Method dependence in thermal conductivity and aerodynamic roughness length estimates on a debris‐covered glacier

Melo Velasco JV, Miles E, McCarthy M, Shaw T, Fyffe CL, Fontrodona-Bach A, Pellicciotti F. 2025. Method dependence in thermal conductivity and aerodynamic roughness length estimates on a debris‐covered glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 130(6), e2025JF008360.

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Journal Article | Published | English

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Abstract
Rock debris partially covers glaciers worldwide, with varying extents and distributions, and controls sub‐debris melt rates by modifying energy transfer from the atmosphere to the ice. Two key physical properties controlling this energy exchange are thermal conductivity (k) and aerodynamic roughness length (z0). Accurate representation of these properties in energy‐balance models is critical for understanding climate‐glacier interactions and predicting the behavior of debris‐covered glaciers. However, k and z0 have been derived at very few sites from limited local measurements, using different approaches, and most model applications rely on values reported from these few sites and studies. We derive k and z0 using established and modified approaches from data at three locations on Pirámide Glacier in the central Chilean Andes. By comparing methods and evaluating melt simulated with an energy‐balance model, we reveal substantial differences between approaches. These lead to discrepancies between ice melt from energy‐balance simulations and observed data, and highlight the impact of method choice on calculated ice melt. Optimizing k against measured melt appears a viable approach to constrain melt simulations. Determining z0 seems less critical, as it has a smaller impact on total melt. Profile aerodynamic method measurements for estimating z0, despite higher costs, are independent of ice melt calculations. The large, unexpected differences between methods indicate a substantial knowledge gap. The fact that field‐derived k and z0 fail to work well in energy‐balance models, suggests that model values represent bulk properties distinct from theoretical field measurements. Addressing this gap is essential for improving glacier melt predictions.
Publishing Year
Date Published
2025-06-15
Journal Title
Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
Publisher
Wiley
Acknowledgement
This project received funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant 204322, project “REsolving the thickNess Of debris on Earth's glacIers and its Rate of change,” RENOIR). We thank Lars Groeneveld, Diego Hernández, Alonso Mejías, Gabriela Reyes and Gabriela Tala for their support during fieldwork. Open access funding provided by Institute of Science and Technology Austria/KEMÖ.
Volume
130
Issue
6
Article Number
e2025JF008360
ISSN
eISSN
IST-REx-ID

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Melo Velasco JV, Miles E, McCarthy M, et al. Method dependence in thermal conductivity and aerodynamic roughness length estimates on a debris‐covered glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 2025;130(6). doi:10.1029/2025jf008360
Melo Velasco, J. V., Miles, E., McCarthy, M., Shaw, T., Fyffe, C. L., Fontrodona-Bach, A., & Pellicciotti, F. (2025). Method dependence in thermal conductivity and aerodynamic roughness length estimates on a debris‐covered glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jf008360
Melo Velasco, Juan Vicente, Evan Miles, Michael McCarthy, Thomas Shaw, Catriona Louise Fyffe, Adrià Fontrodona-Bach, and Francesca Pellicciotti. “Method Dependence in Thermal Conductivity and Aerodynamic Roughness Length Estimates on a Debris‐covered Glacier.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. Wiley, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jf008360.
J. V. Melo Velasco et al., “Method dependence in thermal conductivity and aerodynamic roughness length estimates on a debris‐covered glacier,” Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, vol. 130, no. 6. Wiley, 2025.
Melo Velasco JV, Miles E, McCarthy M, Shaw T, Fyffe CL, Fontrodona-Bach A, Pellicciotti F. 2025. Method dependence in thermal conductivity and aerodynamic roughness length estimates on a debris‐covered glacier. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 130(6), e2025JF008360.
Melo Velasco, Juan Vicente, et al. “Method Dependence in Thermal Conductivity and Aerodynamic Roughness Length Estimates on a Debris‐covered Glacier.” Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, vol. 130, no. 6, e2025JF008360, Wiley, 2025, doi:10.1029/2025jf008360.
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2025-06-24
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