---
_id: '12574'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Melt from supraglacial ice cliffs is an important contributor to the mass
loss of debris-covered glaciers. However, ice cliff contribution is difficult
to quantify as they are highly dynamic features, and the paucity of observations
of melt rates and their variability leads to large modelling uncertainties. We
quantify monsoon season melt and 3D evolution of four ice cliffs over two debris-covered
glaciers in High Mountain Asia (Langtang Glacier, Nepal, and 24K Glacier, China)
at very high resolution using terrestrial photogrammetry applied to imagery captured
from time-lapse cameras installed on lateral moraines. We derive weekly flow-corrected
digital elevation models (DEMs) of the glacier surface with a maximum vertical
bias of ±0.2 m for Langtang Glacier and ±0.05 m for 24K Glacier and use change
detection to determine distributed melt rates at the surfaces of the ice cliffs
throughout the study period. We compare the measured melt patterns with those
derived from a 3D energy balance model to derive the contribution of the main
energy fluxes. We find that ice cliff melt varies considerably throughout the
melt season, with maximum melt rates of 5 to 8 cm d−1, and their average melt
rates are 11–14 (Langtang) and 4.5 (24K) times higher than the surrounding debris-covered
ice. Our results highlight the influence of redistributed supraglacial debris
on cliff melt. At both sites, ice cliff albedo is influenced by the presence of
thin debris at the ice cliff surface, which is largely controlled on 24K Glacier
by liquid precipitation events that wash away this debris. Slightly thicker or
patchy debris reduces melt by 1–3 cm d−1 at all sites. Ultimately, our observations
show a strong spatio-temporal variability in cliff area at each site, which is
controlled by supraglacial streams and ponds and englacial cavities that promote
debris slope destabilisation and the lateral expansion of the cliffs. These findings
highlight the need to better represent processes of debris redistribution in ice
cliff models, to in turn improve estimates of ice cliff contribution to glacier
melt and the long-term geomorphological evolution of debris-covered glacier surfaces.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Marin
full_name: Kneib, Marin
last_name: Kneib
- first_name: Evan S.
full_name: Miles, Evan S.
last_name: Miles
- first_name: Pascal
full_name: Buri, Pascal
last_name: Buri
- first_name: Stefan
full_name: Fugger, Stefan
last_name: Fugger
- first_name: Michael
full_name: McCarthy, Michael
last_name: McCarthy
- first_name: Thomas E.
full_name: Shaw, Thomas E.
last_name: Shaw
- first_name: Zhao
full_name: Chuanxi, Zhao
last_name: Chuanxi
- first_name: Martin
full_name: Truffer, Martin
last_name: Truffer
- first_name: Matthew J.
full_name: Westoby, Matthew J.
last_name: Westoby
- first_name: Wei
full_name: Yang, Wei
last_name: Yang
- first_name: Francesca
full_name: Pellicciotti, Francesca
id: b28f055a-81ea-11ed-b70c-a9fe7f7b0e70
last_name: Pellicciotti
citation:
ama: Kneib M, Miles ES, Buri P, et al. Sub-seasonal variability of supraglacial
ice cliff melt rates and associated processes from time-lapse photogrammetry.
The Cryosphere. 2022;16(11):4701-4725. doi:10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022
apa: Kneib, M., Miles, E. S., Buri, P., Fugger, S., McCarthy, M., Shaw, T. E., …
Pellicciotti, F. (2022). Sub-seasonal variability of supraglacial ice cliff melt
rates and associated processes from time-lapse photogrammetry. The Cryosphere.
Copernicus Publications. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022
chicago: Kneib, Marin, Evan S. Miles, Pascal Buri, Stefan Fugger, Michael McCarthy,
Thomas E. Shaw, Zhao Chuanxi, et al. “Sub-Seasonal Variability of Supraglacial
Ice Cliff Melt Rates and Associated Processes from Time-Lapse Photogrammetry.”
The Cryosphere. Copernicus Publications, 2022. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022.
ieee: M. Kneib et al., “Sub-seasonal variability of supraglacial ice cliff
melt rates and associated processes from time-lapse photogrammetry,” The Cryosphere,
vol. 16, no. 11. Copernicus Publications, pp. 4701–4725, 2022.
ista: Kneib M, Miles ES, Buri P, Fugger S, McCarthy M, Shaw TE, Chuanxi Z, Truffer
M, Westoby MJ, Yang W, Pellicciotti F. 2022. Sub-seasonal variability of supraglacial
ice cliff melt rates and associated processes from time-lapse photogrammetry.
The Cryosphere. 16(11), 4701–4725.
mla: Kneib, Marin, et al. “Sub-Seasonal Variability of Supraglacial Ice Cliff Melt
Rates and Associated Processes from Time-Lapse Photogrammetry.” The Cryosphere,
vol. 16, no. 11, Copernicus Publications, 2022, pp. 4701–25, doi:10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022.
short: M. Kneib, E.S. Miles, P. Buri, S. Fugger, M. McCarthy, T.E. Shaw, Z. Chuanxi,
M. Truffer, M.J. Westoby, W. Yang, F. Pellicciotti, The Cryosphere 16 (2022) 4701–4725.
date_created: 2023-02-20T08:09:42Z
date_published: 2022-11-11T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-02-28T13:59:22Z
day: '11'
doi: 10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022
extern: '1'
intvolume: ' 16'
issue: '11'
keyword:
- Earth-Surface Processes
- Water Science and Technology
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022
month: '11'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 4701-4725
publication: The Cryosphere
publication_identifier:
issn:
- 1994-0424
publication_status: published
publisher: Copernicus Publications
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Sub-seasonal variability of supraglacial ice cliff melt rates and associated
processes from time-lapse photogrammetry
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 16
year: '2022'
...