Quantifying Supraglacial Debris Thickness and the Glaciological Controls on its Spatial Distribution in High Mountain Asia
type: CreativeWork
description: As debris-covered glaciers (DCGs) become a more prominent feature of the shrinking mountain cryosphere (Shukla et al., 2009; Thakuri et al., 2014; Gaddam et al. 2016; Tielidze et al., 2019), there is an increasing need to understand how they will respond to climate change. In particular, there is a requirement to improve our understanding of both the current and future spatial distribution of supraglacial debris thickness. This knowledge is indispensible because the mass balance response of DCGs is dependent on the distribution of its debris thickness, given that debris cover can either enhance or inhibit ablation depending on its thickness (Østrem, 1959; Nakawo and Young, 1981; Mattson et al., 1993; Nicholson and Benn, 2006). This knowledge is particularly applicable in the cryosphere of High Mountain Asia (HMA) where ~18% of the total ice mass is stored under a debris mantle (Nuimura et al., 2012; Bolch et al., 2012; Kraajienbrink et al., 2017) and 1.4 billion people rely on glacial runoff (Immerzeel et al., 2010; Kamp et al., 2011; Shukla and Qadir, 2016). To improve our understanding of the current spatial distribution of debris thickness in HMA, this study aims to improve the empirical calculation of debris thickness from surface temperature. This study undertakes the first systematic comparison of different forms of the empirical relationship between debris thickness and surface temperature (linear, rational curve and two types of exponential curve) to determine which derives the most accurate debris thickness distribution for six different glaciers (Baltoro Glacier, Satopanth Glacier, Lirung Glacier, Ngozumpa Glacier, Changri Nup Glacier and Hailuogou Glacier). This method is only successful when the in situ debris thickness data is well distributed. When well-distributed data is provided, the rational curve and the linear relationship consistently perform best. Tentatively, it is suggested that the rational curve performs best for glaciers with a thinner deb…
abstract: As debris-covered glaciers (DCGs) become a more prominent feature of the shrinking mountain cryosphere (Shukla et al., 2009; Thakuri et al., 2014; Gaddam et al. 2016; Tielidze et al., 2019), there is an increasing need to understand how they will respond to climate change. In particular, there is a requirement to improve our understanding of both the current and future spatial distribution of supraglacial debris thickness. This knowledge is indispensible because the mass balance response of DCGs is dependent on the distribution of its debris thickness, given that debris cover can either enhance or inhibit ablation depending on its thickness (Østrem, 1959; Nakawo and Young, 1981; Mattson et al., 1993; Nicholson and Benn, 2006). This knowledge is particularly applicable in the cryosphere of High Mountain Asia (HMA) where ~18% of the total ice mass is stored under a debris mantle (Nuimura et al., 2012; Bolch et al., 2012; Kraajienbrink et al., 2017) and 1.4 billion people rely on glacial runoff (Immerzeel et al., 2010; Kamp et al., 2011; Shukla and Qadir, 2016). To improve our understanding of the current spatial distribution of debris thickness in HMA, this study aims to improve the empirical calculation of debris thickness from surface temperature. This study undertakes the first systematic comparison of different forms of the empirical relationship between debris thickness and surface temperature (linear, rational curve and two types of exponential curve) to determine which derives the most accurate debris thickness distribution for six different glaciers (Baltoro Glacier, Satopanth Glacier, Lirung Glacier, Ngozumpa Glacier, Changri Nup Glacier and Hailuogou Glacier). This method is only successful when the in situ debris thickness data is well distributed. When well-distributed data is provided, the rational curve and the linear relationship consistently perform best. Tentatively, it is suggested that the rational curve performs best for glaciers with a thinner deb…
author: Boxall, Karla
language: en
keywords: cryosphere, glaciers, glaciological
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/e1c3dce9-15f5-40d8-81c8-e8feb4dd913a/download
license: https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/
date published: 2020-06
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:08Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.58844