Potential Effect of Black Carbon on Glacier Mass Balance during the Past 55 Years of Laohugou Glacier No. 12, Western Qilian Mountains

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizu Chen ◽  
Xiang Qin ◽  
Shichang Kang ◽  
Wentao Du ◽  
Weijun Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Potential Effect ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
The Past

scholarly journals First in situ record of decadal glacier mass balance (2003–2014) from the Bhutan Himalaya

2016 ◽  
Vol 57 (71) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuntsho Tshering ◽  
Koji Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Direct Method ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Differential Gps ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
The Past ◽  
Southeastern Tibet

AbstractThis study presents the first decadal mass-balance record of a small debris-free glacier in the Bhutan Himalaya, where few in situ measurements have been reported to date. Since 2003 we have measured the mass balance of Gangju La glacier, which covers an area of 0.3km2 and extends from 4900 to 5200ma.s.l., using both differential GPS surveys (geodetic method) and stake measurements (direct method). The observed mass balance ranged from –1.12 to –2.04mw.e. a–1 between 2003 and 2014. The glacier exhibited much greater mass loss than neighbouring glaciers in the eastern Himalaya and southeastern Tibet, which are expected to be sensitive to climate change due to the monsooninfluenced humid climate. Observed mass-balance profiles suggest that the equilibrium-line altitude has been higher than Gangju La glacier since 2003, implying that the entire glacier has experienced net ablation for at least the past decade.

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

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

<p>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.</p><p>To satisfy both interests regarding information on near real-time mass balance, we are running the project CRAMPON – “Cryospheric Monitoring and Prediction Online”. 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.<br>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.</p><p>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.</p>

scholarly journals The impact of Saharan dust and black carbon on albedo and long-term glacier mass balance

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1133-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gabbi ◽  
M. Huss ◽  
A. Bauder ◽  
F. Cao ◽  
M. Schwikowski
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Light-absorbing impurities in snow and ice control glacier melt as shortwave radiation represents the main component of the surface energy balance. Here, we investigate the long-term effect of snow impurities, i.e. Saharan dust and black carbon (BC), on albedo and glacier mass balance. The analysis was performed over the period 1914–2014 for two sites on Claridenfirn, Swiss Alps, where an outstanding 100 year record of seasonal mass balance measurements is available. Information on atmospheric deposition of mineral dust and BC over the last century was retrieved from two firn/ice cores of high-alpine sites. A combined mass balance and snow/firn layer model was employed to assess the dust/BC-albedo feedback. Compared to pure snow conditions, the presence of Saharan dust and BC lowered the mean annual albedo by 0.04–0.06 and increased melt by 15–19% on average depending on the location on the glacier. BC clearly dominated absorption which is about three times higher than that of mineral dust. The upper site has experienced mainly positive mass balances and impurity layers were continuously buried whereas at the lower site, surface albedo was more strongly influenced by re-exposure of dust-enriched layers due to frequent years with negative mass balances.

scholarly journals Meteorological controls on glacier mass balance: empirical relations suggested by measurements on glacier de Sarennes, France

1997 ◽  
Vol 43 (143) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Vincent ◽  
M. Vallon
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Empirical Relation ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Surface Conditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Empirical Relations

AbstractGlacial mass-balance reconstruction for a long-term time-scale requires knowledge of the relation between climate change and mass-balance fluctuations. A large number of mass-balance reconstructions since the beginning of the century are based on statistical relations between monthly meteorological data and mass balance. The question examined in this paper is: are these relationships reliable enough for long-term time-scale extrapolation? From the glacier de Sarennes long mass-balance observations series, we were surprised to discover large discrepancies between relations resulting from different time periods. The importance of the albedo in relation to ablation and mass balance is highlighted, and it is shown that it is impossible to ignore glacier-surface conditions in establishing the empirical relation between mass-balance fluctuations and climatic variation; to omit this parameter leads to incorrect results for mass-balance reconstruction in the past based on meteorological data.

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 The impact of Saharan dust and black carbon on albedo and long-term mass balance of an Alpine glacier

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1385-1400 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gabbi ◽  
M. Huss ◽  
A. Bauder ◽  
F. Cao ◽  
M. Schwikowski
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Mineral Dust ◽  
Swiss Alps ◽  
Saharan Dust ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Light-absorbing impurities in snow and ice control glacier melt as shortwave radiation represents the main component of the surface energy balance. Here, we investigate the long-term effect of snow impurities, i.e., mineral dust and black carbon (BC), on albedo and glacier mass balance. The analysis was performed over the period 1914–2014 for two sites on Claridenfirn, Swiss Alps, where an outstanding 100-year record of seasonal mass balance measurements is available. Information on atmospheric deposition of mineral dust and BC over the last century was retrieved from two firn/ice cores of high-alpine sites. A combined mass balance and snow/firn layer model was employed to assess the effects of melt and accumulation processes on the impurity concentration at the surface and thus on albedo and glacier mass balance. Compared to pure snow conditions, the presence of Saharan dust and BC lowered the mean annual albedo by 0.04–0.06 depending on the location on the glacier. Consequently, annual melt was increased by 15–19 %, and the mean annual mass balance was reduced by about 280–490 mm w.e. BC clearly dominated absorption which is about 3 times higher than that of mineral dust. The upper site has experienced mainly positive mass balances and impurity layers were continuously buried whereas at the lower site, surface albedo was more strongly influenced by re-exposure of dust and BC-enriched layers due to frequent years with negative mass balances.

scholarly journals Meteorological controls on glacier mass balance: empirical relations suggested by measurements on glacier de Sarennes, France

1997 ◽  
Vol 43 (143) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Vincent ◽  
M. Vallon
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Empirical Relation ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Surface Conditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Empirical Relations

AbstractGlacial mass-balance reconstruction for a long-term time-scale requires knowledge of the relation between climate change and mass-balance fluctuations. A large number of mass-balance reconstructions since the beginning of the century are based on statistical relations between monthly meteorological data and mass balance. The question examined in this paper is: are these relationships reliable enough for long-term time-scale extrapolation? From the glacier de Sarennes long mass-balance observations series, we were surprised to discover large discrepancies between relations resulting from different time periods. The importance of the albedo in relation to ablation and mass balance is highlighted, and it is shown that it is impossible to ignore glacier-surface conditions in establishing the empirical relation between mass-balance fluctuations and climatic variation; to omit this parameter leads to incorrect results for mass-balance reconstruction in the past based on meteorological data.

scholarly journals Re-analysis of seasonal mass balance at Abramov glacier 1968–2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (230) ◽  
pp. 1103-1117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barandun ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
Leo Sold ◽  
Daniel Farinotti ◽  
Erlan Azisov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Seasonal Time Series ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Terrestrial Network ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractAbramov glacier, located in the Pamir Alay, Kyrgyzstan, is a reference glacier within the Global Terrestrial Network for Glaciers. Long-term glaciological measurements exist from 1968 to 1998 and a mass-balance monitoring programme was re-established in 2011. In this study we re-analyse existing mass-balance data and use a spatially distributed mass-balance model to provide continuous seasonal time series of glacier mass balance covering the period 1968–2014. The model is calibrated to seasonal mass-balance surveys and then applied to the period with no measurements. Validation and recalibration is carried out using snowline observations derived from satellite imagery and, after 2011, also from automatic terrestrial camera images. We combine direct measurements, remote observations and modelling. The results are compared to geodetic glacier volume change over the past decade and to a ground-penetrating radar survey in the accumulation zone resolving several layers of accumulation. Previously published geodetic mass budget estimates for Abramov glacier suggest a close-to-zero mass balance for the past decade, which contradicts our results. We find a low plausibility for equilibrium conditions over the past 15 years. Instead, we suggest that the glacier’s sensitivity to increased summer air temperature is decisive for the substantial mass loss during the past decade.

scholarly journals Multi-decadal mass balance series of three Kyrgyz glaciers inferred from transient snowline observations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barandun ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
Etienne Berthier ◽  
Andreas Kääb ◽  
Erlan Azisov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Pamir Mountains ◽  
Continuous Mass

Abstract. Glacier mass balance observations in the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains are sparse and often discontinuous. Nevertheless, glaciers are one of the most important components of the high-mountain cryosphere in the region; they strongly influence water availability in the arid, continental and intensely populated downstream areas. This study provides reliable and continuous mass balance series for selected glaciers located in the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay. A combination of three independent methods was used to reconstruct for the past two decades the mass balance of the three benchmark glaciers, Abramov, Golubin and No. 354. By applying different approaches, it was possible to compensate for the limitations and shortcomings of each individual method. This study proposes the use of transient snowline observations throughout the melting season obtained from satellite imagery and terrestrial automatic cameras. By combining modelling with remotely acquired information on summer snow depletion, it was possible to infer glacier mass changes for unmeasured years. Multi-annual mass changes based on high accuracy digital elevation models and in situ glaciological surveys were used to validate the results for the investigated glaciers. Substantial mass loss was confirmed for the three studied glaciers by all three methods, ranging from −0.30 ± 0.19 m w. e. a−1 to −0.41 ± 0.33 m w. e. a−1 over the 2004–2016 period. Our results indicate that integration of snowline observations into mass balance modelling significantly narrows the uncertainty ranges of the estimates, and hence highlights the potential of the methodology for application to inaccessible glaciers at larger scales for which no direct measurements are available.

scholarly journals High-Resolution Monitoring of Glacier Mass Balance and Dynamics with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Ningchan No. 1 Glacier in the Qilian Mountains, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 2735
Author(s):  
Bo Cao ◽  
Weijin Guan ◽  
Kaiji Li ◽  
Baotian Pan ◽  
Xiaodong Sun
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Qilian Mountains ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Glacial Dynamics ◽  
The Qilian Mountains ◽  
Digital Orthophoto

Glaciers located in the Qilian Mountains are rapidly retreating and thinning due to climate change. The current understanding of small glacier mass balance changes under a changing climate is limited by the scarcity of in situ measurements in both time and space as well as the resolution of remote sensing products. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide an unparalleled opportunity to track the spatiotemporal variations in glacier extent at a high resolution and the changing glacier morphological features related to glacial dynamics. Five measurements were performed on the Ningchan No. 1 (NC01) glacier in the Qilian Mountains between 18 August 2017 and 13 August 2020. The glacier changes displayed in the digital orthophoto maps (DOMs) and digital surface models (DSMs) show a 7.4 ± 0.1 m a−1 retreat of the terminus of NC01, a mass balance of −1.22 ± 0.1 m w.e. a−1 from 2017 to 2020, and a maximum surface velocity of 3.2 ± 0.47 m from 18 August 2017 to 26 August 2018, which clearly show consistency with stake measurements. The surface elevation change was influenced by the combined effects of air temperature, altitude, slope, and surface velocity. This research demonstrates that UAV photogrammetry can greatly improve the temporal and spatial resolution of glaciological research.

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