Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling
Surface energy-balance models are commonly used in conjunction with satellite thermal imagery to estimate supraglacial debris thickness. Removing the need for local meteorological data in the debris thickness estimation workflow could improve the versatility and spatiotemporal application of debris...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143020001112/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155787982045184 |
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| author | Rebecca L. Stewart Matthew Westoby Francesca Pellicciotti Ann Rowan Darrel Swift Benjamin Brock John Woodward |
| author_facet | Rebecca L. Stewart Matthew Westoby Francesca Pellicciotti Ann Rowan Darrel Swift Benjamin Brock John Woodward |
| author_sort | Rebecca L. Stewart |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Surface energy-balance models are commonly used in conjunction with satellite thermal imagery to estimate supraglacial debris thickness. Removing the need for local meteorological data in the debris thickness estimation workflow could improve the versatility and spatiotemporal application of debris thickness estimation. We evaluate the use of regional reanalysis data to derive debris thickness for two mountain glaciers using a surface energy-balance model. Results forced using ERA-5 agree with AWS-derived estimates to within 0.01 ± 0.05 m for Miage Glacier, Italy, and 0.01 ± 0.02 m for Khumbu Glacier, Nepal. ERA-5 data were then used to estimate spatiotemporal changes in debris thickness over a ~20-year period for Miage Glacier, Khumbu Glacier and Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland. We observe significant increases in debris thickness at the terminus for Haut Glacier d'Arolla and at the margins of the expanding debris cover at all glaciers. While simulated debris thickness was underestimated compared to point measurements in areas of thick debris, our approach can reconstruct glacier-scale debris thickness distribution and its temporal evolution over multiple decades. We find significant changes in debris thickness over areas of thin debris, areas susceptible to high ablation rates, where current knowledge of debris evolution is limited. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:39:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-36daca8ec5c74b68a7948b9a172e0e35 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:39:24Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-36daca8ec5c74b68a7948b9a172e0e352023-03-09T12:41:03ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522021-04-016736638410.1017/jog.2020.111Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modellingRebecca L. Stewart0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6751-3749Matthew Westoby1Francesca Pellicciotti2Ann Rowan3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3715-5554Darrel Swift4Benjamin Brock5John Woodward6Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKDepartment of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKDepartment of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandDepartment of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKDepartment of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKDepartment of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKDepartment of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UKSurface energy-balance models are commonly used in conjunction with satellite thermal imagery to estimate supraglacial debris thickness. Removing the need for local meteorological data in the debris thickness estimation workflow could improve the versatility and spatiotemporal application of debris thickness estimation. We evaluate the use of regional reanalysis data to derive debris thickness for two mountain glaciers using a surface energy-balance model. Results forced using ERA-5 agree with AWS-derived estimates to within 0.01 ± 0.05 m for Miage Glacier, Italy, and 0.01 ± 0.02 m for Khumbu Glacier, Nepal. ERA-5 data were then used to estimate spatiotemporal changes in debris thickness over a ~20-year period for Miage Glacier, Khumbu Glacier and Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland. We observe significant increases in debris thickness at the terminus for Haut Glacier d'Arolla and at the margins of the expanding debris cover at all glaciers. While simulated debris thickness was underestimated compared to point measurements in areas of thick debris, our approach can reconstruct glacier-scale debris thickness distribution and its temporal evolution over multiple decades. We find significant changes in debris thickness over areas of thin debris, areas susceptible to high ablation rates, where current knowledge of debris evolution is limited.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143020001112/type/journal_articleDebris-covered glaciersenergy balancesupraglacial debris |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca L. Stewart Matthew Westoby Francesca Pellicciotti Ann Rowan Darrel Swift Benjamin Brock John Woodward Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling Journal of Glaciology Debris-covered glaciers energy balance supraglacial debris |
| title | Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling |
| title_full | Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling |
| title_fullStr | Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling |
| title_short | Using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi-temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy-balance modelling |
| title_sort | using climate reanalysis data in conjunction with multi temporal satellite thermal imagery to derive supraglacial debris thickness changes from energy balance modelling |
| topic | Debris-covered glaciers energy balance supraglacial debris |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143020001112/type/journal_article |
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