Premium
Heterogeneous Influence of Glacier Morphology on the Mass Balance Variability in High Mountain Asia
Author(s) -
Brun F.,
Wag P.,
Berthier E.,
Jomelli V.,
Maharjan S. B.,
Shrestha F.,
Kraaijenbrink P. D. A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: earth surface
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9011
pISSN - 2169-9003
DOI - 10.1029/2018jf004838
Subject(s) - glacier , glacier mass balance , geology , debris , physical geography , elevation (ballistics) , surge , accumulation zone , plateau (mathematics) , cirque glacier , glacier morphology , rock glacier , glacier ice accumulation , geomorphology , climatology , geography , cryosphere , ice stream , oceanography , geometry , mathematical analysis , mathematics , sea ice
We investigate the control of the morphological variables on the 2000–2016 glacier‐wide mass balances of 6,470 individual glaciers of High Mountain Asia. We separate the data set into 12 regions assumed to be climatically homogeneous. We find that the slope of the glacier tongue, mean glacier elevation, percentage of supraglacial debris cover, and avalanche contributing area all together explain a maximum of 48% and a minimum of 8% of the glacier‐wide mass balance variability, within a given region. The best predictors of the glacier‐wide mass balance are the slope of the glacier tongue and the mean glacier elevation for most regions, with the notable exception of the inner Tibetan Plateau. Glacier‐wide mass balances do not differ significantly between debris‐free and debris‐covered glaciers in 7 of the 12 regions analyzed. Lake‐terminating glaciers have more negative mass balances than the regional averages, the influence of lakes being stronger on small glaciers than on large glaciers.