Best possible estimation of mass balance combining glaciological and geodetic methods

• Published in: Annals of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Thibert, Emmanuel, Vincent, Christian
• Other Authors: Érosion torrentielle, neige et avalanches (UR ETGR (ETNA)), Centre national du machinisme agricole, du génie rural, des eaux et forêts (CEMAGREF), Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de l'environnement (LGGE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP )-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2009
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology; [SDU.STU.GP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-GEO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Geophysics [physics.geo-ph]; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; Annals of Glaciology
• Online Access: https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00420647; https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00420647/document; https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-00420647/file/best-possible-estimation-of-mass-balance-combining-glaciological-and-geodetic-methods.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3189/172756409787769546

International audience Variance analysis of the long time series of mass balances recorded on Glacier de Sarennes (45°07′ N, 6°07′ E) France, since 1949 shows that the variability can be separated linearly in two spatial and temporal terms. Annual balances deviate from their mean values over the period of record by an annual amount that is uniform over the glacier. Annual balances at each stake are therefore highly correlated, and sampling at a single site would be acceptable to record the annual deviation. A result of the linear character of the variance is the possibility of obtaining a systematic error-free estimate of the annual glacier-total budget by combining the mean annual balance obtained from photogrammetry and the annual deviation obtained from the variance analysis, rather than using the traditional area integration of balances at each stake.