Forcing a distributed glacier mass balance model with the regional climate model REMO. Part II: Downscaling strategy and results for two swiss glaciers

Journal of Climate

Volumn 23, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 1607-1620

  Paul, Frank ^a   Kotlarski, Sven ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH   (Switzerland)

^b MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR METEOROLOGY   (Germany)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT; CLIMATE MODEL; CLIMATE STATIONS; DOWN-SCALING; GLACIER MASS BALANCE; GLOBAL RADIATION; GRID-BOX; HIGH RESOLUTION; HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION; MASS BALANCE; MASS BALANCE MODEL; METEOROLOGICAL CONDITION; METEOROLOGICAL FORCING; METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS; POINT DATA; REGIONAL CLIMATE MODELS; REGIONAL MODEL; REGIONAL SCALE; SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY; SPATIAL VARIABILITY; SWISS ALPS; TEST SITE;

ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION; CLIMATE CHANGE; GLACIERS; LANDFORMS; TIME SERIES;

CLIMATE MODELS;

AIR TEMPERATURE; CLIMATE CHANGE; CLIMATE EFFECT; CLIMATE FORCING; CLIMATE MODELING; DOWNSCALING; GLACIER MASS BALANCE; NUMERICAL MODEL; PRECIPITATION (CLIMATOLOGY); REGIONAL CLIMATE; SPATIAL RESOLUTION; SPATIAL VARIATION; TEMPORAL VARIATION; TIME SERIES ANALYSIS;

ALPS;

EID: 77953677463     PISSN: 08948755     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1175/2009JCLI3345.1     Document Type: Article

References (64)

1. Arnold, N. S., I. C. Willis, M. J. Sharp, K. S. Richards, and W. J. Lawson, 1996: A distributed surface energy-balance model for a small valley glacier. I. Development and testing for Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Valais, Switzerland. J. Glaciol., 42, 77-89.
2. Arnold, N. S., W. G. Rees, A. J. Hodson, and J. Kohler, 2006: Topographic controls on the surface energy balance of a high Arctic valley glacier. J. Geophys. Res., 111, F02011, doi:10.1029/2005JF000426.
3. Bauder, A., M. Funk, and M. Huss, 2007: Ice-volume changes of selected glaciers in the Swiss Alps since the end of the 19th century. Ann. Glaciol., 46, 145-149.
4. Braun, L. N., 1991: Modelling of the snow-water equivalent in the mountain environment. IAHS, 205, 3-17.
5. Brock, B. W., I. C. Willis, M. J. Sharp, and N. S. Arnold, 2000: Modelling seasonal and spatial variations in the surface energy balance of Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland. Ann. Glaciol., 31, 53-62.
6. Corripio, J. G., 2003: Vectorial algebra algorithms for calculating terrain parameters from DEMs and solar radiation modelling in mountainous terrain. Int. J. Geogr. Info. Sci., 17, 1-23.
7. Dadic, R., J. G. Corripio, and P. Burlando, 2008: Mass-balance estimates for Haut Glacier d Arolla, Switzerland, from 2000 to 2006 using DEMs and distributed mass-balance modeling. Ann. Glaciol., 49, 22-26.
8. Daly, C., R. P. Neilson, and D. L. Phillips, 1994: A statistical-topographic model for mapping climatological precipitation over mountainous terrain. J. Appl. Meteor., 33, 140-158.
9. Escher-Vetter, H., M. Kuhn, and M. Weber, 2009: Four decades of winter mass balance of Vernagtferner and Hintereisferner, Austria: Methodology and results. Ann. Glaciol., 50, 87-95.
10. Frei, C., and C. Schär, 1998: A precipitation climatology of the Alps from high-resolution rain-gauge observations. Int. J. Climatol., 18, 873-900.
11. Früh, B., J. W. Schipper, A. Pfeiffer, and V. Wirth, 2006: A pragmatic approach for downscaling precipitation in alpine-scale complex terrain. Meteor. Z., 15, 631-646.
12. Funk, M., R. Morelli, and W. Stahel, 1997: Mass balance of Griesgletscher 1961-1994: Different methods of determination. Z. Gletsch. Glazialgeol., 33, 41-56.
13. Gerbaux, M., C. Genthon, P. Etchevers, C. Vincent, and J. P. Dedieu, 2005: Surface mass balance of glaciers in the French Alps: Distributed modeling and sensitivity to climate change. J. Glaciol., 51, 561-572.
14. Ghan, S. J., and T. Shippert, 2006: Physically based global down-scaling: Climate change projections for a full century. J. Climate, 19, 1589-1604.
15. Gratton, D. J., P. J. Howarth, and D. J. Marceau, 1993: Using Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper and digital elevation data to determine the net radiation field of a mountain glacier. Remote Sens. Environ., 43, 315-331.
16. Greuell, W., and J. Oerlemans, 1987: Sensitivity studies with a mass balance model including temperature profile calculations inside the glacier. Zeitschr. Gletscherkd. Glazialgeol., 22, 101-124.
17. Greuell, W., and C. Genthon, 2004: Modelling land-ice surface mass balance. Mass Balance of the Cryosphere: Observations and Modelling of Contemporary and Future Changes, J. L. Bamber and A. J. Payne, Eds., Cambridge University Press, 117-168.
18. Greuell, W., W. H. Knap, and P. C. Smeets, 1997: Elevational changes in meteorological variables along a mid-latitude glacier during summer. J. Geophys. Res., 102 (D22), 25 941-25 954.
19. Heggem, E. S. F., B. Etzelmüller, and I. Berthling, 2001: Topographic radiation balance models: Sensitivity and application in periglacial geomorphology. Norwegian J. Geogr., 55, 203-211.
20. Hock, R., 2005: Glacier melt: A review of processes and their modelling. Prog. Phys. Geogr., 29, 362-391.
21. Hock, R., and B. Holmgren, 2005: A distributed surface energy-balance model for complex topography and its application to Storglaciaren, Sweden. J. Glaciol., 51, 25-36.
22. Hock, R., V. Radic, and M. De Woul, 2007: Climate sensitivity of Storglaciaren, Sweden: An intercomparison of mass-balance models using ERA-40 re-analysis and regional climate model data. Ann. Glaciol., 46, 342-348.
23. Huss, M., A. Bauder, M. Funk, and R. Hock, 2008a: Determination of the seasonal mass balance of four Alpine glaciers since 1865. J. Geophys. Res., 113, F01015, doi:10.1029/2007JF000803.
24. Huss, M., D. Farinotti, A. Bauder, and M. Funk, 2008b: Modelling runoff from highly glacierized alpine drainage basins in a changing climate. Hydrol. Processes, 22, 3888-3902.
25. Jacob, D., 2001: A note to the simulation of the annual and interannual variability of the water budget over the Baltic Sea drainage basin. Meteor. Atmos. Phys., 77, 61-73.
26. Klok, E. J., and J. Oerlemans, 2002: Model study of the spatial distribution of the energy and mass balance of Morteratschgletscher, Switzerland. J. Glaciol., 48, 505-518.
27. Klok, E. J., and J. Oerlemans, 2004: Modelled climate sensitivity of the mass balance of Morteratschgletscher and its dependence on albedo parameterization. Int. J. Climatol., 24, 231-245.
28. Knap, W. H., C. H. Reijmer, and J. Oerlemans, 1999: Narrowband to broadband conversion of Landsat-TM glacier albedos. Int. J. Remote Sens., 20, 2091-2110.
29. Kotlarski, S., F. Paul, and D. Jacob, 2010: Forcing a distributed glacier mass balance model with the regional climate model REMO. Part I: Climate model evaluation. J. Climate, 23, 1589-1606.
30. Machguth, H., O. Eisen, F. Paul, and M. Hoelzle, 2006a: Strong spatial variability of accumulation observed with helicopterborne GPR on two adjacent Alpine Glaciers. Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L13503, doi:10.1029/2006GL026576.
31. Machguth, H., F. Paul, M. Hoelzle, and W. Haeberli, 2006b: Distributed glacier mass balance modelling as an important component of modern multi-level glacier monitoring. Ann. Glaciol., 43, 335-343.
32. Machguth, H., R. Purves, J. Oerlemans, M. Hoelzle, and F. Paul, 2008: Exploring uncertainty in glacier mass balance modelling with Monte Carlo simulation. Cryosphere, 2, 191-204.
33. Machguth, H., F. Paul, S. Kotlarski, and M. Hoelzle, 2009: Calculating distributed glacier mass balance for the Swiss Alps from RCM output: A methodical description and interpretation of the results. J. Geophys. Res., 114, D19106, doi:10.1029/2009JD011775.
34. Mittaz, C., M. Imhof, M. Hoelzle, and W. Haeberli, 2002: Snowmelt evolution mapping using an energy balance approach over an alpine terrain. Arct. Antarct. Alp. Res., 34, 274-281.
35. Nicholson, L., and D. I. Benn, 2006: Calculating ice melt beneath a debris layer using meteorological data. J. Glaciol., 52, 463-470.
36. Oerlemans, J., 1991: A model for the surface balance of ice masses: Part I: Alpine glaciers. Z. Gletsch. Glazialgeol., 27/28, 63-83.
37. Oerlemans, J., 1992: Climate sensitivity of glaciers in southern Norway: Application of an energy-balance model to Nigardsbreen, Hellstugubreen, and Alfotbreen. J. Glaciol., 38, 223-232.
38. Oerlemans, J., 2001: Glaciers and Climate Change. Taylor & Francis, 160 pp.
39. Paul, F., and W. Haeberli, 2008: Spatial variability of glacier elevation changes in the Swiss Alps obtained from two digital elevation models. Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L21502, doi:10.1029/2008GL034718.
40. Paul, F., C. Huggel, and A. Kääb, 2004: Combining satellite multispectral image data and a digital elevation model for mapping of debris-covered glaciers. Remote Sens. Environ., 89, 510-518.
41. Paul, F., H. Machguth, and A. Kääb, 2005: On the impact of glacier albedo under conditions of extreme glacier melt: The summer of 2003 in the Alps. EARSeL Workshop on Remote Sensing of Land Ice and Snow, EARSeL eProc., Vol. 4 (2), Berne, Switzerland, EARSeL, 139-149.
42. Paul, F., A. Kääb, and W. Haeberli, 2007a: Recent glacier changes in the Alps observed from satellite: Consequences for future monitoring strategies. Global Planet. Change, 56, 111-122.
43. Paul, F., M. Maisch, C. Rothenbühler, M. Hoelzle, and W. Haeberli, 2007b: Calculation and visualisation of future glacier extent in the Swiss Alps by means of hypsographic modelling. Global Planet. Change, 55, 343-357.
44. Paul, F., H. Machguth, M. Hoelzle, N. Salzmann, and W. Haeberli, 2008: Alpine-wide distributed glacier mass balance modelling: A tool for assessing future glacier change? The Darkening Peaks: Glacial Retreat in Scientific and Social Context, B. Orlove, E. Wiegandt, and B. Luckman, Eds., University of California Press, 111-125.
45. Paul, F., H. Escher-Vetter, and H. Machguth, 2009:Comparison of mass balances for Vernagtferner obtained from direct measurements and distributed modelling. Ann. Glaciol., 50, 169-177.
46. Raper, S. C. B., O. Brown, and R. J. Braithwaite, 2000: A geometric glacier model for sea-level change calculations. J. Glaciol., 46, 357-368.
47. Rasmussen, L. A., and H. B. Conway, 2003: Using upper-air conditions to estimate South Cascade Glacier (Washington, U.S.A.) summer balance. J. Glaciol., 49, 456-462.
48. Reichert, B. K., L. Bengtsson, and J. Oerlemans, 2001: Midlatitude forcing mechanisms for glacier mass balance investigated using general circulation models. J. Climate, 14, 3767-3784.
49. Rolland, C., 2003: Spatial and seasonal variations of air temperature lapse rates in alpine regions. J. Climate, 16, 1032-1046.
50. Rotunno, R., and R. Ferretti, 2003: Orographic effects on rainfall in MAP cases IOP 2b and IOP8. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 129, 373-390.
51. Rupper, S., and G. Roe, 2008: Glacier changes and regional climate: A mass and energy balance approach. J. Climate, 21, 5384-5401.
52. Salzmann, N., C. Frei, P.-L. Vidale, and M. Hoelzle, 2007: The application of Regional Climate Model output for the simulation of high-mountain permafrost scenarios. Global Planet. Change, 56, 188-202.
53. Schmeits, M. J., and J. Oerlemans, 1997: Simulation of the historical variations in length of Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, Switzerland. J. Glaciol., 43, 152-164.
54. Schmidli, J., C. Schmutz, C. Frei, H. Wanner, and C. Schär, 2002: Mesoscale precipitation variability in the region of the European Alps during the 20th century. Int. J. Climatol., 22, 1049-1074.
55. Schneeberger, C., O. Albrecht, H. Blatter, M. Wild, and R. Hock, 2001: Modelling the response of glaciers to a doubling in atmospheric CO2: A case study of Storglaciren, northern Sweden. Climate Dyn., 17, 825-834.
56. Schwarb, M., C. Daly, C. Frei, and C. Schär, 2001: Mean annual precipitation in the European Alps 1971-1990. Hydrological Atlas of Switzerland, Landeshydrologie und Geologie, Plate 2.6.
57. Sevruk, B., 1997: Regional dependency of precipitation-altitude relationship in the Swiss Alps. Climatic Change, 36, 355-369.
58. Skelly, W. C., and A. Henderson-Sellers, 1996: Grid box or grid point: What type of data do GCMs deliver to climate impacts researchers? Int. J. Climatol., 16, 1079-1086.
59. Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, M. Marquis, K. Averyt, M. M. B. Tignor, H. L. Miller Jr., and Z. Chen, Eds., 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Cambridge University Press, 996 pp.
60. Stahl, K., R. D. Moore, J. M. Shea, D. Hutchinson, and A. J. Cannon, 2008: Coupled modelling of glacier and streamflow response to future climate scenarios. Water Resour. Res., 44, W02422, doi:10.1029/2007WR005956.
61. WGMS, 2007: Glacier Mass Balance Bulletin 9. W. Haeberli, M. Zemp, and M. Hoelzle, Eds., World Glacier Monitoring Service, 100 pp.
62. Wilby, R. L., and T. M. L. Wigley, 1997: Downscaling general circulation model output: A review of methods and limitations. Prog. Phys. Geogr., 21, 530-548.
63. Wilson, J. P., and J. C. Gallant, Eds., 2000: Terrain Analysis: Principles and Applications. Wiley, 479 pp.
64. Zemp, M., W. Haeberli, M. Hoelzle, and F. Paul, 2006: Alpine glaciers to disappear within decades? Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L13504, doi:10.1029/2006GL026319.