Spatial and temporal variations of the surface albedo and other factors influencing Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in Tien Shan, China

Yue, Xiaoying; Jun, Zhao; Li, Zhongqin; Zhang, Mingjun; Fan, Jin; Wang, Lin; Wang, Puyu

doi:10.1017/jog.2017.57

Cited by 34 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…1 has the most detailed annual and seasonal surface mass-balance measurements in China. It is also one of the reference glaciers in the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS) network due to its long data series, important location, and significant local water supply (Li et al, 2011;Zemp et al, 2009). TLS surveys of Urumqi Glacier No.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

et al. 2019

The Cryosphere

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Abstract. The direct glaciological method provides in situ observations of annual or seasonal surface mass balance, but can only be implemented through a succession of intensive in situ measurements of field networks of stakes and snow pits. This has contributed to glacier surface mass-balance measurements being sparse and often discontinuous in the Tien Shan. Nevertheless, long-term glacier mass-balance measurements are the basis for understanding climate–glacier interactions and projecting future water availability for glacierized catchments in the Tien Shan. Riegl VZ®-6000 long-range terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), typically using class 3B laser beams, is exceptionally well suited for repeated glacier mapping, and thus determination of annual and seasonal geodetic mass balance. This paper introduces the applied TLS for monitoring summer and annual surface elevation and geodetic mass changes of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 as well as delineating accurate glacier boundaries for 2 consecutive mass-balance years (2015–2017), and discusses the potential of such technology in glaciological applications. Three-dimensional changes of ice and firn–snow bodies and the corresponding densities were considered for the volume-to-mass conversion. The glacier showed pronounced thinning and mass loss for the four investigated periods; glacier-wide geodetic mass balance in the mass-balance year 2015–2016 was slightly more negative than in 2016–2017. Statistical comparison shows that agreement between the glaciological and geodetic mass balances can be considered satisfactory, indicating that the TLS system yields accurate results and has the potential to monitor remote and inaccessible glacier areas where no glaciological measurements are available as the vertical velocity component of the glacier is negligible. For wide applications of the TLS in glaciology, we should use stable scan positions and in-situ-measured densities of snow–firn to establish volume-to-mass conversion.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

et al. 2019

The Cryosphere

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“…3 km away from the glacier terminus. Precipitation mainly originates from moisture flux through westerlies, and 78% of the annual precipitation within the period 1959-2015 occurs from May to August, which predominantly falls as solid precipitation (e.g., snow, graupel, sleet) at higher elevations [30,31].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Test Study of an Energy and Mass Balance Model Application to a Site on Urumqi Glacier No. 1, Chinese Tian Shan

Wang

Schneider

et al. 2020

Water

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In this study, energy and mass balance is quantified using an energy balance model to represent the glacier melt of Urumqi Glacier No. 1, Chinese Tian Shan. Based on data from an Automatic Weather Station (4025 m a.s.l) and the mass balance field survey data nearby on the East Branch of the glacier, the “COupled Snowpack and Ice surface energy and Mass balance model” (COSIMA) was used to derive energy and mass balance simulations during the ablation season of 2018. Results show that the modeled cumulative mass balance (−0.67 ± 0.03 m w.e.) agrees well with the in-situ measurements (−0.64 ± 0.16 m w.e.) (r2 = 0.96) with the relative difference within 5% during the study period. The correlation coefficient between modeled and observed surface temperatures is 0.88 for daily means. The main source of melt energy at the glacier surface is net shortwave radiation (84%) and sensible heat flux (16%). The energy expenditures are from net longwave radiation (55%), heat flux for snow/ice melting (32%), latent heat flux of sublimation and evaporation (7%), and subsurface heat flux (6%). The sensitivity testing of mass balance shows that mass balance is more sensitive to temperature increase and precipitation decrease than temperature decrease and precipitation increase.

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“…(b) The AWS set-up at ELA and (c) the AWS set-up at grassland, with a straight distance of ∼ 5 km north to the AWS at ELA. average based on the spectral reflectance and the incoming solar radiation across the entire spectral wavelengths at each site (Ming et al, 2016;Moustafa et al, 2015;Wright et al, 2014;Yue et al, 2017). The period-mean albedo averaged for the 14 sites before and after conducting the artificial precipitation experiments (12-18 and 18-24 August) are shown in Table 2.…”

Section: Measurement Of the Surface Spectral Reflectancementioning

confidence: 99%

Applying artificial snowfall to reduce the melting of the Muz Taw Glacier, Sawir Mountains

et al. 2020

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Abstract. The glaciers in the Sawir Mountains, Altai area, have been experiencing a continuing and accelerating ice loss since 1959, although the snowfall is abundant and evenly distributed over the year. As an attempt to reduce their melting, we carried out two artificial snowfall experiments on the Muz Taw Glacier during 19–22 August 2018. We measured the albedo and mass balance at different sites along the glacier before and after the experiments. Two automatic weather stations (AWSs) were set up at the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of the glacier as the target area and the forefield as the control area to record the precipitation, respectively. A comparison of the two precipitation records from the two AWSs suggests that natural precipitation could account for up to 21 % of the snowfall received by the glacier during the experiments. Because of the snowfalls, the glacier's surface albedo significantly increased in the middle to upper part; the average mass loss during 18–24 August (after the experiments) decreased by between 32 and 41 mm w.e (14 %–17 %) compared to during 12–18 August (before the experiments); and the mass resulting from the snowfall accounted for between 42 % and 54 % of the total melt during 18–24 August. We also propose a mechanism involving artificial snowfall, albedo, and mass balance, and the feedbacks describing the role of snowfall in reducing the melting of the glacier. The current status of the work is primitive as it is a preliminary trial, and the conclusions need more controlling experiments to validate it against larger spatio-temporal scales in future.

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Spatial and temporal variations of the surface albedo and other factors influencing Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in Tien Shan, China

Cited by 34 publications

References 62 publications

Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

Long-range terrestrial laser scanning measurements of annual and intra-annual mass balances for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, eastern Tien Shan, China

A Test Study of an Energy and Mass Balance Model Application to a Site on Urumqi Glacier No. 1, Chinese Tian Shan

Applying artificial snowfall to reduce the melting of the Muz Taw Glacier, Sawir Mountains

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