Abstract
Abstract. We conducted 2 yr (2005–2007) of in situ meteorological and glaciological observations on the Gregoriev Glacier, a flat-top glacier within the Inner Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan. Relative carrier-phase GPS surveys reveal a vertical lowering at the summit of the glacier. Based on snow density data and an energy-mass balance model, we estimate that the annual precipitation and summer mean temperature required to maintain the glacier in the current state are 289 mm and −3.8 °C at the glacier summit (4600 m a.s.l.), respectively. The good agreement between dynamically derived precipitation and the long-term observed precipitation at a nearby station in the Tien Shan (296 mm at 3614 m a.s.l. for the period 1930–2002) suggests that the glacier has been in a near steady-state in terms of mass supply. The glacier mass-balance, reconstructed based on meteorological data from the Tien Shan station for the past 80 yr, explains the observed fluctuations in glacier extent, particularly the negative mass balance in the 1990s.
Highlights
Glaciers are one of the most sensitive indicators of climate change (Lemke et al, 2007)
We established linear relations between meteorological variables that were simultaneously observed at the glacier summit during 2005–2007, and gridded reanalysis datasets
Based on an energy-mass balance model and estimated meteorological inputs, we calculated the average evaporation for the period 1979–2007, thereby yielding the dynamically derived precipitation (289±35 mm yr−1) for the present-day glacier geometry
Summary
Glacier dynamics are determined primarily by climatemediated glacier mass-balance (the net gain or loss of snow and ice). Despite the importance of knowledge on glacier mass-balance variability in terms of regional water resources, regular measurements of glacier mass-balance and other ground-based glaciological data were discontinued in the Tien Shan due to collapse of Soviet Union in 1991. To overcome this lack of data, the extent of glaciers in this region has been studied using remote sensing data (e.g. Khromova et al, 2003; Aizen et al, 2006, 2007b; Narama et al, 2006; Surazakov and Aizen, 2006; Bolch, 2007; Kutuzov and Shahgedanova, 2009). Fujita et al.: Favorable climatic regime for the present-day glacier observed at the Tien Shan meteorological station, performed in situ meteorological and mass-balance observations at the summit of the Gregoriev Glacier for 2 yr (2005–2007), and considered the results of an energy-mass balance model
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