Multi-decadal mass balance series of three Kyrgyz glaciers inferred from modelling constrained with repeated snow line observations
Glacier surface mass balance observations in the Tien Shan and Pamir are relatively sparse and often discontinuous. Nevertheless, glaciers are one of the most important components of the high-mountain cryosphere in the region as they strongly influence water availability in the arid, continental...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-06-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/1899/2018/tc-12-1899-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | Glacier surface mass balance observations in the Tien Shan and Pamir are
relatively sparse and often discontinuous. Nevertheless, glaciers are one of
the most important components of the high-mountain cryosphere in the region
as they strongly influence water availability in the arid, continental and
intensely populated downstream areas. This study provides reliable and
continuous surface mass balance series for selected glaciers located in the
Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay. By cross-validating the results of three
independent methods, we reconstructed the mass balance of the three benchmark
glaciers, Abramov, Golubin and Glacier no. 354 for the past 2 decades. 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 snow line observations throughout the melt season
obtained from satellite optical 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. The model is initialized with daily temperature and precipitation data
collected at automatic weather stations in the vicinity of the glacier or
with adjusted data from climate reanalysis products. Multi-annual mass
changes based on high-resolution digital elevation models and in situ
glaciological surveys were used to validate the results for the investigated
glaciers. Substantial surface mass loss was confirmed for the three studied
glaciers by all three methods, ranging from −0.30 ± 0.19 to
−0.41 ± 0.33 m w.e. yr<sup>−1</sup> over the 2004–2016 period. Our
results indicate that integration of snow line observations into mass balance
modelling significantly narrows the uncertainty ranges of the estimates.
Hence, this highlights the potential of the methodology for application to
unmonitored glaciers at larger scales for which no direct measurements are
available. |
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| ISSN: | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |