimate that the massifs with the highest mass losses for this period are the Chablais (−0.90 m w.e. a−1) and Ubaye and Champsaur ranges (−0.91 m w.e. a−1 both), and the ones presenting the lowest mass losses are the Mont-Blanc (−0.74 m w.e. a−1), Oisans and Haute-Tarentaise ranges (−0.78 m w.e. a−1 both). This dataset (available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3663630) (Bolibar et al., 2020a) – provides relevant and timely data for studies in the fields of glaciology, hydrology and ecology in the French Alps, in need of regional or glacier-specific meltwater contributions in glacierized catchments.

scholarly journals Research on Calculation Method of Total Solar Radiation of Urban Settlements Based on Parametric 3D Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 136 ◽  
pp. 05012
Author(s):  
Ruixin Chen ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Moyan Zhang ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Calculation Model ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
View Factor ◽  
Total Solar Radiation ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sky View Factor ◽  
Urban Settlements

Solar radiation is a major factor in promoting the sustainable development of urban settlements. To understand the distribution of solar radiation in urban settlements, this paper develops the sky view factor (SVF) algorithm based on the parameterization platform to simplify the calculation of solar radiation. In this paper, the test of total solar radiation is carried out in 18 different locations in Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology. The total solar radiation of 18 points is calculated using the SVF-based calculation model. Comparing the calculated results with the measured results, it is found that the calculated values are consistent with the measured values. The results show that the algorithm is consistent with the measured data. It shows the effectiveness and high precision of the proposed algorithm. The algorithm can calculate the total solar radiation more quickly, and provide technical support for urban preliminary design schemes in urban microclimate.

Modelling the contribution of ice cliff melt to glacier mass loss at the catchment scale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Buri ◽  
Evan S Miles ◽  
Jakob Steiner ◽  
Silvan Ragettli ◽  
Francesca Pellicciotti
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Mass Losses ◽  
Weather Stations ◽  
High Elevations

<p>The melt rates of debris-covered glaciers in High Mountain Asia are highly heterogeneous and poorly constrained. Supraglacial cliffs are typical surface features of debris-covered glaciers and act as windows of energy transfer from the atmosphere to the ice, locally enhancing melt and mass losses of otherwise insulated ice. Despite this, their contribution to the glacier mass budget has never been quantified at the glacier scale.</p><p>Here we simulate the specific melt of all supraglacial ice cliffs individually in a Himalayan catchment (Langtang Valley, Nepalese Himalayas), using a process-based ice cliff melt model that has previously been validated in the catchment. Cliff outlines and initial topography are derived from high-resolution stereo SPOT6-imagery and the model is forced by meteorological data from on- and off-glacier automatic weather stations within the valley, both for the 2014 melt season. The model simulates ice cliff backwasting by considering the cliff-atmosphere energy-balance, reburial by debris and the effects of adjacent ponds. We estimate the contribution of ice cliffs to glacier surface mass balance derived from ensemble mean geodetic thinning observations and emergence flux calculations for the same glaciers 2006-2015.</p><p>We show that ice cliffs, although covering only 2.1 ±0.6 % of the debris-covered tongues, are partially responsible for the high thinning rates of debris-covered glacier tongues, leading to a catchment mass loss underestimation of 17 ±4 % if not considered. We show that cliffs enhance melt where other processes would suppress it, i.e. at high elevations or where debris is thick, and confirm that they contribute relatively more to glacier mass loss if oriented north.</p><p>Our approach bridges a scale gap in our understanding of the processes of debris-covered glacier mass losses, and a new quantification of their catchment wide melt and mass balance.</p>

scholarly journals A deep learning reconstruction of mass balance series for all glaciers in the French Alps: 1967–2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1973-1983
Author(s):  
Jordi Bolibar ◽  
Antoine Rabatel ◽  
Isabelle Gouttevin ◽  
Clovis Galiez
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
Average Error ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
French Alps ◽  
Mass Losses ◽  
Regional Area

Abstract. Glacier mass balance (MB) data are crucial to understanding and quantifying the regional effects of climate on glaciers and the high-mountain water cycle, yet observations cover only a small fraction of glaciers in the world. We present a dataset of annual glacier-wide mass balance of all the glaciers in the French Alps for the 1967–2015 period. This dataset has been reconstructed using deep learning (i.e. a deep artificial neural network) based on direct MB observations and remote-sensing annual estimates, meteorological reanalyses and topographical data from glacier inventories. The method's validity was assessed previously through an extensive cross-validation against a dataset of 32 glaciers, with an estimated average error (RMSE) of 0.55 mw.e.a-1, an explained variance (r2) of 75 % and an average bias of −0.021 mw.e.a-1. We estimate an average regional area-weighted glacier-wide MB of −0.69±0.21 (1σ) mw.e.a-1 for the 1967–2015 period with negative mass balances in the 1970s (−0.44 mw.e.a-1), moderately negative in the 1980s (−0.16 mw.e.a-1) and an increasing negative trend from the 1990s onwards, up to −1.26 mw.e.a-1 in the 2010s. Following a topographical and regional analysis, we estimate that the massifs with the highest mass losses for the 1967–2015 period are the Chablais (−0.93 mw.e.a-1), Champsaur (−0.86 mw.e.a-1), and Haute-Maurienne and Ubaye ranges (−0.84 mw.e.a-1 each), and the ones presenting the lowest mass losses are the Mont-Blanc (−0.68 mw.e.a-1), Oisans and Haute-Tarentaise ranges (−0.75 mw.e.a-1 each). This dataset – available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3925378 (Bolibar et al., 2020a) – provides relevant and timely data for studies in the fields of glaciology, hydrology and ecology in the French Alps in need of regional or glacier-specific annual net glacier mass changes in glacierized catchments.

Loadings of Selected Chemicals into the St. Lawrence River System from Lake Ontario, 1986/87

1989 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.K. Tsanis ◽  
J. Biberhofer ◽  
C.R. Murthy ◽  
A. Sylvestre
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
River System ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
The South ◽  
Measured Concentration ◽  
Chemical Monitoring ◽  
The North ◽  
Loading Estimates ◽  
St Lawrence River

Abstract Determination of the mass output through the St. Lawrence River outflow system is an important component in computing mass balance of chemical loadings to Lake Ontario. The total flow rate in the St. Lawrence River System at the Wolfe Island area was calculated from detailed time series current meter measurements from a network of current meters and Lagrangian drifter experiments. This flow is roughly distributed in the ratio of 55% to 45% in the South and North channel, respectively. Loading estimates of selected chemicals have been made by combining the above transport calculations with the ongoing chemical monitoring data at the St. Lawrence outflow. A vertical gradient in the concentration of some organic and inorganic chemicals was observed. The measured concentration for some of the chemicals was higher during the summer months and also is higher in the South Channel than in the North Channel of the St. Lawrence River. These loading estimates are useful not only for modelling the mass balance of chemicals in Lake Ontario but also for serving as input loadings to the St. Lawrence River system from Lake Ontario.

scholarly journals Observational manifestations of ‘cosmological dinosaurs’ at redshifts z ∼ 20

2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (2) ◽  
pp. 3081-3088
Author(s):  
V K Dubrovich ◽  
Yu N Eroshenko ◽  
S I Grachev
Keyword(s):  
Black Hole ◽  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Radiation Transfer ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Primordial Black Hole ◽  
Array Type ◽  
Local Sources ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Very High

ABSTRACT We consider a primordial black hole of very high mass, $10^9\!-\!10^{10}\, \mathrm{M}_\odot$, surrounded by the dark matter and bayonic halo at redshifts z ∼ 20 without any local sources of energy release. Such heavy and concentrated objects in the early Universe were previously called ‘cosmological dinosaurs’. Spectral distribution and spatial variation of the brightness in the 21-cm line of atomic hydrogen are calculated with the theory of radiation transfer. It is shown that a narrow and deep absorption arises in the form of the spherical shell around the primordial black hole at the certain radius. The parameters of this shell depend almost exclusively on the mass of the black hole. The angular diameter 18 arcsec of the absorption ring at z ∼ 20 is well within the current technical possibilities of the Square Kilometre Array type telescopes. But the observation of the ring width itself requires an order of magnitude better resolution.

scholarly journals Calculation of the irradiance of solar radiation in a greenhouse with a complex structure using a diagram for sky view factor

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-52
Author(s):  
Shuh MATSUDA ◽  
Hisashi YOSHIKOSHI ◽  
Tomoyo SUZUKI ◽  
Yuuki OHTA ◽  
Ayaka CHIBA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
View Factor ◽  
Sky View Factor

scholarly journals Heterogeneous spatial and temporal pattern of surface elevation change and mass balance of the Patagonian ice fields between 2000 and 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2511-2535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wael Abdel Jaber ◽  
Helmut Rott ◽  
Dana Floricioiu ◽  
Jan Wuite ◽  
Nuno Miranda
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Surface Elevation ◽  
Radar Signal ◽  
Elevation Change ◽  
Mass Losses ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Surface Elevation Change

Abstract. The northern and southern Patagonian ice fields (NPI and SPI) have been subject to accelerated retreat during the last decades, with considerable variability in magnitude and timing among individual glaciers. We derive spatially detailed maps of surface elevation change (SEC) of NPI and SPI from bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry data of the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurements (TanDEM-X) for two epochs, 2000–2012 and 2012–2016, and provide data on changes in surface elevation and ice volume for the individual glaciers and the ice fields at large. We apply advanced TanDEM-X processing techniques allowing us to cover 90 % and 95 % of the area of NPI and 97 % and 98 % of SPI for the two epochs, respectively. Particular attention is paid to precisely co-registering the digital elevation models (DEMs), accounting for possible effects of radar signal penetration through backscatter analysis and correcting for seasonality biases in case of deviations in repeat DEM coverage from full annual time spans. The results show a different temporal trend between the two ice fields and reveal a heterogeneous spatial pattern of SEC and mass balance caused by different sensitivities with respect to direct climatic forcing and ice flow dynamics of individual glaciers. The estimated volume change rates for NPI are -4.26±0.20 km3 a−1 for epoch 1 and -5.60±0.74 km3 a−1 for epoch 2, while for SPI these are -14.87±0.52 km3 a−1 for epoch 1 and -11.86±1.99 km3 a−1 for epoch 2. This corresponds for both ice fields to an eustatic sea level rise of 0.048±0.002 mm a−1 for epoch 1 and 0.043±0.005 mm a−1 for epoch 2. On SPI the spatial pattern of surface elevation change is more complex than on NPI and the temporal trend is less uniform. On terminus sections of the main calving glaciers of SPI, temporal variations in flow velocities are a main factor for differences in SEC between the two epochs. Striking differences are observed even on adjoining glaciers, such as Upsala Glacier, with decreasing mass losses associated with slowdown of flow velocity, contrasting with acceleration and increase in mass losses on Viedma Glacier.

Application of the Alpine 3D model for glacier mass balance and glacier runoff studies at Goldbergkees, Austria

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (19) ◽  
pp. 3941-3949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gernot Michlmayr ◽  
Michael Lehning ◽  
Gernot Koboltschnig ◽  
Hubert Holzmann ◽  
Massimiliano Zappa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Runoff

scholarly journals Avalanche situation in Turkey and back calculation of selected events

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1145-1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Aydin ◽  
Y. Bühler ◽  
M. Christen ◽  
I. Gürer
Keyword(s):  
Simulation Software ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Identification Algorithm ◽  
Black Sea Region ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Back Calculation ◽  
Elevation Model ◽  
Very High ◽  
Rapid Mass

Abstract. In Turkey, an average of 24 people die in snow avalanches every year, mainly in the eastern part of Anatolia and in the eastern Black Sea region, where high-mountain ranges are close to the sea. The proportion of people killed in buildings is very high (87%), especially in comparison to other European countries and North America. In this paper we discuss avalanche occurrence, the climatic situation and historical avalanche events in Turkey; in addition, we identify bottlenecks and suggest solutions to tackle avalanche problems. Furthermore, we have applied the numerical avalanche simulation software RAMMS (rapid mass movements simulation) combined with a (digital elevation model) DEM-based potential release zone identification algorithm to analyze the catastrophic avalanche events in the villages of Üzengili (Bayburt province) in 1993 and Yaylaönü (Trabzon province) in 1981. The results demonstrate the value of such an approach for regions with poor avalanche databases, enabling the calculation of different scenarios and the estimation of run-out distances, impact pressure and flow height.

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