[1] Based on glaciometeorological measurements and mass balance stake records during the 5 year period of 2005-2010 on the southeast Tibetan Plateau, an energy-mass balance model was applied to study the surface mass balance of the Parlung No. 94 Glacier, as well as its response to regional climate conditions. The primary physical parameters involved in the model were locally calibrated by using relevant glaciometeorological data sets. The good agreement between the snowpack height/mass balance simulations and the in situ measurements available from a total of 12 monitoring stakes over this glacier confirmed the satisfactory performance of the energy-mass balance model. Results suggested that the recent state of the Parlung No. 94 Glacier was far removed from the "ideal" climatic regime leading to zero mass balance, with its annual mass balance of approximately À0.9 m water equivalent during [2005][2006][2007][2008][2009][2010]. Climatic sensitivity experiments were also carried out to interpret the observed mass balance changes, and the experiments demonstrated that the maritime glaciers concerned herein were theoretically more vulnerable to ongoing climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau than potential changes in the amount of precipitation. A plausible causal explanation for the recent glacier shrinkage in this region was concerned with the increasing air temperature. Moreover, both the mass balance simulations and the field measurements indicated that the mass accumulation over this maritime glacier occurred primarily in the boreal spring. Such "spring-accumulation type" glaciers are presumed to be distributed mainly within a narrow wedge-shaped region along the Brahmaputra River. Climatic sensitivities of the glacier mass balance are also found to be closely linked to the regional precipitation seasonality that is simultaneously modulated by various atmospheric circulation patterns, such as the southern westerlies, the Bay of Bengal vortex in the spring season, and the Indian monsoon in the summer season.Citation: Yang, W., T. Yao, X. Guo, M. Zhu, S. Li, and D. B. Kattel (2013), Mass balance of a maritime glacier on the southeast Tibetan Plateau and its climatic sensitivity, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 118,[9579][9580][9581][9582][9583][9584][9585][9586][9587][9588][9589][9590][9591][9592][9593][9594]

[1] The surface energy budget and ablation were measured in the ablation zone of Parlung No. 4 Glacier on the southeast Tibetan Plateau (29°14′N, 96°55′E) during boreal summer 2009. The present study examines the summertime surface energy fluxes to identify major atmospheric variables governing the surface melt and their phenomenological links to the progression of the South Asian monsoon. Turbulent sensible heat and latent heat fluxes were calculated using the bulk aerodynamic approach, the accuracy of which was verified through a comparison with eddy-covariance flux measurements. The surface ablation calculated by the energy balance model was also verified by measurements of ablation stakes. Our results found the following percentage contributions to the total melt energy: net shortwave radiation, 98%; net longwave radiation, −12%; sensible heat, 16%; latent heat, −1%; and subsurface fluxes, −1%. The combined roles of cloud cover and surface albedo appear to control the surface energy balance during the onset period of the South Asian monsoon. The cloud variations affect surface melting with the advancement of the monsoon. Intensification of the South Asian monsoon probably accelerates melting in the ablation zone, whereas weakening of the monsoon reduces glacier melting, mainly because of changes in downward longwave irradiance and heat release due to vapor condensation. Moreover, the temperature index model proves useful for long-term mass balance and ablation modeling in cases where the degree-day factors are calibrated. But incorporating incoming shortwave radiation into the model should be more applicable and practical in this region.Citation: Yang, W., X. Guo, T. Yao, K. Yang, L. Zhao, S. Li, and M. Zhu (2011), Summertime surface energy budget and ablation modeling in the ablation zone of a maritime Tibetan glacier,

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