ASCENT (Understanding snow, glacier and rivers response to climate in High Mountain Asia)
The objective of this project was to advance the knowledge of snow processes and debris-covered glacier dynamics obtained from detailed, local-scale process-based modelling and observations and represent them within a new model of glacier mass balance and high mountain hydrology. This project capitalised on data, established links of collaboration and ongoing modelling from large research efforts and joint ongoing projects by the Swiss and Chinese applicants, who have been collaborating with complementary expertise to study selected processes and glaciers in High Mountain Asia.
Highlighted Publications:
Jouberton, A., Shaw, T. E., Miles, E., McCarthy, M., Fugger, S., Ren, S., Dehecq, A., Yang, W., & Pellicciotti, F. (2022). Warming-induced monsoon precipitation phase change intensifies glacier mass loss in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(37), e2109796119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109796119
Shaw, T. E., Miles, E. S., Chen, D., Jouberton, A., Kneib, M., Fugger, S., Ou, T., Lai, H. W., Fujita, K., Yang, W., Fatichi, S., & Pellicciotti, F. (2022). Multi-decadal monsoon characteristics and glacier response in High Mountain Asia. Environmental Research Letters, 17(10). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac9008
TEMPEST (Global air TEMPerature ESTimation on mountain glaciers)
The TEMPEST project aimed to provide an enhanced understanding of air temperature variabiility over melting mountain glaciers, its primary controls factors, both locally and regionally and account for the local impacts of cooling on a global scale. The Marie-Curie funded project was lead my Thomas Shaw at the Swiss Federal Institute WSL in Switzerland, prior to his arrival at ISTA. The final outputs of this project are still udner revision.
Highlighted Publications:
Shaw, T. E., Buri, P., McCarthy, M., Miles, E. S., & Pellicciotti, F. (2024). Local Controls on Near-Surface Glacier Cooling Under Warm Atmospheric Conditions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 129(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD040214
Shaw, T. E., Buri, P., McCarthy, M., Miles, E. S., Ayala, Á., & Pellicciotti, F. (2023). The Decaying Near-Surface Boundary Layer of a Retreating Alpine Glacier. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103043
RAVEN (Rapid mass loss of debris-covered glaciers in High-Mountain Asia)
Mantles of rock debris cover many glaciers across the spectrum of climate and morphological characteristics of HMA, and play a key role in modifying both glacier melt and dynamics. However, the controls of debris distribution, characteristics and dynamics are not clear, and debris has been observed to form on both the large, dynamically active semi-arid glaciers of the Karakoram and the smaller, stagnating glaciers of the monsoon-dominated central Himalaya. Despite debris-covered glaciers’ vital importance, their role in catchment hydrology is poorly understood, as they have not been a focus of study until recent years. The RAVEN project aimed to provide a step-change in our understanding of the response of HMA glaciers to a warming climate by determining the role that debris-covered glaciers play in the water cycle of HMA and incorporating debris-covered glaciers into regional assessments of runoff projections.
Highlighted Publications:
Fugger, S., Shaw, T. E., Jouberton, A., Miles, E. S., Buri, P., McCarthy, M., Fyffe, C., Fatichi, S., Molnar, P., & Pellicciotti, F. (2024). Hydrological regimes and evaporative flux partitioning at the climatic ends of High Mountain Asia. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad25a0
Kneib, M., Fyffe, C. L., Miles, E. S., Lindemann, S., Shaw, T. E., Buri, P., McCarthy, M., Ouvry, B., Vieli, A., Sato, Y., Kraaijenbrink, P. D. A., Zhao, C., Molnar, P., & Pellicciotti, F. (2023). Controls on Ice Cliff Distribution and Characteristics on Debris-Covered Glaciers. Geophysical Research Letters, 50(6). https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102444
Kneib, M., Miles, E. S., Buri, P., Fugger, S., McCarthy, M., Shaw, T. E., Chuanxi, Z., Truffer, M., Westoby, M. J., Yang, W., & Pellicciotti, F. (2022). Sub-seasonal variability of supraglacial ice cliff melt rates and associated processes from time-lapse photogrammetry. Cryosphere, 16(11), 4701–4725. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4701-2022
Fugger, S., Fyffe, C. L., Fatichi, S., Miles, E., McCarthy, M., Shaw, T. E., Ding, B., Yang, W., Wagnon, P., Immerzeel, W., Liu, Q., & Pellicciotti, F. (2022). Understanding monsoon controls on the energy and mass balance of glaciers in the Central and Eastern Himalaya. The Cryosphere, 16(5), 1631–1652. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1631-2022
PeruGROWS (Peruvian glacier retreat and its impact on water security)
The aim of Peru GROWS was to investigate the impacts of ongoing and projected climate change on glacier retreat and water resources in the Rio Santa catchment in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. This information was used to determine ways that the community could adapt its water use to enhance the resilience of Peruvian communities and ecosystems to the projected changes.
Highlighted Publications:
Fyffe, C. L., Potter, E., Fugger, S., Orr, A., Fatichi, S., Loarte, E., Medina, K., Hellström, R. Å., Bernat, M., Aubry‐Wake, C., Gurgiser, W., Perry, L. B., Suarez, W., Quincey, D. J., & Pellicciotti, F. (2021). The Energy and Mass Balance of Peruvian Glaciers. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 126(23), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021jd034911
HOPE (High-elevation precipitation in High-Mountain Asia)
High-mountain precipitation is a key variable for simulating glacier runoff in High-Mountain Asia but is poorly known and difficult to measure directly. This project combined in-situ data with glacier mass balance and hydrological models in order to reconstruct high-mountain precipitation in High-Mountain Asia, investigating the quantity, seasonality and variability of precipitation in selected catchments, and determining the mechanisms that cause or modify these characteristics.
Highlighted Publications:
Buri, P., Fatichi, S., Shaw, T. E., Miles, E. S., McCarthy, M. J., Fyffe, C., Fugger, S., Ren, S., Kneib, M., Jouberton, A., Fujita, K., & Pellicciotti, F. (2023). Land surface modeling in the Himalayas: on the importance of evaporative fluxes for the water balance of a high elevation catchment. Water Resources Research. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022WR033841