Scientific Results

  • ID:
    publications-1782
  • Type:
    Peer reviewed articles
  • Year:
    2018
  • Authors:
    Evan S. Miles, Ian Willis, Pascal Buri, Jakob F. Steiner, Neil S. Arnold, Francesca Pellicciotti
  • Title:
    Surface Pond Energy Absorption Across Four Himalayan Glaciers Accounts for 1/8 of Total Catchment Ice Loss
  • Venue/Journal:
    Geophysical Research Letters
  • DOI:
    10.1029/2018gl079678
  • Research type:
    Uncategorized
  • Water System:
    Precipitation & Ecological Systems
  • Technical Focus:
  • Abstract:
    AbstractGlaciers in High Mountain Asia, many of which exhibit surface debris, contain the largest volume of ice outside of the polar regions. Many contain supraglacial pond networks that enhance melt rates locally, but no largeā€scale assessment of their impact on melt rates exists. Here we use surface energy balance modeling forced using locally measured meteorological data and monthly satelliteā€derived pond distributions to estimate the total melt enhancement for the four main glaciers within the 400ā€km2 Langtang catchment, Nepal, for a 6ā€month period in 2014. Ponds account for 0.20 Ā± 0.03Ā m/year of surface melt, representing a local melt enhancement of a factor of 14 Ā± 3 compared with the debrisā€covered area, and equivalent to 12.5 Ā± 2.0% of total catchment ice loss. Given the prevalence of supraglacial ponds across the region, our results suggest that effective incorporation of melt enhancement by ponds is essential for accurate predictions of future mass balance change in the region.
  • Link with Projects:
    772751
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