Pan-Alpine glacier phenology reveals lowering albedo and increase in ablation season length

Mauro, Biagio Di; Fugazza, Davide

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2022.113119

Cited by 18 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Tongues of retreating glaciers display very low albedo values (<0.4), and a gradual lowering of the albedo has been observed in recent decades [4]. This is due to coverage of the ice by layers of debris [5,6], the accumulation of impurities during the ablation season (e.g., cryoconite) [7,8] and the unveiling of darker firn bands from previous years [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Surface Features of an Alpine Glacier through Multispectral and Thermal Drone Surveys

et al. 2023

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Glacier surfaces are highly heterogeneous mixtures of ice, snow, light-absorbing impurities and debris material. The spatial and temporal variability of these components affects ice surface characteristics and strongly influences glacier energy and mass balance. Remote sensing offers a unique opportunity to characterize glacier optical and thermal properties, enabling a better understanding of different processes occurring at the glacial surface. In this study, we evaluate the potential of optical and thermal data collected from field and drone platforms to map the abundances of predominant glacier surfaces (i.e., snow, clean ice, melting ice, dark ice, cryoconite, dusty snow and debris cover) on the Zebrù glacier in the Italian Alps. The drone surveys were conducted on the ablation zone of the glacier on 29 and 30 July 2020, corresponding to the middle of the ablation season. We identified very high heterogeneity of surface types dominated by melting ice (30% of the investigated area), dark ice (24%), clean ice (19%) and debris cover (17%). The surface temperature of debris cover was inversely related to debris-cover thickness. This relation is influenced by the petrology of debris cover, suggesting the importance of lithology when considering the role of debris over glaciers. Multispectral and thermal drone surveys can thus provide accurate high-resolution maps of different snow and ice types and their temperature, which are critical elements to better understand the glacier’s energy budget and melt rates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping Surface Features of an Alpine Glacier through Multispectral and Thermal Drone Surveys

et al. 2023

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“…Viewable snow fraction is the fraction of a given area of the earth's horizontal surface that is covered by snow as seen from the satellite, not accounting for snow hidden by vegetation. Additionally, we masked out glaciated pixels using a glacier mask derived from Global Land Ice Measurements from Space data, as melt-water on the surface of glaciers can induce uncertainty to remote sensing of snow, and some glaciers may have been snow covered in some months of this study but not others (Kargel et al 2005, Mauro andFugazza 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-temporal patterns and trends in MODIS-retrieved radiative forcing by snow impurities over the Western US from 2001 to 2022

Jensen,

Rittger,

Raleigh

2024

Environ. Res.: Climate

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The seasonal mountain snowpack of the western U.S. (WUS) is a key water resource to millions of people and an important component of the regional climate system. Impurities at the snow surface can affect snowmelt timing and rate through snow radiative forcing (RF), resulting in earlier streamflow, snow disappearance, and less water availability in dry months. Predicting the locations, timing, and intensity of impurities is challenging, and little is known concerning whether snow RF has changed over recent decades. Here we analyzed the relative magnitude and spatio-temporal variability of snow RF across the WUS at three spatial scales (pixel, watershed, regional) using remotely sensed RF from spatially and temporally complete (STC) MODIS data sets (STC-MODSCAG/MODDRFS) from 2001-2022. To quantify snow RF impacts, we calculated a pixel-integrated metric over each snowmelt season (March 1st - June 30th) in all 22 years. We tested for long-term trend significance with the Mann-Kendall test and trend magnitude with Theil-Sen's slope. Mean snow RF was highest in the Upper Colorado region, but notable in less-studied regions, including the Great Basin and Pacific Northwest. Watersheds with high snow RF also tended to have high spatial and temporal variability in RF, and these tended to be near arid regions. Snow RF trends were largely absent; only a small percent of mountain ecoregions (0.03-8%) had significant trends, and these were typically decreasing trends. All mountain ecoregions exhibited a net decline in snow RF. While the spatial extent of significant RF trends was minimal, we found declining trends most frequently in the Sierra Nevada, North Cascades, and Canadian Rockies, and increasing trends in the Idaho Batholith. This study establishes a two-decade chronology of snow impurities in the WUS, helping inform where and when RF impacts on snowmelt may need to be considered in hydrologic models and regional hydroclimate studies.

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“…Previous studies have used albedo or snow-off date to indicate changes in the cryosphere. For example, Di Mauro et al (2022) found that the ablation season length of 19% of a glacier in the European Alps increased by 18 days/decade on average using albedo as an indicator [4]. Reveillet et al (2022) show that dust and black carbon deposition advanced snowmelt by 17 ± 6 days on average in the French Alps and the Pyrenees over the 1979-2018 period [8].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, early snowmelt can be led by above-normal air temperature, an increase in absorbed solar radiation caused by lowered snow albedo due to dust, or both. The darkening of snow by light-absorbing particles-dust, black carbon, or microbial growth-can trigger albedo feedback and accelerate snowmelt [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Dusty snow, often referred to as "dirty snow" in social media, has been identified as a contributor to the warming Arctic, in some cases at a level equivalent to greenhouse gases [6,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compounded Impacts of Global Warming and Anthropogenic Disturbances on Snowmelt in Northern Baffin Island

White

2023

Remote Sensing

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Fugitive dust arising from mining operations in the Arctic can be a concern to surrounding communities. The Mary River Mine operation on northwest Baffin Island in the Qikiqtani region, Nunavut, is one example. Yet, the short and long-term impacts of fugitive dust remain poorly understood. Dust lowers snow albedo which can contribute to early snowmelt. This influences the spring snowmelt freshet period, significant to the land-atmosphere interactions, hydrology, ecology, and socioeconomic activities in the Arctic. Here, we map dust extents indicated by snow discoloration and examine for areas of early snowmelt using a 21-year MODIS time series snow cover product in 2000–2020. We found an episode of dust plume extended far beyond the reference dust sampler sites from where Nil dustfall is detected. A snow albedo decrease of 0.014 was seen more than 60 km away from the mine site. Incidents of early snowmelt existed extensively and progressively prior to the Mary River Mine operations; however, localized and even earlier snowmelt also appear around Mine’s operations; we estimated that the snow-off date was advanced by one week and three weeks for the background, and areas around the Mine facilities, respectively, during the 21-year period. Furthermore, the area increase in early snowmelt around the Mine facilities correlates to ore production growth. This study demonstrates rapid changes in early snowmelt beyond observed regional trends when additional drivers are introduced.

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Pan-Alpine glacier phenology reveals lowering albedo and increase in ablation season length

Cited by 18 publications

References 60 publications

Mapping Surface Features of an Alpine Glacier through Multispectral and Thermal Drone Surveys

Mapping Surface Features of an Alpine Glacier through Multispectral and Thermal Drone Surveys

Spatio-temporal patterns and trends in MODIS-retrieved radiative forcing by snow impurities over the Western US from 2001 to 2022

Compounded Impacts of Global Warming and Anthropogenic Disturbances on Snowmelt in Northern Baffin Island

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