scholarly journals Reconstruction of the annual mass balance of Chhota Shigri glacier, Western Himalaya, India, since 1969

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (66) ◽  
pp. 69-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Farooq Azam ◽  
Patrick Wagnon ◽  
Christian Vincent ◽  
Alagappan Ramanathan ◽  
Anurag Linda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Temperature Index ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Chhota Shigri Glacier ◽  
Decadal Scale ◽  
Climatic Drivers ◽  
Precipitation Records ◽  
Significant Mass Loss

AbstractThis study presents a reconstruction of the mass balance (MB) of Chhota Shigri glacier, Western Himalaya, India, and discusses the regional climatic drivers responsible for its evolution since 1969. The MB is reconstructed by a temperature-index and an accumulation model using daily air-temperature and precipitation records from the nearest meteorological station, at Bhuntar Observatory. The only adjusted parameter is the altitudinal precipitation gradient. The model is calibrated against 10 years of annual altitudinal MB measurements between 2002 and 2012 and decadal cumulative MBs between 1988 and 2010. Three periods were distinguished in the MB series. Periods I (1969-85) and III (2001-12) show significant mass loss at MB rates of -0.36±0.36 and -0.57±0.36mw.e.a-1 respectively, whereas period II (1986-2000) exhibits steady-state conditions with average MBs of -0.01 ±0.36mw.e.a–1. The comparison among these three periods suggests that winter precipitation and summer temperature are almost equally important drivers controlling the MB pattern of Chhota Shigri glacier at decadal scale. The sensitivity of the modelled glacier-wide MB to temperature is -0.52 m w.e. a–1 °C–1 whereas the sensitivity to precipitation is calculated as 0.16mw.e.a-1 for a 10% change.

scholarly journals Surface Mass Balance Modelling at Naradu Glacier, Western Himalaya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Shruti Singh ◽  
Ramesh Kumar ◽  
Atar Singh ◽  
Shaktiman Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Summer Half ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Precipitation Records

Abstract In view of climate change, Himalayan glaciers are losing its mass. In present study we analyzed 7 year long field based data series of surface mass-balance measurements performed between 2011/12 and 2017/18 at Naradu glacier, western Himalaya. The average specific mass balance for the studied period was 0.83 m w.e. with a highest melting of 1.15 m w.e. The analysis of topographic features showed that south and southeast aspect along with the presence of debris cover area and the slope between 18 to 36 degree are the major factors which causes highest melting from a particular zone. For better understanding of SMB variability and its causes, multiple linear regression analyses (MLRA) was performed by taking temperature and precipitation as predictors. The temperature and precipitation records were taken from NASA GIOVANNI website. The MLRA shows that 71% of the variance of observed SMB can be explained by temperature and precipitation. The MLRA shows the importance of summer half-year temperature. This variable alone explains the 64% variance of observed SMB. The seasonal period analysis showed that with two predictor variables most of the SMB variability is described by summer temperature and winter precipitation. All monthly combinations show that SMB variance is best described by June temperature and September precipitation.

scholarly journals Surface mass balance analysis at Naradu Glacier, Western Himalaya, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Shruti Singh ◽  
Atar Singh ◽  
Ramesh Kumar ◽  
Shaktiman Singh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Balance Analysis ◽  
Seasonal Analysis

AbstractIn the present study, we analyze a field-based seven-year data series of surface mass-balance measurements collected during 2011/12 to 2017/18 on Naradu Glacier, western Himalaya, India. The average annual specific mass balance for the said period is  − 0.85 m w.e. with the maximum ablation of  − 1.15 m w.e. The analysis shows that the topographic features, south and southeast aspects and slopes between 7 to 24 degrees are the reasons behind the maximum ablation from a particular zone. The causes of surface mass balance variability have been analyzed through multiple linear regression analyses (MLRA) by taking temperature and precipitation as predictors. The MLRA demonstrates that 71% of the observed surface mass balance variance can be explained by temperature and precipitation. It clearly illustrates the importance of summer temperature, which alone explains 64% variance of surface mass balance. The seasonal analysis shows that most of the surface mass balance variability is described by summer temperature and winter precipitation as two predictor variables. Among monthly combinations, surface mass balance variance is best characterized by June temperature and September precipitation.

scholarly journals An estimate of glacier mass balance for the Chandra basin, western Himalaya, for the period 1984–2012

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (75pt2) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayli Atul Tawde ◽  
Anil V. Kulkarni ◽  
Govindasamy Bala
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Ratio Method ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Temperature Index ◽  
Field Investigations ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Accumulation Area Ratio

ABSTRACTAn improved understanding of fresh water stored in the Himalaya is crucial for water resource management in South Asia and can be inferred from glacier mass-balance estimates. However, field investigations in the rugged Himalaya are limited to a few individual glaciers and short duration. Therefore, we have recently developed an approach that combines satellite-derived snowlines, a temperature-index melt model and the accumulation-area ratio method to estimate annual mass balance of glaciers at basin scale and for a long period. In this investigation, the mass balance of 146 glaciers in the Chandra basin, western Himalaya, is estimated from 1984 to 2012. We estimate the trend in equilibrium line altitude of the basin as +113 m decade−1and the mean mass balance as −0.61 ± 0.46 m w.e. a−1. Our basin-wide mass-balance estimates are in agreement with the geodetic method during 1999–2012. Sensitivity analysis suggests that a 20% increase in precipitation can offset changes in mass balance for a 1 °C temperature rise. A water loss of 18% of the total basin volume is estimated, and 67% for small and low-altitude glaciers during 1984–2012, indicating a looming water scarcity crisis for villages in this valley.

scholarly journals Evolution of Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, over the past 125 years and in the future: application of an improved flowline model

2007 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 268-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin Sugiyama ◽  
Andreas Bauder ◽  
Conradin Zahno ◽  
Martin Funk
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Future Application ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Future Evolution ◽  
The Past ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
The Future ◽  
Shape Effects ◽  
Precipitation Records

AbstractTo study the past and future evolution of Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, a flowline model was developed to include valley shape effects more accurately than conventional flowband models. In the model, the ice flux at a gridpoint was computed by a two-dimensional ice-flow model applied to the valley cross-section. The results suggested the underestimation of the accumulation area, which seems to be a general problem of flowline modelling arising from the model’s one-dimensional nature. The corrected mass balance was coupled with the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) change, which was reconstructed for the period 1878–2003 from temperature and precipitation records, to run the model for the past 125 years. The model satisfactorily reproduced both changes in the terminus position and the total ice volume derived from digital elevation models of the surface obtained by analyses of old maps and aerial photographs. This showed the model’s potential to simulate glacier evolution when an accurate mass balance could be determined. The future evolution of Rhonegletscher was evaluated with three mass-balance conditions: the mean for the period 1994–2003, and the most negative (2003) and positive (1978) mass-balance values for the past 50 years. The model predicted volume changes of –18%, –58% and +38% after 50 years for the three conditions, respectively.

Tree-ring-based mass-balance estimates for the past 300 years at Peyto Glacier, Alberta, Canada

2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Watson ◽  
Brian H Luckman
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Gulf Of Alaska ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Canadian Rocky Mountains ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Positive Mass ◽  
Canadian Rockies ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Tree Ring Data

Tree rings were used to reconstruct mass balance for Peyto Glacier in the Canadian Rocky Mountains from A.D. 1673 to 1994. Summer balance was reconstructed from tree-ring estimates of summer temperature and precipitation in the Canadian Rockies. Winter balance was derived from tree-ring data from sites bordering the Gulf of Alaska and in western British Columbia. The models for winter and summer balance each explain over 40% of the variance in the appropriate mass-balance series. Over the period 1966–1994 the correlation between the reconstructed and measured net balances is 0.71. Strong positive mass balances are reconstructed for 1695–1720 and 1810–1825, when higher winter precipitation coincided with reduced ablation. Periods of reconstructed positive mass balance precede construction of terminal moraines throughout the Canadian Rockies ca. 1700–1725 and 1825–1850. Positive mass balances in the period 1845–1880 also correspond to intervals of glacier readvance. Mass balances were generally negative between 1760 and 1805. From 1673 to 1883 the mean annual net balance was +70 mm water equivalent per year (w.e./yr.), but it averaged −317 mm w.e./yr from 1884 to 1994. This reconstructed mass balance history provides a continuous record of glacier change that appears regionally representative and consistent with moraine and other proxy climate records.

scholarly journals Modelling 60 years of glacier mass balance and runoff for Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Northern India

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (240) ◽  
pp. 618-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARKUS ENGELHARDT ◽  
AL. RAMANATHAN ◽  
TRUDE EIDHAMMER ◽  
PANKAJ KUMAR ◽  
OSKAR LANDGREN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Global Radiation ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Melt ◽  
Chhota Shigri Glacier

ABSTRACTGlacier mass balance and runoff are simulated from 1955 to 2014 for the catchment (46% glacier cover) containing Chhota Shigri Glacier (Western Himalaya) using gridded data from three regional climate models: (1) the Rossby Centre regional atmospheric climate model v.4 (RCA4); (2) the REgional atmosphere MOdel (REMO); and (3) the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF). The input data are downscaled to the simulation grid (300 m) and calibrated with point measurements of temperature and precipitation. Additional input is daily potential global radiation calculated using a DEM at a resolution of 30 m. The mass-balance model calculates daily snow accumulation, melt and runoff. The model parameters are calibrated with available mass-balance measurements and results are validated with geodetic measurements, other mass-balance model results and run-off measurements. Simulated annual mass balances slightly decreased from −0.3 m w.e. a−1 (1955–99) to −0.6 m w.e. a−1 for 2000–14. For the same periods, mean runoff increased from 2.0 m3 s−1 (1955–99) to 2.4 m3 s−1 (2000–14) with glacier melt contributing about one-third to the runoff. Monthly runoff increases are greatest in July, due to both increased snow and glacier melt, whereas slightly decreased snowmelt in August and September was more than compensated by increased glacier melt.

Modelling mass changes of Dokriani (Central Himalaya) and Chhota Shigri (Western Himalaya) glaciers, India using energy balance approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smriti Srivastava ◽  
Mohd Farooq Azam
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Surface Energy ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Mass Balances ◽  
Chhota Shigri Glacier ◽  
Energy Balance Approach

<p>Processes controlling the glacier wastage in the Himalaya are still poorly understood. In the present study, a surface energy-mass balance model is applied to reconstruct the long-term mass balances over 1979-2020 on two benchmark glaciers, Dokriani and Chhota Shigri, located in different climatic regimes. The model is forced with ERA5 reanalysis data and calibrated using field-observed point mass balances. The model is validated against available glacier-wide mass balances. Dokriani and Chhota Shigri glaciers show moderate wastage with a mean value of –0.28 and –0.34 m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup>, respectively over 1979-2020. The mean winter and summer glacier-wide mass balances are 0.44 and –0.72 m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup> for Dokriani Glacier and 0.53 and –0.85 m w.e. a<sup>-1</sup> for Chhota Shigri Glacier, respectively, showing a higher mass turn over on Chhota Shigri Glacier. Net radiation flux is the major component of surface energy balance followed by sensible and latent heat fluxes on both the glaciers. The losses through sublimation is around 10% to the total ablation. Surface albedo is one of the most important drivers controlling the annual mass balance of both Dokriani and Chhota Shigri glacier. Summer mass balance (0.76, p<0.05) mainly controls the annual glacier-wide mass balance on Dokriani Glacier whereas the summer (0.91, p<0.05) and winter (0.78, p<0.05) mass balances together control the annual glacier-wide mass balance on Chhota Shigri Glacier.</p>

scholarly journals Four years of mass balance on Chhota Shigri Glacier, Himachal Pradesh, India, a new benchmark glacier in the western Himalaya

2007 ◽  
Vol 53 (183) ◽  
pp. 603-611 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Wagnon ◽  
Anurag Linda ◽  
Yves Arnaud ◽  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Parmanand Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Change ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Himachal Pradesh ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Chhota Shigri Glacier ◽  
Himalayan Glaciers

Little is known about the Himalayan glaciers, although they are of particular interest in terms of future water supply, regional climate change and sea-level rise. In 2002, a long-term monitoring programme was started on Chhota Shigri Glacier (32.2° N, 77.5° E; 15.7 km2, 6263–4050 ma.s.l., 9 km long) located in Lahaul and Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. This glacier lies in the monsoon–arid transition zone (western Himalaya) which is alternately influenced by Asian monsoon in summer and the mid-latitude westerlies in winter. Here we present the results of a 4 year study of mass balance and surface velocity. Overall specific mass balances are mostly negative during the study period and vary from a minimum value of –1.4 m w.e. in 2002/03 and 2005/06 (equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) ∼5180 m a.s.l.) to a maximum value of +0.1 m w.e. in 2004/05 (ELA 4855 m a.s.l.). Chhota Shigri Glacier seems similar to mid-latitude glaciers, with an ablation season limited to the summer months and a mean vertical gradient of mass balance in the ablation zone (debris-free part) of 0.7mw.e.(100 m)–1, similar to those reported in the Alps. Mass balance is strongly dependent on debris cover, exposure and the shading effect of surrounding steep slopes.

scholarly journals Meltwater runoff in a changing climate (1951–2099) at Chhota Shigri Glacier, Western Himalaya, Northern India

2017 ◽  
Vol 58 (75pt1) ◽  
pp. 47-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Engelhardt ◽  
Paul Leclercq ◽  
Trude Eidhammer ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
Oskar Landgren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Horizontal Resolution ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Climate Scenarios ◽  
Mass Balance Model ◽  
Chhota Shigri Glacier ◽  
Meltwater Runoff ◽  
Rcp 8.5

ABSTRACTMeltwater runoff in the catchment area containing Chhota Shigri glacier (Western Himalaya) is simulated for the period 1951–2099. The applied mass-balance model is forced by downscaled products from four regional climate models with different horizontal resolution. For the future climate scenarios we use high resolution time series of 5 km grid spacing, generated using the newly developed Intermediate Complexity Atmospheric Research Model. The meteorological input is downscaled to 300 m horizontal resolution. The use of an ice flow model provides annually updated glacier area for the mass-balance calculations. The mass-balance model calculates daily snow accumulation, melt, runoff, as well as the individual runoff components (glacial melt, snowmelt and rain). The resulting glacier area decreases by 35% (representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario) to 70% (RCP 8.5 scenario) by 2099 relative to 2000. The average annual mass balance over the whole model period (1951–2099) was –0.4 (±0.3) m w.e. a–1. Average annual runoff does not differ substantially between the two climate scenarios. However, for the years after 2040 our results show a shift towards earlier snowmelt onset that increases runoff in May and June, and reduced glacier melt that decreases runoff in August and September. This shift is much stronger pronounced in the RCP 8.5 scenario.

scholarly journals Annual and seasonal glaciological mass balance of Patsio Glacier, western Himalaya (India) from 2010 to 2017

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thupstan Angchuk ◽  
Alagappan Ramanathan ◽  
I. M. Bahuguna ◽  
Arindan Mandal ◽  
Mohd Soheb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Western Himalaya ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Climatic Parameters ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Himalayan Glaciers ◽  
Covered Area ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Atmospheric Variations ◽  
Spiti Region

Abstract Improving the knowledge on Himalayan glaciers mass balance is a key to understand the present and past annual atmospheric variations and future water availability in the region. Here, we present glaciological mass balance for Patsio Glacier, located in Himachal Pradesh (India), western Himalaya. Annual glacier-wide mass balance was measured for 7 consecutive years (2010/11 to 2016/17) and winter mass balance for 6 years (2011/12 to 2016/17). The cumulative mass balance over this period was −2.35 ± 0.37 m w.e. The corresponding mean mass balance was −0.34 m w.e. a−1. The mean annual ablation gradient excluding the debris-covered area was 0.47 m w.e. (100 m)−1. The annual ablation over the debris-covered area is reduced by an average of −1.0 m w.e. compared to the clean ice surface. Winter mass balance was consistently positive with a maximum of 1.34 m w.e. in 2014/15 and a minimum of 0.88 m w.e. in 2011/12. Multiple regression analysis between annual mass balance versus annual and winter precipitation of the Lahaul-Spiti region shows a significant positive correlation. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring seasonal mass balance and consideration of non-climatic parameters (debris and aspect) while estimating the glacier-wide mass balance.

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