Field Experiments to Determine the Effect of a Debris Layer on Ablation of Glacier Ice

Nakawo, Masayoshi; Young, G. J.

doi:10.3189/172756481794352432

Cited by 137 publications

(137 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…Relatively large glacial lakes connected to debris-covered glaciers are located in this region. The thermal insulation effect of debris mantles contributes to the debris-covered termini being located at a lower elevation than the debris-free termini [16,26,27]. Figure 6 shows the normalized frequency distributions for the expansion factors of the Cp, Df, and Dn classes, where an expansion factor of unity indicates no change over the course of approximately 20 years.…”

Section: Current Status Of Glacial Lakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Scale and Potential of GLOF in the Bhutan Himalayas Using a Satellite-Based Integral Glacier–Glacial Lake Inventory

et al. 2017

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Abstract:A comprehensive glacier-glacial lake inventory was developed for the Bhutan Himalayas based on satellite observations between 1987-1990 and 2006-2011. In total, 733 lakes (covering 82.6 km 2 ) were delineated between 4000 and 6000 m a.s.l. and their relationships to associated glaciers were documented. Using this new inventory, the scale and potential for glacial lake outburst flooding (GLOF) based on multiple criteria was examined. This included a history of connectivity characteristics of glacial lakes to mother glaciers, potential flood volumes, and debris-cover of mother glaciers in addition to the conventional criteria of expansion rate and lake size. The majority of the lakes with high expansion rates (more than double in size) and large areas (>0.1 km 2 ) met the conditions of being continuously in contact with a mother debris-covered glacier for nearly 20 years. Based on these multiple criteria, two lakes were identified as having potential for large-scale GLOF. Potentially dangerous glacial lakes listed in the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) study were re-visited, and some overlaps with the glacier-glacial lake inventory were found.

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Section: Current Status Of Glacial Lakesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Scale and Potential of GLOF in the Bhutan Himalayas Using a Satellite-Based Integral Glacier–Glacial Lake Inventory

et al. 2017

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“…Nakawo and Young, 1981;Nicholson and Benn, 2006) and 'clean' glaciers (e.g. Hay and Fitzharris, 1988;Arnold and others, 1996;Brock and Arnold, 2000;Klok and Oerlemans, 2002;Pellicciotti and others, 2008), using a general form determined by the sum of fluxes at the atmosphere/glacier boundary.…”

Section: Energy-balance Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An energy-balance model for debris-covered glaciers including heat conduction through the debris layer

Reid¹,

Brock²

2010

J. Glaciol.

213

284

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“…Fuji, 1977;Mattson et al, 1993). Melt rates of the debris-covered glaciers, however, vary considerably due to different factors, for example, thermal properties of the supra-glacial debris cover (Nakawo and Young, 1981). Dedicated process studies were carried out focusing on the thermal conditions of the sub-debris ice melt (Brock et al, 2007;Mihalcea et al 2006; Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comparison of glacier melt on debris-covered glaciers in the northern and southern Caucasus

et al. 2011

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Abstract. The glacier coverage in the Caucasus Mountains underwent considerable changes during the last decades. In some regions, the observed reduction in glacier area is comparable to those in the European Alps and the extent of supra-glacial debris increased on many glaciers. Only a few glaciers in the Caucasus are monitored on a regular basis, while for most areas no continuous field measurements are available. In this study, regional differences of the conditions for glacier melt with a special focus on debris covered glacier tongues in the well-studied Adyl-su basin on the northern slope of the Caucasus Mountains (Russia) is compared with the Zopkhito basin which has similar characteristics but is located on the southern slope in Georgia. The paper focuses on the effect of supra-glacial debris cover on glacier summer melt. There are systematic differences in the distribution and increase of the debris cover on the glaciers of the two basins. In the Adyl-su basin an extensive debris cover on the glacier tongues is common, however, only those glacier tongues that are positioned at the lowest elevations in the Zopkhito basin show a considerable extent of supra-glacial debris. The observed increase in debris cover is considerably stronger in the north. Field experiments show that thermal resistance of the debris cover in both basins is somewhat higher than in other glaciated regions of the world, but there is also a significant difference between the two regions. A simple ablation model accounting for the effect of debris cover on ice melt shows that melt rates are considerably higher in the northern basin despite a wider debris distribution. This difference betweenCorrespondence to: A. Lambrecht (astrid.lambrecht@uibk.ac.at) the two regions can be attributed to different meteorological conditions which are characterised by more frequent cloud cover and precipitation in the south. Furthermore ablation is strongly influenced by the occurrence of supra-glacial debris cover in both basins, reducing the total amount of melt on the studied glaciers by about 25 %. This effect mitigates glacier retreat in the lower sectors of the ablation zones considerably. The sensitivity to moderate changes in the debris cover, however, is rather small which implies only gradual changes of the melt regime due to debris cover dynamics during the near future.

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Field Experiments to Determine the Effect of a Debris Layer on Ablation of Glacier Ice

Cited by 137 publications

References 19 publications

Evaluating the Scale and Potential of GLOF in the Bhutan Himalayas Using a Satellite-Based Integral Glacier–Glacial Lake Inventory

Evaluating the Scale and Potential of GLOF in the Bhutan Himalayas Using a Satellite-Based Integral Glacier–Glacial Lake Inventory

An energy-balance model for debris-covered glaciers including heat conduction through the debris layer

A comparison of glacier melt on debris-covered glaciers in the northern and southern Caucasus

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