Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya
Estimates of melt from debris-covered glaciers require distributed estimates of meteorological variables and air temperature in particular. Meteorological data are scarce for this environment, and spatial variability of temperature over debris is poorly understood. Based on multiple measurements of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2016-03-01
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| Series: | Annals of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0260305500000318/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811157281153220608 |
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| author | Jakob F. Steiner Francesca Pellicciotti |
| author_facet | Jakob F. Steiner Francesca Pellicciotti |
| author_sort | Jakob F. Steiner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Estimates of melt from debris-covered glaciers require distributed estimates of meteorological variables and air temperature in particular. Meteorological data are scarce for this environment, and spatial variability of temperature over debris is poorly understood. Based on multiple measurements of air and surface temperature from three ablation seasons (2012–14) we investigate the variability of temperature over Lirung Glacier, Nepal, in order to reveal how air temperature is affected by the debris cover and improve ways to extrapolate it. We investigate how much on-glacier temperature deviates from that predicted from a valley lapse rate (LR), analyse on-glacier LRs and test regression models of air temperature and surface temperature. Air temperature over the debris-covered glacier tongue is much higher than what a valley LR would prescribe, so an extrapolation from off-glacier stations is not applicable. An on-glacier LR is clearly defined at night, with strong correlation, but not during the day, when the warming debris disrupts the elevation control. An alternative to derive daytime air temperature is to use a relationship between air and surface temperature, as previously suggested. We find strong variability during daytime that should be accounted for if these regressions are used for temperature extrapolation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:04:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40c4368228974b5aa83ad76683693ce7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0260-3055 1727-5644 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:04:39Z |
| publishDate | 2016-03-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annals of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-40c4368228974b5aa83ad76683693ce72023-03-09T12:27:31ZengCambridge University PressAnnals of Glaciology0260-30551727-56442016-03-015729530710.3189/2016AoG71A066Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese HimalayaJakob F. Steiner0Francesca Pellicciotti1Institute for Environmental Engineering, Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, SwitzerlandInstitute for Environmental Engineering, Institute of Technology (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland Department of Geography, University of Northumbria, Newcastle, UKEstimates of melt from debris-covered glaciers require distributed estimates of meteorological variables and air temperature in particular. Meteorological data are scarce for this environment, and spatial variability of temperature over debris is poorly understood. Based on multiple measurements of air and surface temperature from three ablation seasons (2012–14) we investigate the variability of temperature over Lirung Glacier, Nepal, in order to reveal how air temperature is affected by the debris cover and improve ways to extrapolate it. We investigate how much on-glacier temperature deviates from that predicted from a valley lapse rate (LR), analyse on-glacier LRs and test regression models of air temperature and surface temperature. Air temperature over the debris-covered glacier tongue is much higher than what a valley LR would prescribe, so an extrapolation from off-glacier stations is not applicable. An on-glacier LR is clearly defined at night, with strong correlation, but not during the day, when the warming debris disrupts the elevation control. An alternative to derive daytime air temperature is to use a relationship between air and surface temperature, as previously suggested. We find strong variability during daytime that should be accounted for if these regressions are used for temperature extrapolation.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0260305500000318/type/journal_articledebris-covered glaciersenergy balanceglacier meteorologymountain glaciers |
| spellingShingle | Jakob F. Steiner Francesca Pellicciotti Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya Annals of Glaciology debris-covered glaciers energy balance glacier meteorology mountain glaciers |
| title | Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya |
| title_full | Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya |
| title_fullStr | Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya |
| title_short | Variability of air temperature over a debris-covered glacier in the Nepalese Himalaya |
| title_sort | variability of air temperature over a debris covered glacier in the nepalese himalaya |
| topic | debris-covered glaciers energy balance glacier meteorology mountain glaciers |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0260305500000318/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jakobfsteiner variabilityofairtemperatureoveradebriscoveredglacierinthenepalesehimalaya AT francescapellicciotti variabilityofairtemperatureoveradebriscoveredglacierinthenepalesehimalaya |