Articles | Volume 12, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3161-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3161-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description paper
| 
03 Dec 2020
Data description paper |
| 03 Dec 2020
| 03 Dec 2020
More dynamic than expected: an updated survey of surging glaciers in the Pamir
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Tobias Bolch
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
Frank Paul
Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Related authors
No articles found.
Inés Dussaillant, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Etienne Berthier, Jacqueline Bannwart, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1977–2006, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our research observes glacier mass changes worldwide from 1976 to 2024, revealing an alarming increase in melt, especially in the last decade and the record year of 2023. By combining field and satellite observations, we provide annual mass changes for all glaciers in the world, showing significant contributions to global sea level rise. This work underscores the need for ongoing local monitoring and global climate action to mitigate the effects of glacier loss and its broader environmental impacts.
Yu Zhu, Shiyin Liu, Junfeng Wei, Kunpeng Wu, Tobias Bolch, Junli Xu, Wanqin Guo, Zongli Jiang, Fuming Xie, Ying Yi, Donghui Shangguan, Xiaojun Yao, and Zhen Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1851–1871, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study compiled a near-complete inventory of glacier mass changes across the eastern Tibetan Plateau using topographical maps. These data enhance our understanding of glacier change variability before 2000. When combined with existing research, our dataset provides a nearly 5-decade record of mass balance, aiding hydrological simulations and assessments of mountain glacier contributions to sea-level rise.
Johannes Reinthaler and Frank Paul
The Cryosphere, 19, 753–767, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-753-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-753-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA) around 1850, glaciers in the European Alps have melted considerably. We collected LIA glacier extents, calculated changes using geoinformatics, and found a 57 % decrease in area (4244 km² to 1806 km²) and a 64 % decrease in volume (280 km³ to 100 km³) by 2015. The average glacier surface lowering was 44 m. After 2000, elevation change rates tripled. Over 1938 glaciers melted away completely, impacting entire regions.
Enrico Mattea, Etienne Berthier, Amaury Dehecq, Tobias Bolch, Atanu Bhattacharya, Sajid Ghuffar, Martina Barandun, and Martin Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 19, 219–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-219-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-219-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct the evolution of terminus position, ice thickness, and surface flow velocity of the reference Abramov glacier (Kyrgyzstan) from 1968 to present. We describe a front pulsation in the early 2000s and the multi-annual present-day buildup of a new pulsation. Such dynamic instabilities can challenge the representativity of Abramov as a reference glacier. For our work we used satellite‑based optical remote sensing from multiple platforms, including recently declassified archives.
Line Rouyet, Tobias Bolch, Francesco Brardinoni, Rafael Caduff, Diego Cusicanqui, Margaret Darrow, Reynald Delaloye, Thomas Echelard, Christophe Lambiel, Lucas Ruiz, Lea Schmid, Flavius Sirbu, and Tazio Strozzi
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-598, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-598, 2025
Revised manuscript under review for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Rock glaciers are landforms generated by the creep of frozen ground (permafrost) in cold-climate mountains. Mapping rock glaciers contributes to document the distribution and the dynamics of mountain permafrost. We compiled inventories documenting the location, the characteristics, and the extent of rock glaciers in 12 mountain regions around the world. In each region, a team of operators performed the work following common rules and agreed on final solutions when discrepancies were identified.
Livia Piermattei, Michael Zemp, Christian Sommer, Fanny Brun, Matthias H. Braun, Liss M. Andreassen, Joaquín M. C. Belart, Etienne Berthier, Atanu Bhattacharya, Laura Boehm Vock, Tobias Bolch, Amaury Dehecq, Inés Dussaillant, Daniel Falaschi, Caitlyn Florentine, Dana Floricioiu, Christian Ginzler, Gregoire Guillet, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Andreas Kääb, Owen King, Christoph Klug, Friedrich Knuth, Lukas Krieger, Jeff La Frenierre, Robert McNabb, Christopher McNeil, Rainer Prinz, Louis Sass, Thorsten Seehaus, David Shean, Désirée Treichler, Anja Wendt, and Ruitang Yang
The Cryosphere, 18, 3195–3230, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3195-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3195-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Satellites have made it possible to observe glacier elevation changes from all around the world. In the present study, we compared the results produced from two different types of satellite data between different research groups and against validation measurements from aeroplanes. We found a large spread between individual results but showed that the group ensemble can be used to reliably estimate glacier elevation changes and related errors from satellite data.
Daniel Falaschi, Atanu Bhattacharya, Gregoire Guillet, Lei Huang, Owen King, Kriti Mukherjee, Philipp Rastner, Tandong Yao, and Tobias Bolch
The Cryosphere, 17, 5435–5458, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5435-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5435-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Because glaciers are crucial freshwater sources in the lowlands surrounding High Mountain Asia, constraining short-term glacier mass changes is essential. We investigate the potential of state-of-the-art satellite elevation data to measure glacier mass changes in two selected regions. The results demonstrate the ability of our dataset to characterize glacier changes of different magnitudes, allowing for an increase in the number of inaccessible glaciers that can be readily monitored.
Fanny Brun, Owen King, Marion Réveillet, Charles Amory, Anton Planchot, Etienne Berthier, Amaury Dehecq, Tobias Bolch, Kévin Fourteau, Julien Brondex, Marie Dumont, Christoph Mayer, Silvan Leinss, Romain Hugonnet, and Patrick Wagnon
The Cryosphere, 17, 3251–3268, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3251-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The South Col Glacier is a small body of ice and snow located on the southern ridge of Mt. Everest. A recent study proposed that South Col Glacier is rapidly losing mass. In this study, we examined the glacier thickness change for the period 1984–2017 and found no thickness change. To reconcile these results, we investigate wind erosion and surface energy and mass balance and find that melt is unlikely a dominant process, contrary to previous findings.
Sajid Ghuffar, Owen King, Grégoire Guillet, Ewelina Rupnik, and Tobias Bolch
The Cryosphere, 17, 1299–1306, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1299-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1299-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The panoramic cameras (PCs) on board Hexagon KH-9 satellite missions from 1971–1984 captured very high-resolution stereo imagery with up to 60 cm spatial resolution. This study explores the potential of this imagery for glacier mapping and change estimation. The high resolution of KH-9PC leads to higher-quality DEMs which better resolve the accumulation region of glaciers in comparison to the KH-9 mapping camera, and KH-9PC imagery can be useful in several Earth observation applications.
Fuming Xie, Shiyin Liu, Yongpeng Gao, Yu Zhu, Tobias Bolch, Andreas Kääb, Shimei Duan, Wenfei Miao, Jianfang Kang, Yaonan Zhang, Xiran Pan, Caixia Qin, Kunpeng Wu, Miaomiao Qi, Xianhe Zhang, Ying Yi, Fengze Han, Xiaojun Yao, Qiao Liu, Xin Wang, Zongli Jiang, Donghui Shangguan, Yong Zhang, Richard Grünwald, Muhammad Adnan, Jyoti Karki, and Muhammad Saifullah
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 847–867, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-847-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-847-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, first we generated inventories which allowed us to systematically detect glacier change patterns in the Karakoram range. We found that, by the 2020s, there were approximately 10 500 glaciers in the Karakoram mountains covering an area of 22 510.73 km2, of which ~ 10.2 % is covered by debris. During the past 30 years (from 1990 to 2020), the total glacier cover area in Karakoram remained relatively stable, with a slight increase in area of 23.5 km2.
Yu Zhu, Shiyin Liu, Junfeng Wei, Kunpeng Wu, Tobias Bolch, Junli Xu, Wanqin Guo, Zongli Jiang, Fuming Xie, Ying Yi, Donghui Shangguan, Xiaojun Yao, and Zhen Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-473, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-473, 2023
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we presented a nearly complete inventory of glacier mass change dataset across the eastern Tibetan Plateau by using topographical maps, which will enhance the knowledge on the heterogeneity of glacier change before 2000. Our dataset, in combination with the published results, provide a nearly five decades mass balance to support hydrological simulation, and to evaluate the contribution of mountain glacier loss to sea level.
Simon K. Allen, Ashim Sattar, Owen King, Guoqing Zhang, Atanu Bhattacharya, Tandong Yao, and Tobias Bolch
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 3765–3785, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3765-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3765-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study demonstrates how the threat of a very large outburst from a future lake can be feasibly assessed alongside that from current lakes to inform disaster risk management within a transboundary basin between Tibet and Nepal. Results show that engineering measures and early warning systems would need to be coupled with effective land use zoning and programmes to strengthen local response capacities in order to effectively reduce the risk associated with current and future outburst events.
Aldo Bertone, Chloé Barboux, Xavier Bodin, Tobias Bolch, Francesco Brardinoni, Rafael Caduff, Hanne H. Christiansen, Margaret M. Darrow, Reynald Delaloye, Bernd Etzelmüller, Ole Humlum, Christophe Lambiel, Karianne S. Lilleøren, Volkmar Mair, Gabriel Pellegrinon, Line Rouyet, Lucas Ruiz, and Tazio Strozzi
The Cryosphere, 16, 2769–2792, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2769-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2769-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present the guidelines developed by the IPA Action Group and within the ESA Permafrost CCI project to include InSAR-based kinematic information in rock glacier inventories. Nine operators applied these guidelines to 11 regions worldwide; more than 3600 rock glaciers are classified according to their kinematics. We test and demonstrate the feasibility of applying common rules to produce homogeneous kinematic inventories at global scale, useful for hydrological and climate change purposes.
Frank Paul, Livia Piermattei, Désirée Treichler, Lin Gilbert, Luc Girod, Andreas Kääb, Ludivine Libert, Thomas Nagler, Tazio Strozzi, and Jan Wuite
The Cryosphere, 16, 2505–2526, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2505-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2505-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier surges are widespread in the Karakoram and have been intensely studied using satellite data and DEMs. We use time series of such datasets to study three glacier surges in the same region of the Karakoram. We found strongly contrasting advance rates and flow velocities, maximum velocities of 30 m d−1, and a change in the surge mechanism during a surge. A sensor comparison revealed good agreement, but steep terrain and the two smaller glaciers caused limitations for some of them.
Benjamin Aubrey Robson, Shelley MacDonell, Álvaro Ayala, Tobias Bolch, Pål Ringkjøb Nielsen, and Sebastián Vivero
The Cryosphere, 16, 647–665, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-647-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-647-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This work uses satellite and aerial data to study glaciers and rock glacier changes in La Laguna catchment within the semi-arid Andes of Chile, where ice melt is an important factor in river flow. The results show the rate of ice loss of Tapado Glacier has been increasing since the 1950s, which possibly relates to a dryer, warmer climate over the previous decades. Several rock glaciers show high surface velocities and elevation changes between 2012 and 2020, indicating they may be ice-rich.
Gregoire Guillet, Owen King, Mingyang Lv, Sajid Ghuffar, Douglas Benn, Duncan Quincey, and Tobias Bolch
The Cryosphere, 16, 603–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-603-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-603-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Surging glaciers show cyclical changes in flow behavior – between slow and fast flow – and can have drastic impacts on settlements in their vicinity.
One of the clusters of surging glaciers worldwide is High Mountain Asia (HMA).
We present an inventory of surging glaciers in HMA, identified from satellite imagery. We show that the number of surging glaciers was underestimated and that they represent 20 % of the area covered by glaciers in HMA, before discussing new physics for glacier surges.
Tazio Strozzi, Andreas Wiesmann, Andreas Kääb, Thomas Schellenberger, and Frank Paul
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-44, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2022-44, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge on surface velocity of glaciers and ice caps contributes to a better understanding of a wide range of processes related to glacier dynamics, mass change and response to climate. Based on the release of historical satellite radar data from various space agencies we compiled nearly complete mosaics of winter ice surface velocities for the 1990's over the Eastern Arctic. Compared to the present state, we observe a general increase of ice velocities along with a retreat of glacier fronts.
Levan G. Tielidze, Gennady A. Nosenko, Tatiana E. Khromova, and Frank Paul
The Cryosphere, 16, 489–504, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-489-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-489-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The new Caucasus glacier inventory derived from manual delineation of glacier outlines based on medium-resolution (Landsat, Sentinel) and high-resolution (SPOT) satellite imagery shows the accelerated glacier area loss over the last 2 decades (2000–2020). This new glacier inventory will improve our understanding of climate change impacts at a regional scale and support related modelling studies by providing high-quality validation data.
Martin Horwath, Benjamin D. Gutknecht, Anny Cazenave, Hindumathi Kulaiappan Palanisamy, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Frank Paul, Raymond Le Bris, Anna E. Hogg, Inès Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Petra Döll, Denise Cáceres, Hannes Müller Schmied, Johnny A. Johannessen, Jan Even Øie Nilsen, Roshin P. Raj, René Forsberg, Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Valentina R. Barletta, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Per Knudsen, Ole Baltazar Andersen, Heidi Ranndal, Stine K. Rose, Christopher J. Merchant, Claire R. Macintosh, Karina von Schuckmann, Kristin Novotny, Andreas Groh, Marco Restano, and Jérôme Benveniste
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 411–447, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Global mean sea-level change observed from 1993 to 2016 (mean rate of 3.05 mm yr−1) matches the combined effect of changes in water density (thermal expansion) and ocean mass. Ocean-mass change has been assessed through the contributions from glaciers, ice sheets, and land water storage or directly from satellite data since 2003. Our budget assessments of linear trends and monthly anomalies utilise new datasets and uncertainty characterisations developed within ESA's Climate Change Initiative.
Jan Bouke Pronk, Tobias Bolch, Owen King, Bert Wouters, and Douglas I. Benn
The Cryosphere, 15, 5577–5599, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5577-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5577-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
About 10 % of Himalayan glaciers flow directly into lakes. This study finds, using satellite imagery, that such glaciers show higher flow velocities than glaciers without ice–lake contact. In particular near the glacier tongue the impact of a lake on the glacier flow can be dramatic. The development of current and new meltwater bodies will influence the flow of an increasing number of Himalayan glaciers in the future, a scenario not currently considered in regional ice loss projections.
Andreas Kääb, Mylène Jacquemart, Adrien Gilbert, Silvan Leinss, Luc Girod, Christian Huggel, Daniel Falaschi, Felipe Ugalde, Dmitry Petrakov, Sergey Chernomorets, Mikhail Dokukin, Frank Paul, Simon Gascoin, Etienne Berthier, and Jeffrey S. Kargel
The Cryosphere, 15, 1751–1785, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1751-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Hardly recognized so far, giant catastrophic detachments of glaciers are a rare but great potential for loss of lives and massive damage in mountain regions. Several of the events compiled in our study involve volumes (up to 100 million m3 and more), avalanche speeds (up to 300 km/h), and reaches (tens of kilometres) that are hard to imagine. We show that current climate change is able to enhance associated hazards. For the first time, we elaborate a set of factors that could cause these events.
Andreas Kääb, Tazio Strozzi, Tobias Bolch, Rafael Caduff, Håkon Trefall, Markus Stoffel, and Alexander Kokarev
The Cryosphere, 15, 927–949, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-927-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-927-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a map of rock glacier motion over parts of the northern Tien Shan and time series of surface speed for six of them over almost 70 years.
This is by far the most detailed investigation of this kind available for central Asia.
We detect a 2- to 4-fold increase in rock glacier motion between the 1950s and present, which we attribute to atmospheric warming.
Relative to the shrinking glaciers in the region, this implies increased importance of periglacial sediment transport.
Frank Paul, Philipp Rastner, Roberto Sergio Azzoni, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Davide Fugazza, Raymond Le Bris, Johanna Nemec, Antoine Rabatel, Mélanie Ramusovic, Gabriele Schwaizer, and Claudio Smiraglia
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 1805–1821, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1805-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1805-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We have used Sentinel-2 satellite data from 2015 and 2016 to create a new glacier inventory for the European Alps. Outlines from earlier national inventories were used to guide manual corrections (e.g. ice in shadow or under debris cover) of the automatically mapped clean ice. We mapped 4395 glaciers, covering 1806 km2, an area loss of about 14 % (or −1.2 % per year) compared to the last inventory of 2003. We conclude that glacier shrinkage in the Alps has continued unabated since the mid-1980s.
Michael Zemp, Matthias Huss, Nicolas Eckert, Emmanuel Thibert, Frank Paul, Samuel U. Nussbaumer, and Isabelle Gärtner-Roer
The Cryosphere, 14, 1043–1050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1043-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1043-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Comprehensive assessments of global glacier mass changes have been published at multi-annual intervals, typically in IPCC reports. For the years in between, we present an approach to infer timely but preliminary estimates of global-scale glacier mass changes from glaciological observations. These ad hoc estimates for 2017/18 indicate that annual glacier contributions to sea-level rise exceeded 1 mm sea-level equivalent, which corresponds to more than a quarter of the currently observed rise.
Levan G. Tielidze, Tobias Bolch, Roger D. Wheate, Stanislav S. Kutuzov, Ivan I. Lavrentiev, and Michael Zemp
The Cryosphere, 14, 585–598, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-585-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-585-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present data of supra-glacial debris cover for 659 glaciers across the Greater Caucasus based on satellite images from the years 1986, 2000 and 2014. We combined semi-automated methods for mapping the clean ice with manual digitization of debris-covered glacier parts and calculated supra-glacial debris-covered area as the residual between these two maps. The distribution of the supra-glacial debris cover differs between northern and southern and between western, central and eastern Caucasus.
Nico Mölg, Tobias Bolch, Andrea Walter, and Andreas Vieli
The Cryosphere, 13, 1889–1909, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1889-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1889-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Debris can partly protect glaciers from melting. But many debris-covered glaciers change similar to debris-free glaciers. To better understand the debris influence we investigated 150 years of evolution of Zmutt Glacier in Switzerland. We found an increase in debris extent over time and a link to glacier flow velocity changes. We also found an influence of debris on the melt locally, but only a small volume change reduction over the whole glacier, also because of the influence of ice cliffs.
Daniel Falaschi, Andreas Kääb, Frank Paul, Takeo Tadono, Juan Antonio Rivera, and Luis Eduardo Lenzano
The Cryosphere, 13, 997–1004, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-997-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-997-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In March 2007, the Leñas Glacier in the Central Andes of Argentina collapsed and released an ice avalanche that travelled a distance of 2 km. We analysed aerial photos, satellite images and field evidence to investigate the evolution of the glacier from the 1950s through the present day. A clear potential trigger of the collapse could not be identified from available meteorological and seismic data, nor could a significant change in glacier geometry leading to glacier instability be detected.
Nico Mölg, Tobias Bolch, Philipp Rastner, Tazio Strozzi, and Frank Paul
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1807–1827, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1807-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1807-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge about the size and location of glaciers is essential to understand impacts of climatic changes on the natural environment. Therefore, we have produced an inventory of all glaciers in some of the largest glacierized mountain regions worldwide. Many large glaciers are covered by a rock (debris) layer, which also changes their reaction to climatic changes. Thus, we have also mapped this debris layer for all glaciers. We have mapped almost 28000 glaciers covering ~35000 km2.
Martina Barandun, Matthias Huss, Ryskul Usubaliev, Erlan Azisov, Etienne Berthier, Andreas Kääb, Tobias Bolch, and Martin Hoelzle
The Cryosphere, 12, 1899–1919, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1899-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1899-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we used three independent methods (in situ measurements, comparison of digital elevation models and modelling) to reconstruct the mass change from 2000 to 2016 for three glaciers in the Tien Shan and Pamir. Snow lines observed on remote sensing images were used to improve conventional modelling by constraining a mass balance model. As a result, glacier mass changes for unmeasured years and glaciers can be better assessed. Substantial mass loss was confirmed for the three glaciers.
Christopher J. Merchant, Frank Paul, Thomas Popp, Michael Ablain, Sophie Bontemps, Pierre Defourny, Rainer Hollmann, Thomas Lavergne, Alexandra Laeng, Gerrit de Leeuw, Jonathan Mittaz, Caroline Poulsen, Adam C. Povey, Max Reuter, Shubha Sathyendranath, Stein Sandven, Viktoria F. Sofieva, and Wolfgang Wagner
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 511–527, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-511-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-511-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Climate data records (CDRs) contain data describing Earth's climate and should address uncertainty in the data to communicate what is known about climate variability or change and what range of doubt exists. This paper discusses good practice for including uncertainty information in CDRs for the essential climate variables (ECVs) derived from satellite data. Recommendations emerge from the shared experience of diverse ECV projects within the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative.
Tobias Bolch, Tino Pieczonka, Kriti Mukherjee, and Joseph Shea
The Cryosphere, 11, 531–539, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-531-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-531-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Previous geodetic estimates of glacier mass changes in the Karakoram have revealed balanced budgets or a possible slight mass gain since the year ∼ 2000. We used old US reconnaissance imagery and could show that glaciers in the Hunza River basin (Central Karakoram) experienced on average no significant mass changes also since the 1970s. Likewise the glaciers had heterogeneous behaviour with frequent surge activities during the last 40 years.
Jacqueline Huber, Alison J. Cook, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 115–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-115-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-115-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
A glacier inventory of the AP (63°–70° S), consisting of glacier outlines accompanied by glacier-specific parameters (i.e., elevation distribution, slope, aspect, thickness and volume), was achieved by digitally combining already-existing data sets. This resulted in 1589 glaciers, covering an area of 95 273 km2. These freely available data provide new insights into AP glaciers, their behavior in response to a changing climate and their corresponding contribution to sea level rise.
Silvan Ragettli, Tobias Bolch, and Francesca Pellicciotti
The Cryosphere, 10, 2075–2097, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2075-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2075-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a multi-temporal dataset of geodetically derived elevation changes on debris-free and debris-covered glaciers in the Langtang valley, Nepalese Himalaya. Overall, we observe accelerated glacier wastage, but highly heterogeneous spatial patterns and temporal trends across glaciers. Accelerations in thinning correlate with the presence of supraglacial cliffs and lakes, whereas thinning rates remained constant or declined on stagnating debris-covered glacier areas.
Michel Wortmann, Tobias Bolch, Valentina Krysanova, and Su Buda
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-272, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2016-272, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
F. Paul
The Cryosphere, 9, 2201–2214, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2201-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2201-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses animations of freely available Landsat images (acquired over 25 years) to reveal glacier flow and surge dynamics in the central Karakoram. The animations provide a holistic view on the timing and variability of glacier dynamics that is hard to obtain by other more quantitative methods. Among others, the study reveals that most surging glaciers are comparably small, steep and debris-free, with a wide range of advance rates and durations, overlapping with non-surge-type glaciers.
N. Holzer, S. Vijay, T. Yao, B. Xu, M. Buchroithner, and T. Bolch
The Cryosphere, 9, 2071–2088, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2071-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2071-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Investigations of glacier mass-balance and area changes at Muztagh Ata (eastern Pamir) are based on Hexagon KH-9 (1973), ALOS-PRISM (2009), Pléiades (2013) and Landsat 7 ETM+/SRTM-3 (2000). Surface velocities of Kekesayi Glacier are derived by TerraSAR-X (2011) amplitude tracking. Glacier variations differ spatially and temporally, but on average not significantly for the entire massif. Stagnant Kekesayi and other debris-covered glaciers indicate no visual length changes, but clear down-wasting.
D. H. Shangguan, T. Bolch, Y. J. Ding, M. Kröhnert, T. Pieczonka, H. U. Wetzel, and S. Y. Liu
The Cryosphere, 9, 703–717, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-703-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-703-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier velocity, glacier area, surface elevation and mass changes of the Southern and Northern Inylchek Glacier were investigated by using multi-temporal space-borne data sets. The mass balance of both SIG and NIG was negative(-0.43 ± 0.10 m w.e. a-1 and -0.25 ± 0.10 m w.e. a-1) from ~1975 to 2007. The thinning at the lake dam was higher, likely caused by calving into Lake Merzbacher. Thus, glacier thinning and glacier flow are significantly influenced by the lake.
H. Frey, H. Machguth, M. Huss, C. Huggel, S. Bajracharya, T. Bolch, A. Kulkarni, A. Linsbauer, N. Salzmann, and M. Stoffel
The Cryosphere, 8, 2313–2333, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2313-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2313-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
Existing methods (area–volume relations, a slope-dependent volume estimation method, and two ice-thickness distribution models) are used to estimate the ice reserves stored in Himalayan–Karakoram glaciers. Resulting volumes range from 2955–4737km³. Results from the ice-thickness distribution models agree well with local measurements; volume estimates from area-related relations exceed the estimates from the other approaches. Evidence on the effect of the selected method on results is provided.
S. Hasson, V. Lucarini, M. R. Khan, M. Petitta, T. Bolch, and G. Gioli
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 4077–4100, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4077-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-18-4077-2014, 2014
S. Thakuri, F. Salerno, C. Smiraglia, T. Bolch, C. D'Agata, G. Viviano, and G. Tartari
The Cryosphere, 8, 1297–1315, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1297-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1297-2014, 2014
R. Bhambri, T. Bolch, P. Kawishwar, D. P. Dobhal, D. Srivastava, and B. Pratap
The Cryosphere, 7, 1385–1398, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1385-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1385-2013, 2013
L. Carturan, R. Filippi, R. Seppi, P. Gabrielli, C. Notarnicola, L. Bertoldi, F. Paul, P. Rastner, F. Cazorzi, R. Dinale, and G. Dalla Fontana
The Cryosphere, 7, 1339–1359, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1339-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1339-2013, 2013
P. Rastner, T. Bolch, N. Mölg, H. Machguth, R. Le Bris, and F. Paul
The Cryosphere, 6, 1483–1495, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1483-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1483-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Glaciology
Annual mass change of the world's glaciers from 1976 to 2024 by temporal downscaling of satellite data with in situ observations
Glacier-level and gridded mass change in river sources in the eastern Tibetan Plateau region (ETPR) from the 1970s to 2000
glenglat: a database of global englacial temperatures
A revised and expanded deep radiostratigraphy of the Greenland Ice Sheet from airborne radar sounding surveys between 1993–2019
Calving front positions for 42 key glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet: a sub-seasonal record from 2013 to 2023 based on deep-learning application to Landsat multi-spectral imagery
Ice thickness and bed topography of Jostedalsbreen ice cap, Norway
PRODEM: an annual series of summer DEMs (2019 through 2022) of the marginal areas of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Smoothed monthly Greenland ice sheet elevation changes during 2003–2023
Climate and ablation observations from automatic ablation and weather stations at A. P. Olsen Ice Cap transect, northeast Greenland, for May 2008 through May 2022
Glaciological and meteorological monitoring at Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites Mullwitzkees and Venedigerkees, Austria, 2006–2022
A high-resolution pan-Arctic meltwater discharge dataset from 1950 to 2021
A newly digitized ice-penetrating radar data set acquired over the Greenland ice sheet in 1971–1979
Multitemporal characterization of a proglacial system: a multidisciplinary approach
Spatial and temporal stable water isotope data from the upper snowpack at the EastGRIP camp site, NE Greenland, sampled in summer 2018
High temporal resolution records of the velocity of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in Svalbard
A high-resolution calving front data product for marine-terminating glaciers in Svalbard
Spatial and temporal variability of environmental proxies from the top 120 m of two ice cores in Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica)
Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding line discharge from 1996 through 2023
Inventory of glaciers and perennial snowfields of the conterminous USA
A comprehensive and version-controlled database of glacial lake outburst floods in High Mountain Asia
Unlocking archival maps of the Hornsund fjord area for monitoring glaciers of the Sørkapp Land peninsula, Svalbard
Antarctic Ice Sheet paleo-constraint database
Ice-core data used for the construction of the Greenland Ice-Core Chronology 2005 and 2021 (GICC05 and GICC21)
Antarctic Bedmap data: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) sharing of 60 years of ice bed, surface, and thickness data
A new inventory of High Mountain Asia surging glaciers derived from multiple elevation datasets since the 1970s
Ice core chemistry database: an Antarctic compilation of sodium and sulfate records spanning the past 2000 years
Mass balance of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets from 1992 to 2020
Interdecadal glacier inventories in the Karakoram since the 1990s
Landsat- and Sentinel-derived glacial lake dataset in the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor from 1990 to 2020
Processing methodology for the ITS_LIVE Sentinel-1 ice velocity products
Calving fronts and where to find them: a benchmark dataset and methodology for automatic glacier calving front extraction from synthetic aperture radar imagery
Multitemporal glacier inventory revealing four decades of glacier changes in the Ladakh region
A new global dataset of mountain glacier centerlines and lengths
Elevation change of the Antarctic Ice Sheet: 1985 to 2020
2000 years of annual ice core data from Law Dome, East Antarctica
A 41-year (1979–2019) passive-microwave-derived lake ice phenology data record of the Northern Hemisphere
Rescue and homogenization of 140 years of glacier mass balance data in Switzerland
A decade of glaciological and meteorological observations in the Arctic (Werenskioldbreen, Svalbard)
A comprehensive dataset of microbial abundance, dissolved organic carbon, and nitrogen in Tibetan Plateau glaciers
The Greenland Firn Compaction Verification and Reconnaissance (FirnCover) dataset, 2013–2019
Black carbon and organic carbon dataset over the Third Pole
A high-resolution Antarctic grounding zone product from ICESat-2 laser altimetry
An inventory of supraglacial lakes and channels across the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Greenland ice sheet mass balance from 1840 through next week
Global time series and temporal mosaics of glacier surface velocities derived from Sentinel-1 data
GIS dataset: geomorphological record of terrestrial-terminating ice streams, southern sector of the Baltic Ice Stream Complex, last Scandinavian Ice Sheet, Poland
A 15-year circum-Antarctic iceberg calving dataset derived from continuous satellite observations
Active rock glaciers of the contiguous United States: geographic information system inventory and spatial distribution patterns
Mass balances of Yala and Rikha Samba glaciers, Nepal, from 2000 to 2017
Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) automatic weather station data
Inés Dussaillant, Romain Hugonnet, Matthias Huss, Etienne Berthier, Jacqueline Bannwart, Frank Paul, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1977–2006, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1977-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Our research observes glacier mass changes worldwide from 1976 to 2024, revealing an alarming increase in melt, especially in the last decade and the record year of 2023. By combining field and satellite observations, we provide annual mass changes for all glaciers in the world, showing significant contributions to global sea level rise. This work underscores the need for ongoing local monitoring and global climate action to mitigate the effects of glacier loss and its broader environmental impacts.
Yu Zhu, Shiyin Liu, Junfeng Wei, Kunpeng Wu, Tobias Bolch, Junli Xu, Wanqin Guo, Zongli Jiang, Fuming Xie, Ying Yi, Donghui Shangguan, Xiaojun Yao, and Zhen Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1851–1871, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1851-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study compiled a near-complete inventory of glacier mass changes across the eastern Tibetan Plateau using topographical maps. These data enhance our understanding of glacier change variability before 2000. When combined with existing research, our dataset provides a nearly 5-decade record of mass balance, aiding hydrological simulations and assessments of mountain glacier contributions to sea-level rise.
Mylène Jacquemart, Ethan Welty, Marcus Gastaldello, and Guillem Carcanade
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 1627–1666, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1627-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-1627-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present glenglat, a database that contains measurements of ice temperature from 213 glaciers measured in 788 boreholes between 1842 and 2023. Even though ice temperature is a defining characteristic of any glacier, such measurements have been conducted on less than 1 ‰ of all glaciers globally. Our database permits us, for the first time, to investigate glacier temperature distributions at global or regional scales.
Joseph A. MacGregor, Mark A. Fahnestock, John D. Paden, Jilu Li, Jeremy P. Harbeck, and Andy Aschwanden
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-578, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-578, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
This manuscript describes the second version of a radiostratigraphic database for the Greenland Ice Sheet. It includes numerous improvements to original database from 2015, and includes more and more high-quality radar-sounding data in its assessment. It represents a unique and widespread potential constraint on the history of the ice sheet that could be targeted by ice-sheet models.
Erik Loebel, Celia A. Baumhoer, Andreas Dietz, Mirko Scheinert, and Martin Horwath
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 65–78, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-65-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-65-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier calving front positions are important for understanding glacier dynamics and constraining ice modelling. We apply a deep-learning framework to multi-spectral Landsat imagery to create a calving front record for 42 key outlet glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet. The resulting data product includes 4817 calving front locations from 2013 to 2023 and achieves sub-seasonal temporal resolution.
Mette K. Gillespie, Liss M. Andreassen, Matthias Huss, Simon de Villiers, Kamilla H. Sjursen, Jostein Aasen, Jostein Bakke, Jan M. Cederstrøm, Hallgeir Elvehøy, Bjarne Kjøllmoen, Even Loe, Marte Meland, Kjetil Melvold, Sigurd D. Nerhus, Torgeir O. Røthe, Eivind W. N. Støren, Kåre Øst, and Jacob C. Yde
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5799–5825, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5799-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5799-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present an extensive ice thickness dataset from Jostedalsbreen ice cap that will serve as a baseline for future studies of regional climate-induced change. Results show that Jostedalsbreen currently (~2020) has a maximum ice thickness of ~630 m, a mean ice thickness of 154 ± 22 m and an ice volume of 70.6 ±10.2 km3. Ice of less than 50 m thickness covers two narrow regions of Jostedalsbreen, and the ice cap is likely to separate into three parts in a warming climate.
Mai Winstrup, Heidi Ranndal, Signe Hillerup Larsen, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Robert S. Fausto, and Louise Sandberg Sørensen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5405–5428, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5405-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5405-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Surface topography across the marginal zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet is constantly evolving. Here we present an annual series (2019–2022) of summer digital elevation models (PRODEMs) for the Greenland Ice Sheet margin, covering all outlet glaciers from the ice sheet. The PRODEMs are based on fusion of CryoSat-2 radar altimetry and ICESat-2 laser altimetry. With their high spatial and temporal resolution, the PRODEMs will enable detailed studies of the changes in marginal ice sheet elevations.
Shfaqat A. Khan, Helene Seroussi, Mathieu Morlighem, William Colgan, Veit Helm, Gong Cheng, Danjal Berg, Valentina R. Barletta, Nicolaj K. Larsen, William Kochtitzky, Michiel van den Broeke, Kurt H. Kjær, Andy Aschwanden, Brice Noël, Jason E. Box, Joseph A. MacGregor, Robert S. Fausto, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Ian M. Howat, Kuba Oniszk, Dominik Fahrner, Anja Løkkegaard, Eigil Y. H. Lippert, and Javed Hassan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-348, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-348, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
The surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet is changing due to surface mass balance processes and ice dynamics, each exhibiting distinct spatiotemporal patterns. Here, we employ satellite and airborne altimetry data with fine spatial (1 km) and temporal (monthly) resolutions to document this spatiotemporal evolution from 2003 to 2023. This dataset of fine-resolution altimetry data in both space and time will support studies of ice mass loss and useful for GIS ice sheet modelling.
Signe Hillerup Larsen, Daniel Binder, Anja Rutishauser, Bernhard Hynek, Robert Schjøtt Fausto, and Michele Citterio
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 4103–4118, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4103-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4103-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring programme has been running since 1995. In 2008, the Glaciological monitoring sub-program GlacioBasis was initiated at the Zackenberg site in northeast Greenland, with a transect of three weather stations on the A. P. Olsen Ice Cap. In 2022, the weather stations were replaced with a more standardized set up. Here, we provide the reprocessed and quality-checked data from 2008 to 2022, i.e., the first 15 years of continued monitoring.
Lea Hartl, Bernd Seiser, Martin Stocker-Waldhuber, Anna Baldo, Marcela Violeta Lauria, and Andrea Fischer
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 4077–4101, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4077-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-4077-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in the Alps are receding at unprecedented rates. To understand how this affects the hydrology and ecosystems of the affected regions, it is important to measure glacier mass balance and ensure that records of field surveys are kept in standardized formats and well-documented. We describe glaciological measurements of ice ablation and snow accumulation gathered at Mullwitzkees and Venedigerkees, two glaciers in the Austrian Alps, since 2007 and 2012, respectively.
Adam Igneczi and Jonathan Louis Bamber
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-169, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-169, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Freshwater from Arctic land ice loss strongly impacts the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. Datasets describing this freshwater discharge have low resolution and do not cover the entire Arctic. We statistically enhanced coarse resolution climate model data – from ~6 km to 250 m – and routed meltwater towards the coastlines, to provide high resolution data that is covering all Arctic regions. This approach has far lower computational requirements than running climate models at high resolution.
Nanna B. Karlsson, Dustin M. Schroeder, Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Winnie Chu, Jørgen Dall, Natalia H. Andersen, Reese Dobson, Emma J. Mackie, Simon J. Köhn, Jillian E. Steinmetz, Angelo S. Tarzona, Thomas O. Teisberg, and Niels Skou
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3333–3344, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3333-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3333-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the 1970s, more than 177 000 km of observations were acquired from airborne radar over the Greenland ice sheet. The radar data contain information on not only the thickness of the ice, but also the properties of the ice itself. This information was recorded on film rolls and subsequently stored. In this study, we document the digitization of these film rolls that shed new and unprecedented detailed light on the Greenland ice sheet 50 years ago.
Elisabetta Corte, Andrea Ajmar, Carlo Camporeale, Alberto Cina, Velio Coviello, Fabio Giulio Tonolo, Alberto Godio, Myrta Maria Macelloni, Stefania Tamea, and Andrea Vergnano
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3283–3306, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3283-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3283-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study presents a set of multitemporal geospatial surveys and the continuous monitoring of water flows in a large proglacial area (4 km2) of the northwestern Alps. Activities were developed using a multidisciplinary approach and merge geomatic, hydraulic, and geophysical methods. The goal is to allow researchers to characterize, monitor, and model a number of physical processes and interconnected phenomena, with a broader perspective and deeper understanding than a single-discipline approach.
Alexandra M. Zuhr, Sonja Wahl, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Maria Hörhold, Hanno Meyer, Vasileios Gkinis, and Thomas Laepple
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1861–1874, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1861-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1861-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present stable water isotope data from the accumulation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. A spatial sampling scheme covering 39 m and three depth layers was carried out between 14 May and 3 August 2018. The data suggest spatial and temporal variability related to meteorological conditions, such as wind-driven snow redistribution and vapour–snow exchange processes. The data can be used to study the formation of the stable water isotopes signal, which is seen as a climate proxy.
Małgorzata Błaszczyk, Bartłomiej Luks, Michał Pętlicki, Dariusz Puczko, Dariusz Ignatiuk, Michał Laska, Jacek Jania, and Piotr Głowacki
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1847–1860, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1847-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1847-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the glacier response to accelerated climate warming in the Arctic requires data obtained in the field. Here, we present a dataset of velocity measurements of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in Svalbard. The glacier's velocity was measured with GPS at 16 stakes mounted on the glacier's surface. The measurements were conducted from about 1 week to about 1 month. The dataset offers unique material for validating numerical models of glacier dynamics and satellite-derived products.
Tian Li, Konrad Heidler, Lichao Mou, Ádám Ignéczi, Xiao Xiang Zhu, and Jonathan L. Bamber
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 919–939, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-919-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-919-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study uses deep learning to produce a new high-resolution calving front dataset for 149 marine-terminating glaciers in Svalbard from 1985 to 2023, containing 124 919 terminus traces. This dataset offers insights into understanding calving mechanisms and can help improve glacier frontal ablation estimates as a component of the integrated mass balance assessment.
Sarah Wauthy, Jean-Louis Tison, Mana Inoue, Saïda El Amri, Sainan Sun, François Fripiat, Philippe Claeys, and Frank Pattyn
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 35–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-35-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-35-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The datasets presented are the density, water isotopes, ions, and conductivity measurements, as well as age models and surface mass balance (SMB) from the top 120 m of two ice cores drilled on adjacent ice rises in Dronning Maud Land, dating from the late 18th century. They offer many development possibilities for the interpretation of paleo-profiles and for addressing the mechanisms behind the spatial and temporal variability of SMB and proxies observed at the regional scale in East Antarctica.
Benjamin Joseph Davison, Anna Elizabeth Hogg, Thomas Slater, and Richard Rigby
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-448, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-448, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for ESSD
Short summary
Short summary
Grounding line discharge is a measure of the amount of ice entering the ocean from an ice mass. This paper describes a dataset of grounding line discharge for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and each of its glaciers. The dataset shows that Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding line discharge has increased since 1996.
Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Glenn, and Christopher Mcneil
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4077–4104, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4077-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4077-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers are rapidly shrinking globally. To identify past change and provide a baseline for future change, we inventoried the extent of glaciers and perennial snowfields across the western USA excluding Alaska. Using mostly aerial imagery, we digitized the outlines of all glaciers and perennial snowfields equal to or larger than 0.01 km2 using a geographical information system. We identified 1331 (366.52 km2) glaciers and 1176 (31.00 km2) snowfields.
Finu Shrestha, Jakob F. Steiner, Reeju Shrestha, Yathartha Dhungel, Sharad P. Joshi, Sam Inglis, Arshad Ashraf, Sher Wali, Khwaja M. Walizada, and Taigang Zhang
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3941–3961, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3941-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3941-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A new inventory of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in High Mountain Asia found 697 events, causing 906 deaths, 3 times more than previously reported. This study provides insights into the contributing factors behind GLOFs on a regional scale and highlights the need for interdisciplinary approaches, including scientific communities and local knowledge, to understand GLOF risks in Asia. This study allows integration with other datasets, enabling future local and regional risk assessments.
Justyna Dudek and Michał Pętlicki
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3869–3889, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3869-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3869-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In our research, we evaluate the potential of archival maps of Hornsund fjord area, southern Spitsbergen, published by the Polish Academy of Sciences for studying glacier changes. Our analysis concerning glaciers in the north-western part of the Sørkapp Land peninsula revealed that, in the period 1961–2010, a maximum lowering of their surface was about 100 m for the largest land-terminating glaciers and over 120 m for glaciers terminating in the ocean (above the line marking their 1984 extents).
Benoit S. Lecavalier, Lev Tarasov, Greg Balco, Perry Spector, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Christo Buizert, Catherine Ritz, Marion Leduc-Leballeur, Robert Mulvaney, Pippa L. Whitehouse, Michael J. Bentley, and Jonathan Bamber
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3573–3596, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3573-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3573-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic Ice Sheet Evolution constraint database version 2 (AntICE2) consists of a large variety of observations that constrain the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet over the last glacial cycle. This includes observations of past ice sheet extent, past ice thickness, past relative sea level, borehole temperature profiles, and present-day bedrock displacement rates. The database is intended to improve our understanding of past Antarctic changes and for ice sheet model calibrations.
Sune Olander Rasmussen, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Hubertus Fischer, Katrin Fuhrer, Steffen Bo Hansen, Margareta Hansson, Christine S. Hvidberg, Ulf Jonsell, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Urs Ruth, Jakob Schwander, Marie-Louise Siggaard-Andersen, Giulia Sinnl, Jørgen Peder Steffensen, Anders M. Svensson, and Bo M. Vinther
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3351–3364, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3351-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3351-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Timescales are essential for interpreting palaeoclimate data. The data series presented here were used for annual-layer identification when constructing the timescales named the Greenland Ice-Core Chronology 2005 (GICC05) and the revised version GICC21. Hopefully, these high-resolution data sets will be useful also for other purposes.
Alice C. Frémand, Peter Fretwell, Julien A. Bodart, Hamish D. Pritchard, Alan Aitken, Jonathan L. Bamber, Robin Bell, Cesidio Bianchi, Robert G. Bingham, Donald D. Blankenship, Gino Casassa, Ginny Catania, Knut Christianson, Howard Conway, Hugh F. J. Corr, Xiangbin Cui, Detlef Damaske, Volkmar Damm, Reinhard Drews, Graeme Eagles, Olaf Eisen, Hannes Eisermann, Fausto Ferraccioli, Elena Field, René Forsberg, Steven Franke, Shuji Fujita, Yonggyu Gim, Vikram Goel, Siva Prasad Gogineni, Jamin Greenbaum, Benjamin Hills, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Andrew O. Hoffman, Per Holmlund, Nicholas Holschuh, John W. Holt, Annika N. Horlings, Angelika Humbert, Robert W. Jacobel, Daniela Jansen, Adrian Jenkins, Wilfried Jokat, Tom Jordan, Edward King, Jack Kohler, William Krabill, Mette Kusk Gillespie, Kirsty Langley, Joohan Lee, German Leitchenkov, Carlton Leuschen, Bruce Luyendyk, Joseph MacGregor, Emma MacKie, Kenichi Matsuoka, Mathieu Morlighem, Jérémie Mouginot, Frank O. Nitsche, Yoshifumi Nogi, Ole A. Nost, John Paden, Frank Pattyn, Sergey V. Popov, Eric Rignot, David M. Rippin, Andrés Rivera, Jason Roberts, Neil Ross, Anotonia Ruppel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Andrew M. Smith, Daniel Steinhage, Michael Studinger, Bo Sun, Ignazio Tabacco, Kirsty Tinto, Stefano Urbini, David Vaughan, Brian C. Welch, Douglas S. Wilson, Duncan A. Young, and Achille Zirizzotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2695–2710, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the release of over 60 years of ice thickness, bed elevation, and surface elevation data acquired over Antarctica by the international community. These data are a crucial component of the Antarctic Bedmap initiative which aims to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography for the international glaciology and geophysical community.
Lei Guo, Jia Li, Amaury Dehecq, Zhiwei Li, Xin Li, and Jianjun Zhu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2841–2861, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2841-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2841-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We established a new inventory of surging glaciers across High Mountain Asia based on glacier elevation changes and morphological changes during 1970s–2020. A total of 890 surging and 336 probably or possibly surging glaciers were identified. Compared to the most recent inventory, this one incorporates 253 previously unidentified surging glaciers. Our results demonstrate a more widespread surge behavior in HMA and find that surging glaciers are prone to have steeper slopes than non-surging ones.
Elizabeth R. Thomas, Diana O. Vladimirova, Dieter R. Tetzner, B. Daniel Emanuelsson, Nathan Chellman, Daniel A. Dixon, Hugues Goosse, Mackenzie M. Grieman, Amy C. F. King, Michael Sigl, Danielle G. Udy, Tessa R. Vance, Dominic A. Winski, V. Holly L. Winton, Nancy A. N. Bertler, Akira Hori, Chavarukonam M. Laluraj, Joseph R. McConnell, Yuko Motizuki, Kazuya Takahashi, Hideaki Motoyama, Yoichi Nakai, Franciéle Schwanck, Jefferson Cardia Simões, Filipe Gaudie Ley Lindau, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi, Sarah Wauthy, Cunde Xiao, Jiao Yang, Ellen Mosely-Thompson, Tamara V. Khodzher, Ludmila P. Golobokova, and Alexey A. Ekaykin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2517–2532, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2517-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2517-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The concentration of sodium and sulfate measured in Antarctic ice cores is related to changes in both sea ice and winds. Here we have compiled a database of sodium and sulfate records from 105 ice core sites in Antarctica. The records span all, or part, of the past 2000 years. The records will improve our understanding of how winds and sea ice have changed in the past and how they have influenced the climate of Antarctica over the past 2000 years.
Inès N. Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Erik R. Ivins, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Charles Amory, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Martin Horwath, Ian Joughin, Michalea D. King, Gerhard Krinner, Sophie Nowicki, Anthony J. Payne, Eric Rignot, Ted Scambos, Karen M. Simon, Benjamin E. Smith, Louise S. Sørensen, Isabella Velicogna, Pippa L. Whitehouse, Geruo A, Cécile Agosta, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Alejandro Blazquez, William Colgan, Marcus E. Engdahl, Xavier Fettweis, Rene Forsberg, Hubert Gallée, Alex Gardner, Lin Gilbert, Noel Gourmelen, Andreas Groh, Brian C. Gunter, Christopher Harig, Veit Helm, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Christoph Kittel, Hannes Konrad, Peter L. Langen, Benoit S. Lecavalier, Chia-Chun Liang, Bryant D. Loomis, Malcolm McMillan, Daniele Melini, Sebastian H. Mernild, Ruth Mottram, Jeremie Mouginot, Johan Nilsson, Brice Noël, Mark E. Pattle, William R. Peltier, Nadege Pie, Mònica Roca, Ingo Sasgen, Himanshu V. Save, Ki-Weon Seo, Bernd Scheuchl, Ernst J. O. Schrama, Ludwig Schröder, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Thomas Slater, Giorgio Spada, Tyler C. Sutterley, Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma, Jan Melchior van Wessem, David Wiese, Wouter van der Wal, and Bert Wouters
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1597–1616, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1597-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1597-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
By measuring changes in the volume, gravitational attraction, and ice flow of Greenland and Antarctica from space, we can monitor their mass gain and loss over time. Here, we present a new record of the Earth’s polar ice sheet mass balance produced by aggregating 50 satellite-based estimates of ice sheet mass change. This new assessment shows that the ice sheets have lost (7.5 x 1012) t of ice between 1992 and 2020, contributing 21 mm to sea level rise.
Fuming Xie, Shiyin Liu, Yongpeng Gao, Yu Zhu, Tobias Bolch, Andreas Kääb, Shimei Duan, Wenfei Miao, Jianfang Kang, Yaonan Zhang, Xiran Pan, Caixia Qin, Kunpeng Wu, Miaomiao Qi, Xianhe Zhang, Ying Yi, Fengze Han, Xiaojun Yao, Qiao Liu, Xin Wang, Zongli Jiang, Donghui Shangguan, Yong Zhang, Richard Grünwald, Muhammad Adnan, Jyoti Karki, and Muhammad Saifullah
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 847–867, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-847-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-847-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, first we generated inventories which allowed us to systematically detect glacier change patterns in the Karakoram range. We found that, by the 2020s, there were approximately 10 500 glaciers in the Karakoram mountains covering an area of 22 510.73 km2, of which ~ 10.2 % is covered by debris. During the past 30 years (from 1990 to 2020), the total glacier cover area in Karakoram remained relatively stable, with a slight increase in area of 23.5 km2.
Muchu Lesi, Yong Nie, Dan Hirsh Shugar, Jida Wang, Qian Deng, Huayong Chen, and Jianrong Fan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 5489–5512, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5489-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5489-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor plays a vital role in foreign trade and faces threats from water shortage and water-related hazards. An up-to-date glacial lake dataset with critical parameters is basic for water resource and flood risk research, which is absent from the corridor. This study created a glacial lake dataset in 2020 from Landsat and Sentinel images from 1990–2000, using a threshold-based mapping method. Our dataset has the potential to be widely applied.
Yang Lei, Alex S. Gardner, and Piyush Agram
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 5111–5137, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5111-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-5111-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This work describes NASA MEaSUREs ITS_LIVE project's Version 2 Sentinel-1 image-pair ice velocity product and processing methodology. We show the refined offset tracking algorithm, autoRIFT, calibration for Sentinel-1 geolocation biases and correction of the ionosphere streaking problems. Validation was performed over three typical test sites covering the globe by comparing with other similar global and regional products.
Nora Gourmelon, Thorsten Seehaus, Matthias Braun, Andreas Maier, and Vincent Christlein
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4287–4313, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4287-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4287-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ice loss of glaciers shows in retreating calving fronts (i.e., the position where icebergs break off the glacier and drift into the ocean). This paper presents a benchmark dataset for calving front delineation in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The dataset can be used to train and test deep learning techniques, which automate the monitoring of the calving front. Provided example models achieve front delineations with an average distance of 887 m to the correct calving front.
Mohd Soheb, Alagappan Ramanathan, Anshuman Bhardwaj, Millie Coleman, Brice R. Rea, Matteo Spagnolo, Shaktiman Singh, and Lydia Sam
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4171–4185, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4171-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4171-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides a multi-temporal inventory of glaciers in the Ladakh region. The study records data on 2257 glaciers (>0.5 km2) covering an area of ~7923 ± 106 km2 which is equivalent to ~89 % of the total glacierised area of the Ladakh region. It will benefit both the scientific community and the administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh, in developing efficient mitigation and adaptation strategies by improving the projections of change on timescales relevant to policymakers.
Dahong Zhang, Gang Zhou, Wen Li, Shiqiang Zhang, Xiaojun Yao, and Shimei Wei
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3889–3913, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3889-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3889-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The length of a glacier is a key determinant of its geometry; glacier centerlines are crucial inputs for many glaciological applications. Based on the European allocation theory, we present a new global dataset that includes the centerlines and lengths of 198 137 mountain glaciers. The accuracy of the glacier centerlines was 89.68 %. The constructed dataset comprises 17 sub-datasets which contain the centerlines and lengths of glacier tributaries.
Johan Nilsson, Alex S. Gardner, and Fernando S. Paolo
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3573–3598, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3573-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3573-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The longest observational record available to study the mass balance of the Earth’s ice sheets comes from satellite altimeters. This record consists of multiple satellite missions with different measurements and quality, and it must be cross-calibrated and integrated into a consistent record for scientific use. Here, we present a novel approach for generating such a record providing a seamless record of elevation change for the Antarctic Ice Sheet that spans the period 1985 to 2020.
Lenneke M. Jong, Christopher T. Plummer, Jason L. Roberts, Andrew D. Moy, Mark A. J. Curran, Tessa R. Vance, Joel B. Pedro, Chelsea A. Long, Meredith Nation, Paul A. Mayewski, and Tas D. van Ommen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3313–3328, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3313-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3313-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Ice core records from Law Dome in East Antarctica, collected over the the last 3 decades, provide high-resolution data for studies of the climate of Antarctica, Australia and the Southern and Indo-Pacific oceans. Here, we present a set of annually dated records from Law Dome covering the last 2000 years. This dataset provides an update and extensions both forward and back in time of previously published subsets of the data, bringing them together into a coherent set with improved dating.
Yu Cai, Claude R. Duguay, and Chang-Qing Ke
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3329–3347, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3329-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3329-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Seasonal ice cover is one of the important attributes of lakes in middle- and high-latitude regions. This study used passive microwave brightness temperature measurements to extract the ice phenology for 56 lakes across the Northern Hemisphere from 1979 to 2019. A threshold algorithm was applied according to the differences in brightness temperature between lake ice and open water. The dataset will provide valuable information about the changing ice cover of lakes over the last 4 decades.
Lea Geibel, Matthias Huss, Claudia Kurzböck, Elias Hodel, Andreas Bauder, and Daniel Farinotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3293–3312, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3293-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3293-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier monitoring in Switzerland started in the 19th century, providing exceptional data series documenting snow accumulation and ice melt. Raw point observations of surface mass balance have, however, never been systematically compiled so far, including complete metadata. Here, we present an extensive dataset with more than 60 000 point observations of surface mass balance covering 60 Swiss glaciers and almost 140 years, promoting a better understanding of the drivers of recent glacier change.
Dariusz Ignatiuk, Małgorzata Błaszczyk, Tomasz Budzik, Mariusz Grabiec, Jacek A. Jania, Marta Kondracka, Michał Laska, Łukasz Małarzewski, and Łukasz Stachnik
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2487–2500, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2487-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2487-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents details of the glaciological and meteorological dataset (2009–2020) from the Werenskioldbreen (Svalbard). These high-quality and long-term observational data already have been used to assess hydrological models and glaciological studies. The objective of releasing these data is to improve their usage for calibration and validation of the remote sensing products and models, as well as to increase data reuse.
Yongqin Liu, Pengcheng Fang, Bixi Guo, Mukan Ji, Pengfei Liu, Guannan Mao, Baiqing Xu, Shichang Kang, and Junzhi Liu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 2303–2314, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2303-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-2303-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers are an important pool of microorganisms, organic carbon, and nitrogen. This study constructed the first dataset of microbial abundance and total nitrogen in Tibetan Plateau (TP) glaciers and the first dataset of dissolved organic carbon in ice cores on the TP. These new data could provide valuable information for research on the glacier carbon and nitrogen cycle and help in assessing the potential impacts of glacier retreat due to global warming on downstream ecosystems.
Michael J. MacFerrin, C. Max Stevens, Baptiste Vandecrux, Edwin D. Waddington, and Waleed Abdalati
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 955–971, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-955-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-955-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The vast majority of the Greenland ice sheet's surface is covered by pluriannual snow, also called firn, that accumulates year after year and is compressed into glacial ice. The thickness of the firn layer changes through time and responds to the surface climate. We present continuous measurement of the firn compaction at various depths for eight sites. The dataset will help to evaluate firn models, interpret ice cores, and convert remotely sensed ice sheet surface height change to mass loss.
Shichang Kang, Yulan Zhang, Pengfei Chen, Junming Guo, Qianggong Zhang, Zhiyuan Cong, Susan Kaspari, Lekhendra Tripathee, Tanguang Gao, Hewen Niu, Xinyue Zhong, Xintong Chen, Zhaofu Hu, Xiaofei Li, Yang Li, Bigyan Neupane, Fangping Yan, Dipesh Rupakheti, Chaman Gul, Wei Zhang, Guangming Wu, Ling Yang, Zhaoqing Wang, and Chaoliu Li
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 683–707, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-683-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-683-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Tibetan Plateau is important to the Earth’s climate. However, systematically observed data here are scarce. To perform more integrated and in-depth investigations of the origins and distributions of atmospheric pollutants and their impacts on cryospheric change, systematic data of black carbon and organic carbon from the atmosphere, glaciers, snow cover, precipitation, and lake sediment cores over the plateau based on the Atmospheric Pollution and Cryospheric Change program are provided.
Tian Li, Geoffrey J. Dawson, Stephen J. Chuter, and Jonathan L. Bamber
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 535–557, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-535-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-535-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate knowledge of the Antarctic grounding zone is important for mass balance calculation, ice sheet stability assessment, and ice sheet model projections. Here we present the first ICESat-2-derived high-resolution grounding zone product of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, including three important boundaries. This new data product will provide more comprehensive insights into ice sheet instability, which is valuable for both the cryosphere and sea level science communities.
Diarmuid Corr, Amber Leeson, Malcolm McMillan, Ce Zhang, and Thomas Barnes
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 209–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-209-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-209-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We identify 119 km2 of meltwater area over West Antarctica in January 2017. In combination with Stokes et al., 2019, this forms the first continent-wide assessment helping to quantify the mass balance of Antarctica and its contribution to global sea level rise. We apply thresholds for meltwater classification to satellite images, mapping the extent and manually post-processing to remove false positives. Our study provides a high-fidelity dataset to train and validate machine learning methods.
Kenneth D. Mankoff, Xavier Fettweis, Peter L. Langen, Martin Stendel, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Brice Noël, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Anne Solgaard, William Colgan, Jason E. Box, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Michalea D. King, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Signe Bech Andersen, and Robert S. Fausto
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5001–5025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5001-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5001-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We estimate the daily mass balance and its components (surface, marine, and basal mass balance) for the Greenland ice sheet. Our time series begins in 1840 and has annual resolution through 1985 and then daily from 1986 through next week. Results are operational (updated daily) and provided for the entire ice sheet or by commonly used regions or sectors. This is the first input–output mass balance estimate to include the basal mass balance.
Peter Friedl, Thorsten Seehaus, and Matthias Braun
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4653–4675, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4653-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4653-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Consistent and continuous data on glacier surface velocity are important inputs to time series analyses, numerical ice dynamic modeling and glacier mass flux computations. We present a new data set of glacier surface velocities derived from Sentinel-1 radar satellite data that covers 12 major glaciated regions outside the polar ice sheets. The data comprise continuously updated scene-pair velocity fields, as well as monthly and annually averaged velocity mosaics at 200 m spatial resolution.
Izabela Szuman, Jakub Z. Kalita, Marek W. Ewertowski, Chris D. Clark, Stephen J. Livingstone, and Leszek Kasprzak
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4635–4651, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4635-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4635-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Baltic Ice Stream Complex was the most prominent ice stream of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet, controlling ice sheet drainage and collapse. Our mapping effort, based on a lidar DEM, resulted in a dataset containing 5461 landforms over an area of 65 000 km2, which allows for reconstruction of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet extent and dynamics from the Middle Weichselian ice sheet advance, 50–30 ka, through the Last Glacial Maximum, 25–21 ka, and Young Baltic advances, 18–15 ka.
Mengzhen Qi, Yan Liu, Jiping Liu, Xiao Cheng, Yijing Lin, Qiyang Feng, Qiang Shen, and Zhitong Yu
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4583–4601, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4583-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4583-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A total of 1975 annual calving events larger than 1 km2 were detected on the Antarctic ice shelves from August 2005 to August 2020. The average annual calved area was measured as 3549.1 km2, and the average calving rate was measured as 770.3 Gt yr-1. Iceberg calving is most prevalent in West Antarctica, followed by the Antarctic Peninsula and Wilkes Land in East Antarctica. This annual iceberg calving dataset provides consistent and precise calving observations with the longest time coverage.
Gunnar Johnson, Heejun Chang, and Andrew Fountain
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 3979–3994, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3979-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3979-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present the Portland State University Active Rock Glacier Inventory (n = 10 343) for the contiguous United States, derived from manual classification of remote sensing imagery. This geospatial inventory will allow past rock glacier research findings to be spatially extrapolated, facilitating rock glacier research by identifying field study sites and serving as a valuable training set for the development of automated rock glacier identification methods applicable to other regional studies.
Dorothea Stumm, Sharad Prasad Joshi, Tika Ram Gurung, and Gunjan Silwal
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 3791–3818, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3791-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3791-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier mass change data are valuable as a climate indicator and help to verify simulations of glaciological and hydrological processes. Data from the Himalaya are rare; hence, we established monitoring programmes on two glaciers in the Nepal Himalaya. We measured annual mass changes on Yala and Rikha Samba glaciers from 2011 to 2017 and calculated satellite-based mass changes from 2000 to 2012 for Yala Glacier. Both glaciers are shrinking, following the general trend in the Himalayas.
Robert S. Fausto, Dirk van As, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Baptiste Vandecrux, Michele Citterio, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Signe B. Andersen, William Colgan, Nanna B. Karlsson, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Niels J. Korsgaard, Signe H. Larsen, Søren Nielsen, Allan Ø. Pedersen, Christopher L. Shields, Anne M. Solgaard, and Jason E. Box
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 3819–3845, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3819-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-3819-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) has been measuring climate and ice sheet properties since 2007. Here, we present our data product from weather and ice sheet measurements from a network of automatic weather stations mainly located in the melt area of the ice sheet. Currently the PROMICE automatic weather station network includes 25 instrumented sites in Greenland.
Cited articles
Barrand, N. E. and Murray, T.: Multivariate controls on the incidence of glacier surging in the Karakoram Himalaya, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 38, 489–498, https://doi.org/10.1657/1523-0430(2006)38[489:MCOTIO]2.0.CO;2, 2006.
Berthier, E. and Brun, F.: Karakoram geodetic glacier mass balances between 2008 and 2016: Persistence of the anomaly and influence of a large rock avalanche on Siachen Glacier, J. Glaciol., 65, 494–507, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2019.32, 2019.
Bhambri, R., Hewitt, K., Kawishwar, P., and Pratap, B.: Surge-type and surge-modified glaciers in the Karakoram, Sci. Rep.-UK, 7, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-15473-8, 2017.
Bolch, T., Pieczonka, T., Mukherjee, K., and Shea, J.: Brief communication: Glaciers in the Hunza catchment (Karakoram) have been nearly in balance since the 1970s, The Cryosphere, 11, 531–539, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-531-2017, 2017.
Brun, F., Berthier, E., Wagnon, P., Kääb, A. and Treichler, D.: A spatially resolved estimate of High Mountain Asia glacier mass balances from 2000 to 2016, Nat. Geosci., 10, 668–673, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2999, 2017.
Clarke, K. C., Sciimoi, P., Simon, C., and Ommanney, L.: Characteristics of surge-type glaciers, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 7165–7180, https://doi.org/10.1029/JB091iB07p07165, 1986.
Copland, L., Sylvestre, T., Bishop, M. P., Shroder, J. F., Seong, Y. B., Owen, L. A., Bush, A., and Kamp, U.: Expanded and recently increased glacier surging in the Karakoram, Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 43, 503–516, https://doi.org/10.1657/1938-4246-43.4.503, 2011.
Dolgushin, L. D. and Osipova, G. B.: New Data on the recent glacier surges, Mater. Glyatsiol., 18, 191–217, 1971.
Dolgushin, L. D. and Osipova, G. B.: Glacier surges and the problem of their forecasting, IAHS-AISH P., 104, 292–304, 1975.
Dowdeswell, J. A., Gorman, M. R., Macheret, Y. Y., Moskalevsky, M. Y., and Hagen, J. O.: Digital comparison of high resolution Sojuzkarta KFA-1000 imagery of ice masses with Landsat and SPOT data, Ann. Glaciol., 17, 105–112, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0260305500012684, 1993.
Dowdeswell, J. A., Glazovsky, A. F., and Macheret, Y. Y.: Ice divides and drainage basins on the ice caps of Franz Josef Land, Russian High Arctic, defined from Landsat, KFA-1000, and ERS-1 SAR satellite imagery, Artic Alpine Res., 27, 264–270, https://doi.org/10.2307/1551957, 1995.
Falaschi, D., Bolch, T., Lenzano, M. G., Tadono, T., Lo Vecchio, A., and Lenzano, L.: New evidence of glacier surges in the Central Andes of Argentina and Chile, Prog. Phys. Geog., 42, 792–825, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133318803014, 2018.
Finaev, A. F., Shiyin, L., Weijia, B., and Li, J.: Climate change and water potential of the Pamir Mountains, Geogr. Environ. Sustain., 9, 88–105, https://doi.org/10.15356/2071-9388_03v09_2016_06, 2016.
Frey, H. and Paul, F.: On the suitability of the SRTM DEM and ASTER GDEM for the compilation of: Topographic parameters in glacier inventories, Int. J. Appl. Earth Obs., 18, 480–490, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2011.09.020, 2012.
Galiatsatos, N.: The shift from film to digital product: focus on CORONA imagery, Photogramm. Fernerkun., 2009, 251–260, https://doi.org/10.1127/0935-1221/2009/0020, 2009.
Gardelle, J., Berthier, E., Arnaud, Y., and Kääb, A.: Region-wide glacier mass balances over the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya during 1999–2011, The Cryosphere, 7, 1263-–1286, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1263-2013, 2013.
Goerlich, F., Bolch, T., Mukherjee, K., and Pieczonka, T.: Glacier Mass Loss during the 1960s and 1970s in the Ak-Shirak Range (Kyrgyzstan) from Multiple Stereoscopic Corona and Hexagon Imagery, Remote Sens.-Basel, 9, 275, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9030275, 2017.
Goerlich, F., Bolch, T., and Paul, F.: Inventory of surging glaciers in the Pamir, PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.914150, 2020.
Herreid, S. and Truffer, M.: Automated detection of unstable glacier flow and a spectrum of speedup
behavior in the Alaska Range, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 121, 64–81, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003502, 2016.
Holzer, N., Golletz, T., Buchroithner, M. F., and Bolch, T.: Glacier variations in the Trans Alai Massif and the Lake Karakul Catchment (Northeastern Pamir) measured from space, in: Climate Change, Glacier Response, and Vegetation Dynamics in the Himalaya, edited by: Singh, R. P., Schikhoff, U., and Mal, S., Springer, Cham., pp. 139–153, 2016.
Kääb, A., Isakowski, Y., Paul, F., Neumann, A. and Winter, R.: Glaziale und periglaziale Prozesse: Von der statischen zur dynamischen Visualisierung, Kartographische Nachrichten 53, 206–212, 2003.
Kotlyakov, V. M., Desinov, L. V., Osipova, G. B., Hauser, M., Tsvetkov, D. G., and Schneider, J. F.: Events in 2002 on Russian Geographical Society
(RGO) Glacier, Pamirs, Mater. Glyatsiol., 95, 221–230, 2003.
Kotlyakov, V. M., Osipova, G. B., and Tsvetkov, D. G.: Monitoring of the Pamirs surging glaciers from space, Ann. Glaciol., 48, 125–134, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756408784700608, 2008.
Kotlyakov, V. M., Chernova, L. P., Khromova, T. E., Muraviev, A. Y., Kachalin, A. B., and Tiuflin, A. S.: Unique Surges of Medvezhy Glacier, Dokl. Earth Sci., 483, 1547–1552, https://doi.org/10.1134/s1028334x18120152, 2018.
Lambrecht, A., Mayer, C., Aizen, V., Floricioiu, D., and Surazakov, A.: The evolution of Fedchenko glacier in the Pamir, Tajikistan, during the past eight decades, J. Glaciol., 60, 233–244, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J110, 2014.
Lambrecht, A., Mayer, C., Wendt, A., Floricioiu, D., and Völksen, C.: Elevation change of Fedchenko Glacier, Pamir Mountains, from GNSS field measurements and TanDEM-X elevation models, with a focus on the upper glacier, J. Glaciol., 64, 637–648, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.52, 2018.
Liang, L., Cuo, L., and Liu, Q.: The energy and mass balance of a continental glacier: Dongkemadi Glacier in central Tibetan Plateau, Sci. Rep.-UK, 8, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-31228-5, 2018.
Lv, M., Guo, H., Lu, X., Liu, G., Yan, S., Ruan, Z., Ding, Y., and Quincey, D. J.: Characterizing the behaviour of surge- and non-surge-type glaciers in the Kingata Mountains, eastern Pamir, from 1999 to 2016, The Cryosphere, 13, 219–236,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-219-2019, 2019.
Machguth, H. and Huss, M.: The length of the world's glaciers – a new approach for the global calculation of center lines, The Cryosphere, 8, 1741–1755, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1741-2014, 2014.
Maussion, F., Scherer, D., Mölg, T., Collier, E., Curio, J., and Finkelnburg, R.: Precipitation seasonality and variability over the Tibetan Plateau as resolved by the high Asia reanalysis, J. Climate, 27, 1910–1927, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00282.1, 2014.
Meier, M. F. and Post, A.: What are glacier surges?, Can. J. Earth Sci., 6, 807–817, 1969.
Minora, U., Bocchiola, D., D'Agata, C., Maragno, D., Mayer, C., Lambrecht, A., Vuillermoz, E., Senese, A., Compostella, C., Smiraglia, C., and Diolaiuti, G. A.: Glacier area stability in the Central Karakoram National Park (Pakistan) in 2001–2010: The “Karakoram Anomaly” in the spotlight, Prog. Phys. Geog., 40, 629–660, 2016.
Mölg, N., Bolch, T., Rastner, P., Strozzi, T., and Paul, F.: A consistent glacier inventory for Karakoram and Pamir derived from Landsat data: distribution of debris cover and mapping challenges, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1807–1827, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1807-2018, 2018.
Mukherjee, K., Bolch, T., Goerlich, F., Kutuzov, S., Osmonov, A., Pieczonka, T., and Shesterova, I.: Surge-type glaciers in the Tien Shan (Central Asia), Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 49, 147–171, https://doi.org/10.1657/AAAR0016-021, 2017.
NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team: ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003 [Data Set]., 2018.
Osipova, G. B.: Fifty years of studying the Medvezhiy Glacier (West Pamirs) by the Institute of Geography, RAS, Ice Snow, 1, 129–140, https://doi.org/10.15356/2076-6734-2015-1-129-140, 2015.
Osipova, G. B. and Khromova, T. E.: Electonic data base “Surging glaciers of Pamir”, Ice Snow, 50, 15–24, 2010.
Osipova, G. B., Tsvetkov, D. G., Schetinnikov, A. S., and Rudak, M. S.: Inventory of surging glaciers of the Pamirs, Mater. Glyatsiol., 85, 3–136, 1998.
Paul, F.: Revealing glacier flow and surge dynamics from animated satellite image sequences: examples from the Karakoram, The Cryosphere, 9, 2201–2214, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2201-2015, 2015.
Paul, F.: A 60 year chronology of glacier surges in the central Karakoram from the analysis of satellite image time-series, Geomorphology, 352, 106993, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.106993, 2020.
Paul, F., Kääb, A., Maisch, M., Kellenberger, T., and Haeberli, W.: The new remote-sensing-derived Swiss glacier inventory: I. Methods, Ann. Glaciol., 34, 355–361, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756402781817473, 2002.
Paul, F., Barry, R. G., Cogley, J. G., Frey, H., Haeberli, W., Ohmura, A., Ommanney, C. S. L., Raup, B., Rivera, A., and Zemp, M.: Recommendations for the compilation of glacier inventory data from digital sources, Ann. Glaciol., 50, 119–126, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756410790595778, 2009.
Pieczonka, T., Bolch, T., Junfeng, W., and Shiyin, L.: Heterogeneous mass loss of glaciers in the Aksu-Tarim Catchment (Central Tien Shan) revealed by 1976 KH-9 Hexagon and 2009 SPOT-5 stereo imagery, Remote Sens. Environ., 130, 233–244, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2012.11.020, 2013.
Quincey, D. J., Glasser, N. F., Cook, S. J., and Luckman, A.: Heterogeneity in Karakoram glacier surges, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 120, 1288–1300, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003515, 2015.
Rabus, B., Eineder, M., Roth, A., and Bamler, R.: The shuttle radar topography mission—a new class of digital elevation models acquired by spaceborne radar, ISPRS J. Photogramm., 57, 241–262, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0924-2716(02)00124-7, 2003.
Rankl, M. and Braun, M.: Glacier elevation and mass changes over the central Karakoram region estimated from TanDEM-X and SRTM/X-SAR digital elevation models, Ann. Glaciol., 57, 273–281, https://doi.org/10.3189/2016AoG71A024, 2016.
RGI consortium: Randolph Glacier Inventory – A Dataset of Global Glacier Outlines: Version 6.0, GLIMS Technical Report, 71 pp., available at: http://glims.org/RGI/00_rgi60_TechnicalNote.pdf (last access: 20 March 2020), 2017.
Round, V., Leinss, S., Huss, M., Haemmig, C., and Hajnsek, I.: Surge dynamics and lake outbursts of Kyagar Glacier, Karakoram, The Cryosphere, 11, 723–739, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-723-2017, 2017.
Sevestre, H. and Benn, D. I.: Climatic and geometric controls on the global distribution of surge-type glaciers: Implications for a unifying model of surging, J. Glaciol., 61, 646–662, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG14J136, 2015.
Shean, D.: High Mountain Asia 8-meter DEM Mosaics Derived from Optical Imagery, Version, Boulder, Colorado, 2017.
Steiner, J. F., Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A., Jiduc, S. G., and Immerzeel, W. W.: Brief communication: The Khurdopin glacier surge revisited – extreme flow velocities and formation of a dammed lake in 2017, The Cryosphere, 12, 95–101, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-95-2018, 2018.
Takaku, J., Tadono, T., and Tsutsui, K.: Generation of High Resolution Global DSM from ALOS PRISM, Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XL-4, 243–248, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-4-243-2014, 2014.
Wendt, A., Mayer, C., Lambrecht, A., and Floricioiu, D.: A glacier surge of Bivachny Glacier, Pamir Mountains, observed by a time series of high-resolution digital elevation models and glacier velocities, Remote Sens.-Basel, 9, 388, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9040388, 2017.
Wessel, B.: TanDEM-X Ground Segment – DEM Products Specification Document, Oberpfaffenhofen, available at: https://tandemx-science.dlr.de/ (last access: 20 March 2020), 2016.
Yasuda, T. and Furuya, M.: Dynamics of surge-type glaciers in West Kunlun Shan, Northwestern Tibet, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 120, 2393–2405, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003511, 2015.
Zhang, H., Zhang, F., Zhang, G., Ma, Y., Yang, K., and Ye, M.: Daily air temperature estimation on glacier surfaces in the Tibetan Plateau using MODIS LST data, J. Glaciol., 64, 132–147, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.6, 2018.
Short summary
This work indicates all glaciers in the Pamir that surged between 1988 and 2018 as revealed by different remote sensing data, mainly Landsat imagery. We found ~ 200 surging glaciers for the entire mountain range and detected the minimum and maximum extents of most of them. The smallest surging glacier is ~ 0.3 km2. This inventory is important for further research on the surging behaviour of glaciers and has to be considered when processing glacier changes (mass, area) of the region.
This work indicates all glaciers in the Pamir that surged between 1988 and 2018 as revealed by...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint