Precipitation Characteristics and Moisture Source Regions on Mt. Everest in the Khumbu, Nepal

Perry, L. Baker; Matthews, Tom; Guy, Heather; Koch, Inka; Khadka, Arbindra; Elmore, Aurora C.; Shrestha, Dibas; Tuladhar, Subash; Baidya, Saraju K.; Maharjan, Sunny; Wagnon, Patrick; Aryal, Deepak; Seimon, Anton; Gajurel, Ananta Prasad; Mayewski, Paul Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.10.011

Cited by 32 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…Everest, combined photogrammetric and satellite imagery reveals thinning greater than 100 m up to 5700 m since 1962, with a near doubling in rate since 2009 14 . Climate reanalysis data show June/September freezing level heights rising ~7 m per year since 2005 15 and an AWS operated May/July 2005 near the ERG ice core site reveals the increased ablation effect of cloud cover 16 . Ice cores collected in 1980 show the effects of melting at 6100 and 6400 m on the Khumbu Glacier 17 .…”

Section: Estimated Scg Thickness Decrease and Timingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mt. Everest’s highest glacier is a sentinel for accelerating ice loss

et al. 2022

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Mountain glacier systems are decreasing in volume worldwide yet relatively little is known about their upper reaches (>5000 m). Here we show, based on the world’s highest ice core and highest automatic weather stations, the significant and increasing role that melting and sublimation have on the mass loss of even Mt. Everest’s highest glacier (South Col Glacier, 8020 m). Estimated contemporary thinning rates approaching ~2 m a−1 water equivalent (w.e.) indicate several decades of accumulation may be lost on an annual basis now that glacier ice has been exposed. These results identify extreme sensitivity to glacier surface type for high altitude Himalayan ice masses and forewarn of rapidly emerging impacts as Mt. Everest’s highest glacier appears destined for rapid retreat.

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Section: Estimated Scg Thickness Decrease and Timingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mt. Everest’s highest glacier is a sentinel for accelerating ice loss

et al. 2022

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“…However, in the Kunlun Mountains, Bayankera Mountains, and the southern edge of the Himalayas, SD and SCD both show increasing trends, 3 cm decade −1 and 1 d decade −1 , respectively. It is worth noting that the Himalayas on the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau are the areas where the freezing line rises [77]. In the central part of the Himalayas, SD and SCD show a decreasing trend, while in the northern and southern parts of the Himalayas, they show an increasing trend.…”

Section: Spatial Variation Trends Of Sd and Scdmentioning

confidence: 98%

Spatio-Temporal Variation Characteristics of Snow Depth and Snow Cover Days over the Tibetan Plateau

Zhang

Mou

Niu

et al. 2021

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Changes in snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have a significant impact on agriculture, hydrology, and ecological environment of surrounding areas. This study investigates the spatio-temporal pattern of snow depth (SD) and snow cover days (SCD), as well as the impact of temperature and precipitation on snow cover over TP from 1979 to 2018 by using the ERA5 reanalysis dataset, and uses the Mann–Kendall test for significance. The results indicate that (1) the average annual SD and SCD in the southern and western edge areas of TP are relatively high, reaching 10 cm and 120 d or more, respectively. (2) In the past 40 years, SD (s = 0.04 cm decade−1, p = 0.81) and SCD (s = −2.3 d decade−1, p = 0.10) over TP did not change significantly. (3) The positive feedback effect of precipitation is the main factor affecting SD, while the negative feedback effect of temperature is the main factor affecting SCD. This study improves the understanding of snow cover change and is conducive to the further study of climate change on TP.

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“…In the Khumbu area, winter (DJF) is cold, dry and windy, and the pre-monsoon (MAM) sees a gradual increase in humidity and air temperature. The region's climate is influenced by the Indian Summer Monsoon, with approximately three quarters of the annual precipitation falling in summer (JJAS) when moist air is advected from the Bay of Bengal [47,48]. The monsoon ends sharply with a cessation of precipitation associated with a drop in humidity and temperature at the beginning of the post-monsoon (ON) [49].…”

Section: Study Area and Climate Settingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Processing of VENµS Images of High Mountains: A Case Study for Cryospheric and Hydro-Climatic Applications in the Everest Region (Nepal)

et al. 2022

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In the Central Himalayas, glaciers and snowmelt play an important hydrological role, as they ensure the availability of surface water outside the monsoon period. To compensate for the lack of field measurements in glaciology and hydrology, high temporal and spatial resolution optical remotely sensed data are necessary. The French–Israeli VENµS Earth observation mission has been able to complement field measurements since 2017. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of different reflectance products over the Everest region for constraining the energy balance of glaciers and for cloud and snow cover mapping applied to hydrology. Firstly, the results indicate that a complete radiometric correction of slope effects such as the Gamma one (direct and diffuse illumination) provides better temporal and statistical metrics (R2 = 0.73 and RMSE = 0.11) versus ground albedo datasets than a single cosine correction, even processed under a fine-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). Secondly, a mixed spectral-textural approach on the VENµS images strongly improves the cloud mapping by 15% compared with a spectral mask thresholding process. These findings will improve the accuracy of snow cover mapping over the watershed areas downstream of the Everest region.

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Precipitation Characteristics and Moisture Source Regions on Mt. Everest in the Khumbu, Nepal

Cited by 32 publications

References 93 publications

Mt. Everest’s highest glacier is a sentinel for accelerating ice loss

Mt. Everest’s highest glacier is a sentinel for accelerating ice loss

Spatio-Temporal Variation Characteristics of Snow Depth and Snow Cover Days over the Tibetan Plateau

Processing of VENµS Images of High Mountains: A Case Study for Cryospheric and Hydro-Climatic Applications in the Everest Region (Nepal)

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