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Mass balance of a slope glacier on Kilimanjaro and its sensitivity to climate

  1. Thomas Mölg1,*,
  2. Nicolas J. Cullen2,
  3. Douglas R. Hardy3,
  4. G. Kaser1,
  5. L. Klok4

Article first published online: 1 AUG 2007

DOI: 10.1002/joc.1589

Issue

International Journal of Climatology

International Journal of Climatology

Volume 28, Issue 7, pages 881–892, 15 June 2008

Additional Information

How to Cite

Mölg, T., Cullen, N. J., Hardy, D. R., Kaser, G. and Klok, L. (2008), Mass balance of a slope glacier on Kilimanjaro and its sensitivity to climate. Int. J. Climatol., 28: 881–892. doi: 10.1002/joc.1589

Author Information

  1. 1

    Tropical Glaciology Group, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria

  2. 2

    Department of Geography, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand

  3. 3

    Climate System Research Center, Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, 611 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003-9297, USA

  4. 4

    Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute, Postbus 201, 3730 AE De Bilt, Netherlands

*Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 APR 2008
  2. Article first published online: 1 AUG 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 3 JUN 2007
  4. Manuscript Revised: 30 MAY 2007
  5. Manuscript Received: 5 DEC 2006

Funded by

  • Austrian Science Foundation. Grant Number: P17415-N10
  • Tyrolean Science Foundation
  • U.S. National Science Foundation

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Keywords:

  • glaciers and climate;
  • mass balance modelling;
  • tropical glaciers

Abstract

Meteorological and glaciological measurements obtained at 5873 m a.s.l. on Kersten Glacier, a slope glacier on the southern flanks of Kilimanjaro, are used to run a physically-based mass balance model for the period February 2005 to January 2006. This shows that net shortwave radiation is the most variable energy flux at the glacier-atmosphere interface, governed by surface albedo. The majority of the mass loss (∼65%) is due to sublimation (direct conversion of snow/ice to water vapour), with melting of secondary importance. Sensitivity experiments reveal that glacier mass balance is 2–4 times more sensitive to a 20% precipitation change than to a 1 °C air temperature change. These figures also hold when the model is run with input data representative of a longer term (1979–2004) mean period. Results suggest that a regional-scale moisture projection for the 21st century is crucial to a physically-based prediction of glacier retention on Africa's highest mountain. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society

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