Glaciological measurements and mass balances from Sperry Glacier, Montana, USA, years 2005–2015

Abstract. Glacier mass balance measurements help to provide an understanding of the behavior of glaciers and their response to local and regional climate. In 2005 the United States Geological Survey established a surface mass balance monitoring program on Sperry Glacier, Montana, USA. This project is the first quantitative study of mass changes of a glacier in the US northern Rocky Mountains and continues to the present. The following paper describes the methods used during the first 11 years of measurements and reports the associated results. From 2005 to 2015, Sperry Glacier had a cumulative mean mass balance loss of 4.37 m w.e. (water equivalent). The mean winter, summer, and annual glacier-wide mass balances were 2.92, −3.41, and −0.40 m w.e. yr−1 respectively. We derive these cumulative and mean results from an expansive data set of snow depth, snow density, and ablation measurements taken at selected points on the glacier. These data allow for the determination of mass balance point values and a time series of seasonal and annual glacier-wide mass balances for all 11 measurement years. We also provide measurements of glacier extent and accumulation areas for select years. All data have been submitted to the World Glacier Monitoring Service and are available at doi:10.5904/wgms-fog-2016-08. This foundational work provides valuable insight about Sperry Glacier and supplies additional data to the worldwide record of glaciers measured using the glaciological method. Future research will focus on the processes that control accumulation and ablation patterns across the glacier. Also we plan to examine the uncertainties related to our methods and eventually quantify a more robust estimate of error associated with our results.

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Glaciological Measurements and Mass Balances from Sperry Glacier, Montana, USA Years 2005–2015

10.5194/essd-2016-39 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Adam M. Clark ◽

Daniel B. Fagre ◽

Erich H. Peitzsch ◽

Blase A. Reardon ◽

Joel T. Harper

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

The United States ◽

United States Geological Survey ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Mass Balances ◽

Glacier Surface ◽

Entire Area ◽

Surface Mass

Abstract. Glacier mass balance measurements help to provide an understanding of the behavior of glaciers and their response to local and regional climate influences. In 2005, the United States Geological Survey established a surface mass balance monitoring program on Sperry Glacier, Montana, USA. This program is the first quantitative study of mass changes of a glacier in this region and continues to the present. This paper describes the methods used during the first eleven years of measurements and reports the associated results. Between years 2005–2015, we estimate Sperry Glacier lost approximately 4.37 m of water equivalent averaged over its entire area. The mean winter, summer, and annual glacier-wide mass balances were 2.92 m per year, −3.41 m per year, and −0.40 m per year respectively. We derive these cumulative and mean results from an expansive dataset of snow depth, snow density, and ablation measurements taken at selected points on the glacier, the resultant mass balance point values for these measurement sites, and a time series of seasonal and annual glacier-wide mass balances for all eleven measurement years. We also provide measurements of total glacier surface and accumulation areas for select years. All data have been submitted to the World Glacier Monitoring Service and are available at http://dx.doi.org/10.5904/wgms-fog-2016-08. This foundational data enhances our basic understanding of mass balance of Sperry Glacier, and future work will focus on the processes that control accumulation and ablation patterns across the glacier.

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

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-13-2361-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 2361-2383 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

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.

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Glacier mass-balance fluctuations in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, USA

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756407782871314 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 291-296 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Edward G. Josberger ◽

William R. Bidlake ◽

Rod S. March ◽

Ben W. Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Pacific Northwest ◽

The United States ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

United States Geological Survey ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Northeast Pacific ◽

The Pacific ◽

Interannual Fluctuations ◽

Northeast Pacific Ocean

AbstractThe more than 40 year record of net and seasonal mass-balance records from measurements made by the United States Geological Survey on South Cascade Glacier, Washington, and Wolverine and Gulkana Glaciers, Alaska, shows annual and interannual fluctuations that reflect changes in the controlling climatic conditions at regional and global scales. As the mass-balance record grows in length, it is revealing significant changes in previously described glacier mass-balance behavior, and both inter-glacier and glacier–climate relationships. South Cascade and Wolverine Glaciers are strongly affected by the warm and wet maritime climate of the northeast Pacific Ocean. Their net balances have generally been controlled by winter accumulation, with fluctuations that are strongly related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Recently, warm dry summers have begun to dominate the net balance of the two maritime glaciers, with a weakening of the correlation between the winter balance fluctuations and the PDO. Non-synchronous periods of positive and negative net balance for each glacier prior to 1989 were followed by a 1989–2004 period of synchronous and almost exclusively negative net balances that averaged –0.8m for the three glaciers.

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Reconstructing the annual mass balance of the Echaurren Norte glacier (Central Andes, 33.5° S) using local and regional hydroclimatic data

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-10-927-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 927-940 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Mariano H. Masiokas ◽

Duncan A. Christie ◽

Carlos Le Quesne ◽

Pierre Pitte ◽

Lucas Ruiz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Balance Model ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Mass Balances ◽

Positive Mass ◽

Glacier Surface ◽

Surface Mass ◽

The Andes

Abstract. Despite the great number and variety of glaciers in southern South America, in situ glacier mass-balance records are extremely scarce and glacier–climate relationships are still poorly understood in this region. Here we use the longest (>  35 years) and most complete in situ mass-balance record, available for the Echaurren Norte glacier (ECH) in the Andes at ∼  33.5° S, to develop a minimal glacier surface mass-balance model that relies on nearby monthly precipitation and air temperature data as forcing. This basic model is able to explain 78 % of the variance in the annual glacier mass-balance record over the 1978–2013 calibration period. An attribution assessment identified precipitation variability as the dominant forcing modulating annual mass balances at ECH, with temperature variations likely playing a secondary role. A regionally averaged series of mean annual streamflow records from both sides of the Andes between ∼  30 and 37° S is then used to estimate, through simple linear regression, this glacier's annual mass-balance variations since 1909. The reconstruction model captures 68 % of the observed glacier mass-balance variability and shows three periods of sustained positive mass balances embedded in an overall negative trend over the past 105 years. The three periods of sustained positive mass balances (centered in the 1920s–1930s, in the 1980s and in the first decade of the 21st century) coincide with several documented glacier advances in this region. Similar trends observed in other shorter glacier mass-balance series suggest that the Echaurren Norte glacier reconstruction is representative of larger-scale conditions and could be useful for more detailed glaciological, hydrological and climatological assessments in this portion of the Andes.

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The COVID Connection: Pandemic Anxiety, COVID-19 Comprehension, and Digital Confidence

American Behavioral Scientist ◽

10.1177/00027642211003155 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000276422110031

Author(s):

Laura Robinson ◽

Jeremy Schulz ◽

Øyvind N. Wiborg ◽

Elisha Johnston

Keyword(s):

Logistic Models ◽

The United States ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Future Research ◽

Lower Probability ◽

Data Set ◽

Digital Inequality ◽

Partner Status ◽

General Anxiety ◽

Nationally Representative

This article presents logistic models examining how pandemic anxiety and COVID-19 comprehension vary with digital confidence among adults in the United States during the first wave of the pandemic. As we demonstrate statistically with a nationally representative data set, the digitally confident have lower probability of experiencing physical manifestations of pandemic anxiety and higher probability of adequately comprehending critical information on COVID-19. The effects of digital confidence on both pandemic anxiety and COVID-19 comprehension persist, even after a broad range of potentially confounding factors are taken into account, including sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, metropolitan status, and partner status. They also remain discernable after the introduction of general anxiety, as well as income and education. These results offer evidence that the digitally disadvantaged experience greater vulnerability to the secondary effects of the pandemic in the form of increased somatized stress and decreased COVID-19 comprehension. Going forward, future research and policy must make an effort to address digital confidence and digital inequality writ large as crucial factors mediating individuals’ responses to the pandemic and future crises.

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Post-Dorian shoreline change at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 2019 report

10.36967/nrr-2282127 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lisa Baron

Keyword(s):

High Tide ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Shoreline Change ◽

The United States ◽

United States Geological Survey ◽

Vital Signs Monitoring ◽

Cape Hatteras ◽

Cape Hatteras National Seashore ◽

National Seashore

In 2018 and 2019 the Southeast Coast Network (SECN), with assistance from park staff, collected long-term shoreline monitoring data at Cape Hatteras National Seashore as part of the National Park Service (NPS) Vital Signs Monitoring Program. Monitoring was conducted following methods developed by the NPS Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network and consisted of mapping the high-tide swash line using a Global Positioning System unit in the spring of each year (Psuty et al. 2010). Shoreline change was calculated using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS; Himmelstoss et al. 2018). Following the same field methods used for monitoring long-term shoreline change, geospatial data were collected as part of the Hurricane Dorian (or Dorian) Incident Response from September 12–16, 2019. This report summarizes the post-Dorian data and the previous two shoreline data collection efforts (spring 2019 and fall 2018).

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Two Decades of Invasive Western Corn Rootworm Population Monitoring in Croatia

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects9040160 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 160 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Martina Mrganić ◽

Renata Bažok ◽

Katarina Mikac ◽

Hugo Benítez ◽

Darija Lemic

Keyword(s):

Adult Population ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Population Monitoring ◽

The United States ◽

Western Corn Rootworm ◽

Population Variation ◽

Future Research ◽

Corn Rootworm ◽

Population Abundance ◽

National Monitoring

Western corn rootworm (WCR) is the worst pest of maize in the United States, and since its spread through Europe, WCR is now recognized as the most serious pest affecting maize production. After the beetle’s first detection in Serbia in 1992, neighboring countries such as Croatia have established a national monitoring program. For more than two decades WCR adult population abundance and variability was monitored. With traditional density monitoring, more recent genetic monitoring, and the newest morphometric monitoring of WCR populations, Croatia possesses a great deal of knowledge about the beetle’s invasion process over time and space. Croatia’s position in Europe is unique as no other European nation has demonstrated such a detailed and complete understanding of an invasive insect. The combined use of traditional monitoring (attractant cards), which can be effectively used to predict population abundance, and modern monitoring procedures, such as population genetics and geometric morphometrics, has been effectively used to estimate inter- and intra-population variation. The combined application of traditional and modern monitoring techniques will enable more efficient control and management of WCR across Europe. This review summarizes the research on WCR in Croatia from when it was first detected in 1992 until 2018. An outline of future research needs is provided.

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Comparison of direct and geodetic mass balances on a multi-annual time scale

The Cryosphere Discussions ◽

10.5194/tcd-4-1151-2010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 1151-1194

Author(s):

A. Fischer

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Direct Method ◽

Mean Difference ◽

Published Data ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Mass Balances ◽

Direct Data ◽

The Mean ◽

The Difference ◽

Geodetic Mass Balance

Abstract. Glacier mass balance is measured with the direct or the geodetic method. In this study, the geodetic mass balances of six Austrian glaciers in 19 periods between 1953 and 2006 are compared to the direct mass balances in the same periods. The mean annual geodetic mass balance for all periods is −0.5 m w.e./year. The mean difference between the geodetic and the direct data is −0.7 m w.e., the minimum −7.3 m w.e. and the maximum 5.6 m w.e. The accuracy of geodetic mass balance resulting from the accuracy of the DEMs ranges from 2 m w.e. for photogrammetric data to 0.002 m w.e. for LIDAR data. Basal melt, seasonal snow cover and density changes of the surface layer contribute up to 0.7 m w.e. for the period of 10 years to the difference to the direct method. The characteristics of published data of Griesgletscher, Gulkana Glacier, Lemon Creek glacier, South Cascade, Storbreen, Storglaciären, and Zongo Glacier is similar to these Austrian glaciers. For 26 analyzed periods with an average length of 18 years the mean difference between the geodetic and the direct data is −0.4 m w.e., the minimum −7.2 m w.e. and the maximum 3.6 m w.e. Longer periods between the acquisition of the DEMs do not necessarily result in a higher accuracy of the geodetic mass balance. Specific glaciers show specific trends of the difference between the direct and the geodetic data according to their type and state. In conclusion, geodetic and direct mass balance data are complementary, but differ systematically.

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Monitoring glacier albedo as a proxy to derive summer and annual surface mass balances from optical remote-sensing data

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-12-271-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 271-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lucas Davaze ◽

Antoine Rabatel ◽

Yves Arnaud ◽

Pascal Sirguey ◽

Delphine Six ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Surface Albedo ◽

In Situ Measurements ◽

Surface Mass Balance ◽

Mass Balances ◽

Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽

Surface Mass ◽

Minimum Surface ◽

Summer Minimum

Abstract. Less than 0.25 % of the 250 000 glaciers inventoried in the Randolph Glacier Inventory (RGI V.5) are currently monitored with in situ measurements of surface mass balance. Increasing this archive is very challenging, especially using time-consuming methods based on in situ measurements, and complementary methods are required to quantify the surface mass balance of unmonitored glaciers. The current study relies on the so-called albedo method, based on the analysis of albedo maps retrieved from optical satellite imagery acquired since 2000 by the MODIS sensor, on board the TERRA satellite. Recent studies revealed substantial relationships between summer minimum glacier-wide surface albedo and annual surface mass balance, because this minimum surface albedo is directly related to the accumulation–area ratio and the equilibrium-line altitude. On the basis of 30 glaciers located in the French Alps where annual surface mass balance data are available, our study conducted on the period 2000–2015 confirms the robustness and reliability of the relationship between the summer minimum surface albedo and the annual surface mass balance. For the ablation season, the integrated summer surface albedo is significantly correlated with the summer surface mass balance of the six glaciers seasonally monitored. These results are promising to monitor both annual and summer glacier-wide surface mass balances of individual glaciers at a regional scale using optical satellite images. A sensitivity study on the computed cloud masks revealed a high confidence in the retrieved albedo maps, restricting the number of omission errors. Albedo retrieval artifacts have been detected for topographically incised glaciers, highlighting limitations in the shadow correction algorithm, although inter-annual comparisons are not affected by systematic errors.

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CRAMPON: a model- and observation-based near real-time platform for glacier mass balance monitoring in Switzerland

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-9761 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Johannes Marian Landmann ◽

Matthias Huss ◽

Hans Rudolf Künsch ◽

Christophe Ogier ◽

Lea Geibel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particle Filter ◽

Mass Balance ◽

Real Time ◽

Resource Planning ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Sequential Data ◽

Mass Balances ◽

Individual Parameter ◽

High Interest ◽

The Past

As glaciers shrink, high interest in their near real-time mass balance arises. This is mainly for two reasons: first, there are concerns about water availability and short-term water resource planning, and second, glaciers are one of the most prominent indicators of climate change, resulting in a high interest of the broader public.To satisfy both interests regarding information on near real-time mass balance, we are running the project CRAMPON &#8211; &#8220;Cryospheric Monitoring and Prediction Online&#8221;. Within this project, we set up an operational assimilation platform where it is possible to query daily mass balance estimates in near real-time, i.e. updated with a lag of max. 24 hours. During the operational alpha phase, we increase the amount of modelled glaciers and assimilated observations steadily. We start with about 15 glaciers from the Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS) program, for which time series of seasonal mass balances from the glaciological method are available. After that, we expand our set of modelled glaciers to about 50 glaciers that have frequent geodetic mass balances in the past, and finally to all glaciers in Switzerland. The assimilated observations reach from the operational GLAMOS seasonal mass balance observations via daily point mass balances from nine in situ cameras providing instantaneous ablation rates to satellite-derived albedo and snow distribution on the glacier. As basis for the platform, we run an ensemble of three temperature index and one simplified energy balance melt models. This ensemble takes gridded temperature, precipitation and radiation as input and aims at quantifying uncertainties of the produced daily mass balances. To determine uncertainties in the model prediction of a current mass budget year correctly, we run the models with parameter distributions we have fitted on individual parameter sets calibrated in the past. Since a purely model-based prediction can reveal high uncertainties though, we choose a sequential data assimilation approach in the form of a Particle Filter to constrain this uncertainty with observations, whenever available. We have customized the standard Particle Filter to (1) use a resampling method that is able to keep models in the ensemble despite a temporary bad performance, and (2) allow parameter and model probability evolution over time.In this contribution, we focus on giving a holistic overview over the already existing platform features and discuss the future developments. We plan to make the calculated mass balances publicly available in summer 2021, and to extend this platform to the global scale at a later stage.

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