Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances?
ABSTRACT Based on an extensive dataset of surface mass balances (SMB) from four glaciers in the French Alps for the period 1995–2012 and in the framework of enhanced temperature-index models, we investigate the sensitivity of seasonal glacier SMB to temperature, solar radiation, precipitation and to...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.110 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143016001106 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2016.110 2024-06-23T07:54:15+00:00 Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? RÉVEILLET, MARION VINCENT, CHRISTIAN SIX, DELPHINE RABATEL, ANTOINE 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.110 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143016001106 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology volume 63, issue 237, page 39-54 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 2016 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.110 2024-06-12T04:04:50Z ABSTRACT Based on an extensive dataset of surface mass balances (SMB) from four glaciers in the French Alps for the period 1995–2012 and in the framework of enhanced temperature-index models, we investigate the sensitivity of seasonal glacier SMB to temperature, solar radiation, precipitation and topographical variables. Our results reveal strong correlations between winter SMB and precipitation, although the precipitation gradient cannot explain the high-accumulation rates. Based on the available point measurements, we found no relevant relationship between winter SMB and topographical variables. Temperature was found to be the main driver of ice/snow ablation while solar radiation was found to strongly influence the spatial distribution of summer SMB. We compared the ability of several enhanced temperature-index models to accurately simulate point SMB and glacier-wide MB. Our analyses revealed that the uncertainties in the simulated annual SMB due to winter SMB uncertainties are larger than differences between models and prevented us from concluding, which model is the most suitable. In contrast with results of previous studies, including solar radiation in melt models did not improve the performances when modelling glacier-wide MB. We conclude that a classical degree-day model is sufficient to simulate the long-term glacier-wide MB if the underlying processes are not required to be resolved. Article in Journal/Newspaper Journal of Glaciology Cambridge University Press Journal of Glaciology 63 237 39 54 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Based on an extensive dataset of surface mass balances (SMB) from four glaciers in the French Alps for the period 1995–2012 and in the framework of enhanced temperature-index models, we investigate the sensitivity of seasonal glacier SMB to temperature, solar radiation, precipitation and topographical variables. Our results reveal strong correlations between winter SMB and precipitation, although the precipitation gradient cannot explain the high-accumulation rates. Based on the available point measurements, we found no relevant relationship between winter SMB and topographical variables. Temperature was found to be the main driver of ice/snow ablation while solar radiation was found to strongly influence the spatial distribution of summer SMB. We compared the ability of several enhanced temperature-index models to accurately simulate point SMB and glacier-wide MB. Our analyses revealed that the uncertainties in the simulated annual SMB due to winter SMB uncertainties are larger than differences between models and prevented us from concluding, which model is the most suitable. In contrast with results of previous studies, including solar radiation in melt models did not improve the performances when modelling glacier-wide MB. We conclude that a classical degree-day model is sufficient to simulate the long-term glacier-wide MB if the underlying processes are not required to be resolved. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
RÉVEILLET, MARION VINCENT, CHRISTIAN SIX, DELPHINE RABATEL, ANTOINE |
spellingShingle |
RÉVEILLET, MARION VINCENT, CHRISTIAN SIX, DELPHINE RABATEL, ANTOINE Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
author_facet |
RÉVEILLET, MARION VINCENT, CHRISTIAN SIX, DELPHINE RABATEL, ANTOINE |
author_sort |
RÉVEILLET, MARION |
title |
Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
title_short |
Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
title_full |
Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
title_fullStr |
Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
title_sort |
which empirical model is best suited to simulate glacier mass balances? |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.110 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143016001106 |
genre |
Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 63, issue 237, page 39-54 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.110 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
63 |
container_issue |
237 |
container_start_page |
39 |
op_container_end_page |
54 |
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1802646358887235584 |