Non-climatic factors affecting glacier mass balance (on the example of avalanche nourishment)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alla Turchaninova ◽  
Sergey Sokratov ◽  
Yury Seliverstov ◽  
Dmitry Petrakov ◽  
Anton Lazarev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Snow Avalanche ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Snow Avalanches ◽  
The Caucasus

<p>Glacier mass balance is affected by non-climatic factors such as topography, debris cover and geometric parameters of glaciers themselves, avalanche activity, volcanism, etc. The contribution of snow avalanches to the snow accumulation on a glacier is still among the least studied components of the glacier’s mass balance. We propose a possible approach for the numerical assessment of snow avalanche contribution to accumulation at mountain glaciers. The approach consists on the following steps: terrain analysis; weather data analysis; snow avalanche volume assessment during an analyzed balance year; numerical simulation of snow avalanches using RAMMS; evaluation of snow avalanche contribution to glacier accumulation. The proposed methodology was tested on three glaciers (Batysh Sook, № 354, Karabatkak) with an area up to 6,5 km<sup>2</sup> in the Inner Tien Shan and Kolka glacier with an area 1,2 km<sup>2</sup> in the Central Caucasus. To evaluate snow avalanche contribution to the winter accumulation, we reconstructed avalanche release zones that were most probably active during the analyzed balance year and corresponding snow fracture height in each zone. The numerical simulations of most probable released snow avalanches during the analyzed year using avalanche dynamics RAMMS software were performed and compared with the field observations and UAV orthophoto images. The outlines of avalanches deposits were realistically reproduced by RAMMS according to the results of field observations. The estimated contribution of snow avalanches to the accumulation on the studied glaciers during the analyzed balance year was as follows: Batysh Sook – 7,4±2,5%; № 354 – 2,2±0,7%; Karabatkak– 10,8±3,6% of the winter mass balance. In strong contradiction to the benchmark glaciers in the Tien Shan, the Kolka glacier demonstrates rapid mass gain in the Caucasus. It might be explained by significant, up to 80% share of avalanche nourishment to glacier mass gain. We note that avalanche-fed glaciers seem to be more stable at current stage of regional warming observed both in the Caucasus and the Tian Shan. The obtained results show the importance of the non-climatic factors for glacier surface mass balance control.</p>

scholarly journals Methods of snow avalanche nourishment assessment (on the example of three Tian Shan glaciers)

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-474
Author(s):  
A. S. Turchaninova ◽  
A. V. Lazarev ◽  
E. S. Marchenko ◽  
Yu. G. Seliverstov ◽  
S. A. Sokratov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Snow Avalanche ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Snow Avalanches ◽  
Mountain Glaciers ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Numerical Assessment

The contribution of snow avalanches to the seasonal snow accumulation on a glacier is among the least studied components of the glacier’s mass balance. The methods for the numerical assessment of avalanche accumulation are still under development, which is related to poor avalanche data availability and difficulties in obtaining such data on most of mountain glaciers. We propose a possible methodology for the numerical assessment of snow avalanche contribution to snow accumulation at mountain glaciers based on DEM and weather data analysis using GIS and numerical modeling of snow avalanches. The developed methodology consists of the following steps: terrain analysis; weather data analysis; snow avalanche volume assessment during an analyzed balance year; numerical simulation of snow avalanches using RAMMS; evaluation of snow avalanches contribution into a glacier accumulation. The proposed methodology was tested on three glaciers located in the Inner Tien Shan: Batysh Sook, № 354 and Karabatkak during the 2015/16 balance year. To evaluate snow avalanche contribution to the seasonal accumulation, we reconstructed avalanche release zones that were most probably active during the 2015/16 balance year and corresponding snow fracture height in each of these zones. The numerical simulations of most probable released snow avalanches during the winter period 2015/16 using avalanche dynamics software RAMMS were performed and compared with the field observations and UAV orthophoto image from July 2016. The outlines of avalanches deposits were realistically reproduced by RAMMS according to the results of field observation. The estimated share of snow avalanche contribution to the accumulation on the research glaciers during the 2015/16 balance year turned out to be: Batysh Sook – 7,4±2,5%; № 354 – 2,2±0,7%; Karabatkak – 10,8±3,6% of the total accumulation. The next step would be to test the proposed methodology based on the data and regional dependences from the Inner Tien Shan in other mountainous regions. This methodology is applicable in the regions where DEMs, regular meteorological observations as well as data on the regional avalanche formation factors are available.

Can the mass balance of the entire glacier area of the Tien Shan be estimated?

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 173-179
Author(s):  
M.B. Dyurgerov ◽  
M.G. Kunakhovitch ◽  
V.N. Mikhalenko ◽  
A. M. Sokalskaya ◽  
V. A. Kuzmichenok
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Vertical Profile ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Exponential Dependence ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Boundary Area

The total area of glacierization of the Tien Shan in the boundary area of the USSR is about 8000 km2. The computation of mass balance was determined for this area in 12 river basins.In computation procedure, the vertical profile of snow accumulation in these regions and exponential dependence of variation of ablation with altitude are used. Thus the mass balance in each basin, bn, was calculated on the basis of these curves and represented in its relation with the equilibrium line altitude (ELA). It is shown that the relation ELA = f(bn) is linear when the range of bn values is close to zero, and in all altitude intervals this relation can be described by hypsographic curves, in all basins bn positive up to an ELA elevation of 3450 to 3500 m a.s.l. For average annual altitude of ELA, bn is negative for all regions. So the glaciers of these mountains add about 4 km3 of water to the total annual runoff.

scholarly journals Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2361-2383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhai Xu ◽  
Zhongqin Li ◽  
Huilin Li ◽  
Feiteng Wang ◽  
Ping Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Mass Conversion ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

Abstract. The direct glaciological method provides in situ observations of annual or seasonal surface mass balance, but can only be implemented through a succession of intensive in situ measurements of field networks of stakes and snow pits. This has contributed to glacier surface mass-balance measurements being sparse and often discontinuous in the Tien Shan. Nevertheless, long-term glacier mass-balance measurements are the basis for understanding climate–glacier interactions and projecting future water availability for glacierized catchments in the Tien Shan. Riegl VZ®-6000 long-range terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), typically using class 3B laser beams, is exceptionally well suited for repeated glacier mapping, and thus determination of annual and seasonal geodetic mass balance. This paper introduces the applied TLS for monitoring summer and annual surface elevation and geodetic mass changes of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 as well as delineating accurate glacier boundaries for 2 consecutive mass-balance years (2015–2017), and discusses the potential of such technology in glaciological applications. Three-dimensional changes of ice and firn–snow bodies and the corresponding densities were considered for the volume-to-mass conversion. The glacier showed pronounced thinning and mass loss for the four investigated periods; glacier-wide geodetic mass balance in the mass-balance year 2015–2016 was slightly more negative than in 2016–2017. Statistical comparison shows that agreement between the glaciological and geodetic mass balances can be considered satisfactory, indicating that the TLS system yields accurate results and has the potential to monitor remote and inaccessible glacier areas where no glaciological measurements are available as the vertical velocity component of the glacier is negligible. For wide applications of the TLS in glaciology, we should use stable scan positions and in-situ-measured densities of snow–firn to establish volume-to-mass conversion.

scholarly journals An outline of avalanches in the Tien Shan mountains

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 7-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hu Ruji ◽  
Ma Hong ◽  
Wang Guo
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Basal Layer ◽  
Liquid Water Content ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Large Temperature ◽  
Snow Avalanches ◽  
Climatic Variations ◽  
Tien Shan Mountains ◽  
Seasonal Snow Cover

The seasonal snow cover in the Tien Shan mountains is characterized by low density, low liquid-water content and low temperature. It is known as typical dry snow. Large temperature gradients in the basal layer of the snow cover exist throughout the entire period of snow accumulation, and depth hoar is therefore extremely well-developed. Full-depth depth-hoar avalanches, however, seldom occur. Avalanches in the Tien Shan mountains are mostly loose snow avalanches. Although normally not large in size, they are the most dangerous type. The occurrence of hazardous avalanches shows cycles of about ten years because of periodic climatic variations.

scholarly journals Mass-balance variability as a base for interpreting ice-core data

1995 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 201-205
Author(s):  
V. N. Mikhalenko
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Extreme Values ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Similarity Type ◽  
Glacier System ◽  
Point Analysis ◽  
Drilling Site

The spatial extrapolation of data from ice cores depends on the complexity of the glacier system where the drilling site is located. The correlation between net mass balance, bn, of a specific point and of the whole glacier is different for each point. Analysis of net mass balance of Tuyuksu glacier in the Tien Shan, central Asia, confirms that the distribution of mass balance with height is more-or-less constant from year to year except in years with extreme values bn. Two types of “similarity” are described, additive and multiplicative. The “similarity” changes gradually from additive at the peripheral parts of the Tien Shan to multiplicative in the most continental central and eastern parts. Glacier mass-balance fluctuations of the frontal ridges are connected to the oscillations of accumulation and consequently to precipitation. Where the climate is more continental the mass-balance variability depends much more on the melting conditions than on accumulation. For the spatial interpretation of ice-core drilling results, a special analysis of “similarity type” is necessary. It allows the fixing of the spatial borders of the glacier system for which the dhilling site is representative.

scholarly journals Geodetic Mass Balance of Haxilegen Glacier No. 51, Eastern Tien Shan, from 1964 to 2018

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Chunhai Xu ◽  
Zhongqin Li ◽  
Feiteng Wang ◽  
Jianxin Mu ◽  
Xin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Topographic Map ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

The eastern Tien Shan hosts substantial mid-latitude glaciers, but in situ glacier mass balance records are extremely sparse. Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 (eastern Tien Shan, China) is one of the very few well-measured glaciers, and comprehensive glaciological measurements were implemented from 1999 to 2011 and re-established in 2017. Mass balance of Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 (1999–2015) has recently been reported, but the mass balance record has not extended to the period before 1999. Here, we used a 1:50,000-scale topographic map and long-range terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data to calculate the area, volume, and mass changes for Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 from 1964 to 2018. Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 lost 0.34 km2 (at a rate of 0.006 km2 a−1 or 0.42% a−1) of its area during the period 1964–2018. The glacier experienced clearly negative surface elevation changes and geodetic mass balance. Thinning occurred almost across the entire glacier surface, with a mean value of −0.43 ± 0.12 m a−1. The calculated average geodetic mass balance was −0.36 ± 0.12 m w.e. a−1. Without considering the error bounds of mass balance estimates, glacier mass loss over the past 50 years was in line with the observed and modeled mass balance (−0.37 ± 0.22 m w.e. a−1) that was published for short time intervals since 1999 but was slightly less negative than glacier mass loss in the entire eastern Tien Shan. Our results indicate that Riegl VZ®-6000 TLS can be widely used for mass balance measurements of unmonitored individual glaciers.

scholarly journals Changes in Eurasian glaciation during the past century: glacier mass balance and ice-core evidence

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 283-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir N. Mikhalenko
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ice Cap ◽  
Glacier Ice

Glaciers of both the Arctic and mid-latitude mountain systems within Eurasia have retreated intensively during the past century. Measured and reconstructed glacier mass balances show that glacier retreat began around the 1880s. The mean annual mass-balance value for 1880–1990 was −480 mm a−1 for glaciers with maritime climatic conditions, and −140 mm a−1 for continental glaciers. It can be concluded that warming in the Caucasus occurred during at least the last 60 years, according to the distribution of crystal sizes in an ice core from the Dzhantugan firn plateau. Temperatures measured in 1962 at 20 m on the Gregoriev ice cap, Tien Shan, were −4.2°C while in 1990 they were −2°C, a warming of 2.2°C over 28 years. Changes in the isotopic composition of glacier ice during the 20th century indicate recent and continuing warming in different regions of Eurasia. The δ18O records reveal an enrichment at the Gregoriev ice cap during the last 50 years, while surface temperatures at the Tien Shan meteorological station have increased 0.5°C since 1930.

scholarly journals Region-wide glacier mass balances over the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya during 1999–2011

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1263-1286 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gardelle ◽  
E. Berthier ◽  
Y. Arnaud ◽  
A. Kääb
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Grace Data ◽  
Stereo Imagery ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract. The recent evolution of Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya (PKH) glaciers, widely acknowledged as valuable high-altitude as well as mid-latitude climatic indicators, remains poorly known. To estimate the region-wide glacier mass balance for 9 study sites spread from the Pamir to the Hengduan Shan (eastern Himalaya), we compared the 2000 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) to recent (2008–2011) DEMs derived from SPOT5 stereo imagery. During the last decade, the region-wide glacier mass balances were contrasted with moderate mass losses in the eastern and central Himalaya (−0.22 ± 0.12 m w.e. yr−1 to −0.33 ± 0.14 m w.e. yr−1) and larger losses in the western Himalaya (−0.45 ± 0.13 m w.e. yr−1). Recently reported slight mass gain or balanced mass budget of glaciers in the central Karakoram is confirmed for a larger area (+0.10 ± 0.16 m w.e. yr−1) and also observed for glaciers in the western Pamir (+0.14 ± 0.13 m w.e. yr−1). Thus, the "Karakoram anomaly" should be renamed the "Pamir-Karakoram anomaly", at least for the last decade. The overall mass balance of PKH glaciers, −0.14 ± 0.08 m w.e. yr−1, is two to three times less negative than the global average for glaciers distinct from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Together with recent studies using ICESat and GRACE data, DEM differencing confirms a contrasted pattern of glacier mass change in the PKH during the first decade of the 21st century.

Reconstructing snow-avalanche activity with tree rings in Maramureş Mountains (Eastern Carpathians, Romania)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armelle Decaulne ◽  
Ionela-Georgiana Răchită ◽  
Mihai Hotea ◽  
Vasile Timur Chiş ◽  
Olimpiu Traian Pop
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Rings ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Snow Avalanche ◽  
Snow Avalanches ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
Eastern Carpathians ◽  
Joint Research Project ◽  
Callus Tissues

<p> <span>Snow avalanches </span>represent a common phenomenon <span>in Maramureş Mountains (Eastern Carpathians, Romania)</span> where they <span>occur frequently on higher steep slopes and reach in the runout zones the valley bottoms below 1000 m a.s.l. The presence of particular topo-climatic conditions influences the patterns of avalanche activity in terms of past frequency and spatial extent along the slope valleys. As the past snow-avalanche activity is not documented by written reports in the area, reliable information about avalanche history is missing. </span>However, the slopes are forested, trees repeatedly disturbed by snow avalanches record evidence of past events. <span>For this study we reconstructed the avalanche activity using tree rings as a source of proxy data. To date the snow-avalanche history, dendrochronological investigations have been carried out in two avalanche paths, along which living trees showed clear external signs of past disturbances related to mechanical impacts produced by snow avalanches. In each investigated path, a total number of 52 and respectively 118 trees have been sampled and their spatial position recorded with a GPS device. Tree-growth </span>anomalies (e.g. scars, callus tissues, the onset sequences of tangential rows of traumatic resin ducts, compression wood, growth suppression and release sequences) <span>related to snow avalanche disturbance identified within tree rings served to reconstruct past events with an annual resolution. The results indicate that, apart the 2005 major event witnessed and also confirmed by tree-ring dating, multiple other events have been reconstructed since the beginning of 20</span><sup><span>th</span></sup><span> century. Despite some inherent limitations of tree-ring methods in reconstructing past avalanche events, these dendrochronological investigations confirm their utility in deciphering the patterns of avalanche activity in Maramureş Mountains. Tree-ring studies contribute to a better understanding of the role of topographical and climatic factors which influence the spatio-temporal occurrence of snow avalanches.</span></p><p><span>This study represents a contribution to the joint research project 09-AUF, </span><span>‘‘</span><span><em>Activité des avalanches de neige dans les Carpates Orientales Roumaines et Ukrainiennes - </em></span><span> ACTIVNEIGE</span><span>’’</span><span>, co-funded by the </span><span><em>Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)</em></span><span> and </span><span><em>Institutul de Fizică Atomică (IFA), Romania</em></span><span>.</span></p>

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