Brief communication: Updated GAMDAM glacier inventory over high-mountain Asia The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-2043-2019 19 July 2019 The Glacier Area Mapping for Discharge from the Asian Mountains (GAMDAM) glacier inventory was updated to revise the underestimated glacier area in the first version. The total number and area of glaciers are 134 770 and 100 693 ± 11 790 km2 from 453 Landsat images, which were carefully selected for the period from 1990 to 2010, to avoid mountain shadow, cloud cover, and seasonal snow cover. GAMDAM glacier inventory over high-mountain Asia">Read more
Converting snow depth to snow water equivalent using climatological variables The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1767-2019 4 July 2019 We present a new statistical model for converting snow depths to water equivalent. The only variables required are snow depth, day of year, and location. We use the location to look up climatological parameters such as mean winter precipitation and mean temperature difference (difference between hottest month and coldest month). The model is simple by design so that it can be applied to depth measurements anywhere, anytime. The model is shown to perform better than other widely used approaches. Read more
Recrystallization processes, microstructure and crystallographic preferred orientation evolution in polycrystalline ice during high-temperature simple shear The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1495-2019 27 May 2019 Ice mechanics is an important tool to better predict the response of glaciers or polar ice sheets to climate variations. Nevertheless our current predictive abilities are limited as the microscale mechanisms responsible for ice creep are poorly identified. We show in this study, using state-of-the-art experimental techniques, which recrystallization processes control ice deformation. This will allow realistic simulations, necessary to predict the long-term effects on ice landmasses. Read more
Winter tourism under climate change in the Pyrenees and the French Alps: relevance of snowmaking as a technical adaptation The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1325-2019 24 April 2019 This study investigates the snow reliability of 175 ski resorts in the Pyrenees (France, Spain and Andorra) and the French Alps under past and future conditions (1950–2100) using state-of-the-art climate projections and snowpack modelling accounting for snow management, i.e. grooming and snowmaking. The snow reliability of ski resorts shows strong elevation and regional differences, and our study quantifies changes in snow reliability induced by snowmaking under various climate scenarios. Read more
Uncertainty quantification of the multi-centennial response of the Antarctic ice sheet to climate change The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1349-2019 24 April 2019 Using probabilistic methods, we quantify the uncertainty in the Antarctic ice-sheet response to climate change over the next millennium under the four RCP scenarios and parametric uncertainty. We find that the ice sheet is stable in RCP 2.6 regardless of parametric uncertainty, while West Antarctica undergoes disintegration in RCP 8.5 almost regardless of parametric uncertainty. We also show a high sensitivity of the ice-sheet response to uncertainty in sub-shelf melting and sliding conditions. Read more
Modelling the future evolution of glaciers in the European Alps under the EURO-CORDEX RCM ensemble The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1125-2019 9 April 2019 Glaciers in the European Alps play an important role in the hydrological cycle, act as a source for hydroelectricity and have a large touristic importance. We model the future evolution of all glaciers in the Alps with a novel model that combines both ice flow and melt processes. We find that under a limited warming scenario about one-third of the present-day ice volume will still be present by the end of the century, while under strong warming more than 90 % of the volume will be lost by 2100. EURO-CORDEX RCM ensemble">Read more
Pathways of ice-wedge degradation in polygonal tundra under different hydrological conditions The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-1089-2019 4 April 2019 We studied the stability of ice wedges (massive bodies of ground ice in permafrost) under recent climatic conditions in the Lena River delta of northern Siberia. For this we used a novel modelling approach that takes into account lateral transport of heat, water, and snow and the subsidence of the ground surface due to melting of ground ice. We found that wetter conditions have a destabilizing effect on the ice wedges and associated our simulation results with observations from the study area. Read more
Evaluation of CloudSat snowfall rate profiles by a comparison with in situ micro-rain radar observations in East Antarctica The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-943-2019 19 March 2019 Evaluation of the vertical precipitation rate profiles of CloudSat radar by comparison with two surface-based micro-rain radars (MRR) located at two antarctic stations gives a near-perfect correlation between both datasets, even though climatic and geographic conditions are different for the stations. A better understanding and reassessment of CloudSat uncertainties ranging from −13 % up to +22 % confirms the robustness of the CloudSat retrievals of snowfall over Antarctica. Read more
The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-665-2019 26 February 2019 The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) is the first continental-scale terrain map at less than 10 m resolution, and the first with a time stamp, enabling measurements of elevation change. REMA is constructed from over 300 000 individual stereoscopic elevation models (DEMs) extracted from submeter-resolution satellite imagery. REMA is vertically registered to satellite altimetry, resulting in errors of less than 1 m over most of its area and relative uncertainties of decimeters. Read more
Thaw processes in ice-rich permafrost landscapes represented with laterally coupled tiles in a land surface model The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-13-591-2019 18 February 2019 Many permafrost landscapes contain large amounts of excess ground ice, which gives rise to small-scale elevation differences. This results in lateral fluxes of snow, water, and heat, which we investigate and show how it can be accounted for in large-scale models. Using a novel model technique which can account for these differences, we are able to model both the current state of permafrost and how these landscapes change as permafrost thaws, in a way that could not previously be achieved. Read more
