Surface melt in the ablation zone is dominated by atmospheric temperature and surface albedo. We developed a surface mass-balance model with a dynamic component of glacier ice albedo which includes surface properties, clouds and the angle of the sun. The ice albedo reduction is mainly caused by impurity accumulation of non-biological origin such as dust and black carbon (BC), which is currently not included in other surface mass-balance models. Simulations show that dust from meltout is the main source of impurity mass at the melting glacier ice surface, and current rates of atmospheric deposition of dust play only a minor role. However, for BC the atmospheric deposition is the main source where ice melt rates are below 1 m, and atmospheric deposition is most likely from intercontinental transport due to the scarce population and lack of forests in Greenland.

We analyzed glacier surface elevations (1957, 2010 and 2015) and surface mass-balance measurements (2008–2015) on the 30 km2 Eklutna Glacier, in the Chugach Mountains of southcentral Alaska. The geodetic mass balances from 1957 to 2010 and 2010 to 2015 are −0.52 ± 0.46 and −0.74 ± 0.10 m w.e. a−1, respectively. The glaciological mass balance of −0.73 m w.e. a−1 from 2010 to 2015 is indistinguishable from the geodetic value. Even after accounting for loss of firn in the accumulation zone, we found most of the mass loss over both time periods was from a broad, low-slope basin that includes much of the accumulation zone of the main branch. Ice-equivalent surface elevation changes in the basin were −1.0 ± 0.8 m a−1 from 1957 to 2010, and −0.6 ± 0.1 m a−1 from 2010 to 2015, shifting the glacier hypsometry downward and resulting in more negative mass balances: an altitude-mass-balance feedback. Net mass loss from Eklutna Glacier accounts for 7 ± 1% of the average inflow to Eklutna Reservoir, which is entirely used for water and power by Anchorage, Alaska's largest city. If the altitude-mass-balance feedback continues, this ‘deglaciation discharge dividend’ is likely to increase over the short-term before it eventually decreases due to diminishing glacier area.

Dust deposition to snow can have regionally important climatic and hydrologic impacts resulting from direct reduction of surface albedo and indirectly from the initiation of snow albedo feedbacks. Modeling the radiative impacts of dust deposited in snow requires knowledge of the optical properties of both components. Here we present an inversion technique to retrieve the effective optical properties of dust deposited in mountain snow cover from measurements of hemispherical dust reflectance and particle size distributions using radiative transfer modeling. First, modeled reflectance is produced from single scattering properties modeled with Mie theory for a specified grain size distribution over a range of values for the imaginary part of the complex refractive index (k = 0.00001–0.1). Then, a multi-step look-up table process is employed to retrieve kλ and single scattering optical properties by matching measured to modeled reflectance across the shortwave and near infrared. The real part of the complex refractive index, n, for dust aerosols ranges between 1.5 and 1.6 and a sensitivity analysis shows the method is relatively insensitive to the choice of n within this range, 1.525 was used here. Using the values retrieved by this method to update dust optical properties in a snow + aerosol radiative transfer model reduces errors in springtime albedo modeling by 50–70%.

Using in-situ measured data from Qiyi Glacier, in combination with meteorological and run-off data from stations, a distributed degree-day model was developed for 631 investigated glaciers in the Beida River catchment to explore glacier mass change and its effect on streamflow. The results showed that the average mass balance was −272 ± 67 mm w.e. a−1, with an ice loss of 3.99 Gt during 1957–2013. Assuming a continuous linear trend, equilibrium line altitude rose by 242 m. Compared with morpho-topographic variables, climatic control is a more important factor affecting glacier change. Mass-balance sensitivity to air temperature was −239 mm w.e.°C−1 a−1, while to precipitation it was +1.1 mm w.e. mm−1 a−1. That is, a 210 mm increase in precipitation would be needed to compensate for the net mass loss induced by an air temperature increase of 1°C. Average annual glacier meltwater runoff was 1.51 × 108 m3 from 1957 to 2013, accounting for 15.2% of surface runoff. The time series of meltwater runoff changed abruptly in 2000, and its contribution to surface runoff increased from 13.9 to 20.4%.

Understanding the climate response of the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet is vital for accurate predictions of sea-level rise. However, since climate models are typically too coarse to capture spatial variability in local scale meteorological processes, our ability to study specific sectors has been limited by the local fidelity of such models and the (often sparse) availability of observations. We show that a high-resolution (5.5 km × 5.5 km) version of a regional climate model (RACMO2.3) can reproduce observed interannual variability in the Larsen B embayment sufficiently to enable its use in investigating long-term changes in this sector. Using the model, together with automatic weather station data, we confirm previous findings that the year of the Larsen B ice shelf collapse (2001/02) was a strong melt year, but discover that total annual melt production was in fact ~30% lower than 2 years prior. While the year before collapse exhibited the lowest melting and highest snowfall during 1980–2014, the ice shelf was likely pre-conditioned for collapse by a series of strong melt years in the 1990s. Melt energy has since returned to pre-1990s levels, which likely explains the lack of further significant collapse in the region (e.g. of SCAR Inlet).

The albedo of seasonal snow cover plays an important role in the global climate system due to its influence on Earth's radiation budget and energy balance. Volunteer Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow-Albedo (CoCoRaHS-Albedo) observers collected 3249 individual daily albedo, snow depth and density measurements using standardized techniques at dozens of sites across New Hampshire, USA over four winter seasons. The data show that albedo increases rapidly with snow depth up to ~0.14 m. Multiple linear regression models using snowpack age, snow depth or density, and air temperature provide reasonable approximations of surface snow albedo during times of albedo decay. However, the linear models also reveal systematic biases that highlight an important non-linearity in snow albedo decay. Modeled albedo values are reasonably accurate within the range of 0.6–0.9, but exhibit a tendency to overestimate lower albedo values and underestimate higher albedo values. We hypothesize that rapid reduction in high albedo fresh snow results from a decrease in snow specific surface area, while during melt-events the presence of liquid water in the snowpack accelerates metamorphism and grain growth. We conclude that the CoCoRaHS-Albedo volunteer observer network provides useful snow albedo, depth and density measurements and serves as an effective model for future measurement campaigns.

Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of Siachen Glacier (East Karakoram), in terms of its area and elevation change, velocity variations and mass budget, utilizing different satellite datasets including Landsat, Hexagon, Cartosat-I, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar and Japanese Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array-type L-band SAR. The total areal extent of Siachen Glacier did not change significantly between 1980 and 2014; however the exposed-ice area decreased during that period. The terminus of the glacier has experienced substantial downwasting (on average 30 m) over the period of 1999–2007, followed by a retreat of the transition between exposed and debris-covered ice by a distance of 1.3 km during the short span 2007–14. The spatial patterns of the elevation difference and velocity are heterogeneous over the large areal extent of Siachen Glacier. The average velocity of the entire glacier, as computed between 11 December 2008 and 26 January 2009, was 12.3 ± 0.4 cm d−1, while those estimated separately for the accumulation and ablation regions were 9.7 ± 0.4 cm d−1 and 20.4 ± 0.4 cm d−1, respectively. The mass budget of Siachen Glacier is estimated to be –0.03 ± 0.21 m w.e. a−1 for the period of 1999–2007.

Glacial earthquakes are caused by large iceberg calving events, which are an important mechanism for mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet. The number of glacial earthquakes in Greenland has increased sixfold over the past two decades. We use teleseismic surface waves to analyze the 145 glacial earthquakes that occurred in Greenland from 2011 through 2013, and successfully determine source parameters for 139 events at 13 marine-terminating glaciers. Our analysis increases the number of events in the glacial-earthquake catalog by nearly 50% and extends it to 21 years. The period 2011–13 was the most prolific 3-year period of glacial earthquakes on record, with most of the increase over earlier years occurring at glaciers on Greenland's west coast. We investigate changes in earthquake productivity and geometry at several individual glaciers and link patterns in glacial-earthquake production and cessation to the absence or presence of a floating ice tongue. We attribute changes in earthquake force orientations to changes in calving-front geometry, some of which occur on timescales of days to months. Our results illustrate the utility of glacial earthquakes as a remote-sensing tool to identify the type of calving event, the grounded state of a glacier, and the orientation of an active calving front.

The simple calving laws currently used in ice-sheet models do not adequately reflect the complexity and diversity of calving processes. To be effective, calving laws must be grounded in a sound understanding of how calving actually works. Here, we develop a new strategy for formulating calving laws, using (a) the Helsinki Discrete Element Model (HiDEM) to explicitly model fracture and calving processes, and (b) the continuum model Elmer/Ice to identify critical stress states associated with HiDEM calving events. A range of observed calving processes emerges spontaneously from HiDEM in response to variations in ice-front buoyancy and the size of subaqueous undercuts. Calving driven by buoyancy and melt under-cutting is under-predicted by existing calving laws, but we show that the location and magnitude of HiDEM calving events can be predicted in Elmer/Ice from characteristic stress patterns. Our results open the way to developing calving laws that properly reflect the diversity of calving processes, and provide a framework for a unified theory of the calving process continuum.

Changes of glaciers and glacial lakes and their causes were examined in the Hengduan Shan from 1990 to 2014, based on Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI images. A total glacier area of 1298.8 ± 62.1 km2 and glacial lake area of 255.8 ± 31.6 km were inventoried in 2014. The area of glaciers declined at an average rate of −0.40 ± 0.26% a−1, while glacial lakes expanded at average rate of +0.12 ± 0.03% a−1 over the past 24 years. These changes probably resulted from an observable temperature increase and slight precipitation increase. A ‘corridor-barrier’ effect formed by the longitudinal range–gorge terrain may have had major impacts on the distributions and changes of glaciers and glacial lakes. The Ningjing-Yunling Shan, where glaciers and glacial lakes are sparsely distributed, are an important geographic transition line in the Hengduan Shan because of the barrier effect of the mountain ranges against moisture from the southwest. In contrast, between the south and north, there were small differences with respect to the distributions and changes of glaciers and glacial lakes, owing to a north–south corridor effect for water and heat transport and diffusion through the longitudinal gorges in the Hengduan Shan.

Time series ice-draft data were obtained from moored ice-profiling sonar (IPS), in the coastal northeastern Chukchi Sea during 2009/10. Time series data show seasonal growth of sea-ice draft, occasionally interrupted by coastal polynya. The sea-ice draft distribution indicates a slightly lower abundance of thick, deformed ice compared with the eastern Beaufort Sea. In January, a rapid increase in the abundance of thick ice coincided with a period of minimal drift indicating compaction again the coast and dynamical thickening. The overall mean draft and corresponding derived thickness are 1.27 and 1.38 m, respectively. The evolution of modal ice thickness observed can be explained mostly by thermodynamic growth. The derived ice thicknesses are used to estimate heat losses based on ERA-interim data. Heat losses from the raw, 1 s IPS data are ~50 and 100% greater than those calculated using IPS data averaged over spatial scales of ~20 and 100 km, respectively. This finding demonstrates the importance of subgrid-scale ice-thickness distribution for heat-loss calculation. The heat-loss estimate based on thin ice data derived from AMSR-E data corresponds well with that from the 1 s observed ice-thickness data, validating heat-loss estimates from the AMSR-E thin ice-thickness algorithm.

The instrumented sample holder Snowbreeder 5 is used to investigate the simultaneous influence of settlement on temperature-gradient snow metamorphism in time-lapse micro-computed tomography experiments. So far, experiments have only been done on temperature-gradient snow metamorphism without settlement or settlement under isothermal conditions. With the new device we can impose a constant temperature gradient on a snow sample and induce settlement by placing a passive load on top of the snow sample. The weight of the load can be varied, simulating various snow heights on top of the snow sample. Snow-temperature measurements on the passive load are possible due to wireless data transfer via Bluetooth. The temperature gradient is set by controlling the air temperature inside the computer tomograph and by a Peltier element at the bottom of the snow sample. First experiments under isothermal conditions and a constant temperature gradient of 43 K m−1 showed that the settlement was reduced to almost half as soon as a temperature gradient was applied under otherwise almost equal snow conditions. The compactive viscosity in the isothermal experiment was in the range of literature values.

This study explores an iterative method for simultaneously estimating the present-day glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), ice mass change and elastic vertical crustal deformation of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) for the period October 2003–October 2009. The estimations are derived by combining mass measurements of the GRACE mission and surface height observations of the ICESat mission under the constraint of GPS vertical crustal deformation rates in the spatial domain. The influence of active subglacial lakes on GIA estimates are mitigated for the first time through additional processing of ICESat data. The inferred GIA shows that the strongest uplift is found in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) sector and subsidence mostly occurs in Adelie Terre and the East Antarctica inland. The total GIA-related mass change estimates for the entire AIS, West Antarctica Ice Sheet (WAIS), East Antarctica Ice Sheet (EAIS), and Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) are 43 ± 38, 53 ± 24, −23 ± 29 and 13 ± 6 Gt a−1, respectively. The overall ice mass change of the AIS is −46 ± 43 Gt a−1 (WAIS: −104 ± 25, EAIS: 77 ± 35, APIS: −20 ± 6). The most significant ice mass loss and most significant elastic vertical crustal deformations are concentrated in the ASE and northern Antarctic Peninsula.

Knowledge of debris-free and debris-covered glaciers is important for understanding the varying response of glaciers to climate change. Measurements at the debris-free Parlung No. 4 Glacier and the debris-covered 24 K Glacier in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau were carried out to compare the meteorology and surface energy fluxes and to understand the factors controlling the melting process. The meteorological comparisons displayed temporally synchronous fluctuations in air temperature, relative humidity and incoming longwave radiation (Lin), but notable differences in precipitation, incoming shortwave radiation (Sin) and wind speed. Under the prevailing regional precipitation and debris conditions, more Lin (42 W m−2) was supplied from warmer and more humid air and more Sin (58 W m−2) was absorbed at the 24 K Glacier. The relatively high energy supply led mainly to an increased energy output via turbulent heat fluxes and outgoing longwave radiation, rather than glacier melting beneath the thick debris. The sensitivity experiment showed that melt rates were sensitive to energy supply at debris thicknesses <~10 cm. In contrast, energy supply to the Parlung No. 4 Glacier mainly resulted in snow/ice melting, the magnitude of which was significantly influenced by energy supplied by Sin and the sensible heat flux.

Data showing velocity changes on the Brunt Ice Shelf (BIS), Antarctica, over the last 55 years are presented and analysed. During this period no large-scale calving events took place and the ice shelf gradually grew in size. Ice flow velocities, however, fluctuated greatly, increasing twofold between 1970 and 2000, then decreasing again to previous levels by 2012 after which velocities started to increase yet again. In the observational period, velocity changes in the order of 10% a−1 have commonly been observed, and currently velocities are increasing at this rate. By modelling the ice flow numerically, we explore potential causes for the observed changes in velocity. We find that a loss of mechanical contact between the BIS and the McDonald Ice Rumples following a local calving event in 1971 would explain both the increase and the subsequent decrease in ice velocities. Other explanations involving enlargement of observed rift structures are discounted as the effects on ice flow are found to be too small and the spatial pattern of velocity change inconsistent with data. The most recent phase of acceleration remains unexplained but may potentially be related to a recent re-activation of a known rift structure within the BIS.

Supraglacial debris thickness is a key control on the surface energy balance of debris-covered glaciers, yet debris thickness measurements are sparse due to difficulties of data collection. Here we use ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to measure debris thickness on the ablation zone of Lirung Glacier, Nepal. We observe a strong, continuous reflection, which we interpret as the ice surface, through debris layers of 0.1 to at least 2.3 m thick, provided that appropriate acquisition parameters were used while surveying. GPR measurements of debris thickness correlate well with pit measurements of debris thickness (r = 0.91, RMSE = 0.04 m) and two-way travel times are consistent at tie points (r = 0.97). 33% of measurements are <0.5 m, so sub-debris melting is likely important in terms of mass loss on the debris-covered tongue and debris thickness is highly variable over small spatial scales (of order 10 m), likely due to local slope processes. GPR can be used to make debris thickness measurements more quickly, over a wider debris thickness range, and at higher spatial resolution than any other means and is therefore a valuable tool with which to map debris thickness distribution on Himalayan glaciers.

Glacier albedo controls the surface energy budget, the variability of which affects the glacier surface melt rate and, in turn, impacts the mass balance of the glacier. During 2013 and 2014, spatial and temporal variations of albedo were investigated using 18 Landsat images of Urumqi Glacier No. 1. Factors influencing these spatiotemporal profiles were analyzed. An established retrieval process, including geolocation, radiometric calibration, atmospheric, topographic, and anisotropic correction and narrow- to broadband conversion, was applied for the first time to Landsat-8 images. Differences between Landsat image derived albedo values and albedo values measured using a handheld spectroradiometer ranged from −0.024 to 0.049. Spatial and temporal variations of surface albedo were significant, especially in the ablation area. The variability of the values of ice albedo ranged from 0.06 to 0.44 due to topographic effects and light-absorbing impurities. The results suggest that this retrieval method can be used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability of surface albedo from Landsat-8 images on mountain glaciers. Moreover, as constant albedo values for ice and snow cannot be assumed, the distribution of albedo was not completely dependent on altitude under conditions of more intense ablation, and by reason of light-absorbing impurities during the melt season.

Improvements in understanding glacial extents and chronologies for the southeastern slope of the western Nyaiqentanglha Shan on the Tibetan Plateau are required to understand regional climate changes during the Last Glacial cycle. A two-dimensional numerical model of mass balance, based on snow–ice melting factors, and of ice flow for mountain glaciers is used to assess the glacier sensitivity to climatic change in a catchment of the region. The model can reproduce valley glaciers, wide-tongued glaciers and a coalescing glacier within step temperature lowering and precipitation increasing experiments. The model sensitivity experiments also indicate that the dependence of glacier growth on temperature and/or precipitation is nonlinear. The model results suggest that the valley glaciers respond more sensitively to an imposed climate change than wide-tongued and coalescing glaciers. Guided by field geological evidence of former glacier extent and other independent paleoclimate reconstructions, the model is also used to constrain the most realistic multi-year mean temperatures to be 2.9–4.6°C and 1.8–2.5°C lower than present in the glacial stages of the Last Glacial Maximum and middle marine oxygen isotope stage 3, respectively.

Quantifying historic changes in glacier size and mass balance is important for understanding how the cryosphere responds to climate variability and change. Airborne photogrammetry enables glacier extent and equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) to be monitored for more glaciers at lower cost than traditional mass-balance programs and other remote-sensing techniques. Since 1977, end-of-summer-snowlines, which are a proxy for annual ELAs, have been recorded for 50 glaciers in the Southern Alps of New Zealand using oblique aerial photographs. In this study, we use structure from motion photogrammetry to estimate the camera parameters, including position, for historic photographs, which we then use to measure glacier change. We apply this method to a small maritime New Zealand glacier (Brewster Glacier, 1670–2400 m a.s.l.) to derive annual ELA and length records between 1981 and 2017, and quantify the uncertainties associated with the method. Our length reconstruction shows largely continuous terminus retreat of 365 ± 12 m for Brewster Glacier since 1981. The ELA record, which compares well with glaciological mass-balance data measured between 2005 and 2015, shows pronounced interannual variability. Mean ELAs range from 1707 ± 6 to 2303 ± 5 m a.s.l., with the highest ELAs occurring in the last decade.

Predicting the velocity response of glaciers to increased surface melt is a major topic of ongoing research with significant implications for accurate sea-level rise forecasting. In this study we use optical and radar satellite imagery as well as comparisons with historical ground measurements to produce a multi-decadal record of ice velocity variations on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island. Over the period 1985–2011, the six largest outlet glaciers on the ice cap decelerated by an average rate of 21 m a−1 over the 26 year period (0.81 m a−2), or 12% per decade. The change was not monotonic, however, as most glaciers accelerated until the 1990s, then decelerated. A comparison of recent imagery with historical velocity measurements on Highway Glacier, on the southern part of Penny Ice Cap, shows that this glacier decelerated by 71% between 1953 and 2009–11, from 57 to 17 m a−1. The recent slowdown of outlet glaciers has coincided with increases in mass loss, terminus retreat and an inferred reduction in basal sliding. Measured decelerations are greater than the total short-term variability measured from both seasonal and interannual fluctuations, and support the hypothesis that glacier thinning and/or increased meltwater production promotes a long-term reduction in ice motion.