1. Research Activities in the Tropical Cryosphere A Focus on East Africa
Lewis Glacier Mt Kenya, Feb 2012; R. Prinz
Rainer Prinz – University of Graz, Austria
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2. Content Overview Results Status
Eddy-covariance experiment, Kilimanjaro, Oct 2011; M. Winkler
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3. Overview
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4. Myths East African glaciers are regional water reservoirs.
NO: e.g. ice volume of Kilimanjaro = 13 mm precipitation
Recent glacier recession in East Africa occurs at an unprecedented pace.
NO, but strong recession throughout period of records (~130 y)
Climatic drivers of glacier change are unclear.
NO: atmospheric moisture -> snowfall, albedo, cloudiness
Mölg et al. 2013
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5. Value Climate proxy potential for the mid troposphere
(cf. UN Sustainable Development Goal #13)
Glaciers translate weather into climate
glaciers as climate change indicators
If we understand this translation process we can decode climate signals from glaciers at varoius scales
from local climate sensitivities
to regional / global teleconnections
Process resolving models
surface energy balance models
limitted area atmosphere models
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6. Scale issue
Mölg & Kaser 2011
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7. A second hypothesis
Kaser & Osmaston 2002, modified
How does the shape and the elevation of the mountain control the glacier regime and thus the 'translation process'?
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8. Glacier area changes
Mölg et al. 2013
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9. Mt Kenya – observed glacier changes
~1880
Lewis Glacier – 2010:
– 80% of area
– 90% of volume
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Prinz et al. 2011

10. Historical surveys – geodetic mass balance
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Prinz et al. 2011

11. Glaciological mass balance – Lewis Glacier
WGMS
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12. Mt Kenya – AWS on glacier
Oct 2010
Sep 2009
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13. Mt Kenya – AWS off glacier
Feb 2014
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14. | GCW Arusha
Prinz et al. 2016

15. WET + CD CD + WW WW + CD -20% prec. +50% prec. -1°C Tair +1°C Tair
Prinz et al. 2016
WET + CD
CD + WW
WW + CD
-20% prec.
+50% prec.
-1°C Tair
+1°C Tair
2011/12
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16. Results - Kilimanjaro
Cullen et al. 2013
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17. Foto: L. Nicholson Oct 2009
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18. Results - Kilimanjaro 3 glacier regimes slope glaciers
Kaser et al. 2010
3 glacier regimes
slope glaciers
tabular glaciers
vertical ice cliffs
Winkler et al. 2010
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19. Summary results
The recession of East African glaciers is not a warming signal – it is a drying signal.
This drying is linked to changes in the sea surface patterns over the Indian Ocean, which are very likely induced by Global Warming.
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20. Status
– not available; o historic; + ongoing
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21. Status - Rwenzori Elena glacier AWS: Lentini et al. 2011
EV-K2-CNR
last visit 2015 – future unclear – lack of funding: contact:
Glacier inventory 2003: Taylor et al – controversial interpretation of glacier retreat (see comment: Mölg et al. 2006)
updated glacier inventory to be done: TanDEM-X DEM is not accessible in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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22. Status - Rwenzori
Lentini et al. 2011
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23. Status - Rwenzori Taylor et al. 2006 Lentini et al. 2011
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24. Status – Mt Kenya Lewis Glacier - 2012
Lewis Glacier Mt Kenya, Feb 2012; R. Prinz
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25. Status – Mt Kenya Lewis Glacier - 2017 Foto: Ladner M. 18.02.2017
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26. Status – Mt Kenya mass balance measurements: cancelled
freely available and
meteorological measurements on glacier: cancelled
freely available Sep 2009 – Feb 2012
meteorological measurements off glacier: ongoing
freely available Feb 2012 – now
no cryospheric parameters, no precipitation (precip manually by KWS)
glacier inventory 2016 in preparation
contact:
Lewis Glacier
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27. Status - Kilimanjaro
Mölg & Kaser 2011
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28. Status - Kilimanjaro
AWS 1) Northern Ice Field ~Continously operating since 2000
contact: Douglas Hardy, University of Massachussetts
"support any idea of data sharing"
global radiation
albedo
longwave radiation??
air temperature
humidity
wind speed
wind direction
surface height change (=accumulation & ablation)
time lapse camera
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29. Status - Kilimanjaro
AWS 2) Southern Ice Field ~Continously operating since 2005
contact: Thomas Mölg, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Germany
data access restricted for self-publication
– after that free of use
( should be available)
Foto: Nicholson Oct 2009
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30. ongoing research on Klilimanjaro
Ice Memory: UNESCO – Kibo ice as climate archive: ice cores from Kilimanjaro: M. Schwikowski – PSI, Switzerland
ENSO impact on glaciers: T. Mölg – University of Erlangen Nuernberg, Germany
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31. for GCW Rwenzori and Mt Kenya Kilimanjaro
currently no cryospheric observations
good process understanding
available high altitude AWS lack of funding
Kilimanjaro
>15 years of meteorological and cryospheric observations
ongoing observation and modelling studies
promote Kilimanjaro as CryoNet station
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32. Cullen, N. J. , P. Sirguey, T. Mölg, G. Kaser, M. Winkler, and S. J
Cullen, N. J., P. Sirguey, T. Mölg, G. Kaser, M. Winkler, and S. J. Fitzsimons (2013), A century of ice retreat on Kilimanjaro: the mapping reloaded, The Cryosphere, 7(2), 419–431, doi: /tc
Kaser, G., and H. Osmaston (2002), Tropical Glaciers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Kaser, G., T. Mölg, N. J. Cullen, D. R. Hardy, and M. Winkler (2010), Is the decline of ice on Kilimanjaro unprecedented in the Holocene?, The Holocene, 20(7), 1079–1091, doi: /
Lentini, G., P. Cristofanelli, R. Duchi, A. Marinoni, G. Verza, E. Vuillermoz, R. Toffolon, and P. Bonasoni (2011), Mount Rwenzori (4750 m a.s.l., Uganda): Meteorological characterization and air-mass transport analysis, Geografia Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria, 34, 183–193, doi: /GFDQ
Mölg, T., and G. Kaser (2011), A new approach to resolving climate-cryosphere relations: Downscaling climate dynamics to glacier-scale mass and energy balance without statistical scale linking, Journal of Geophysical Research, 116(D16), 1–13, doi: /2011JD
Mölg, T., H. Rott, G. Kaser, A. Fischer, and N. J. Cullen (2006a), Comment on “Recent glacial recession in the Rwenzori Mountains of East Africa due to rising air temperature” by Richard G. Taylor, Lucinda Mileham, Callist Tindimugaya, Abushen Majugu, Andrew Muwanga, and Bob Nakileza, Geophysical Research Letters, 33(20), 33–36, doi: /2006GL
Mölg, T., M. Renold, M. Vuille, N. J. Cullen, T. F. Stocker, and G. Kaser (2006b), Indian Ocean zonal mode activity in a multicentury integration of a coupled AOGCM consistent with climate proxy data, Geophysical Research Letters, 33(18), 1–5, doi: /2006GL
Mölg, T., N. J. Cullen, D. R. Hardy, G. Kaser, L. Nicholson, R. Prinz, and M. Winkler (2013), East African glacier loss and climate change: Corrections to the UNEP article “Africa without ice and snow,” Environmental Development, 6, 1–6, doi: /j.envdev
Prinz, R., A. Fischer, L. Nicholson, and G. Kaser (2011), Seventy-six years of mean mass balance rates derived from recent and re-evaluated ice volume measurements on tropical Lewis Glacier, Mount Kenya, Geophysical Research Letters, 38(20), L20502, doi: /2011GL
Prinz, R., L. Nicholson, T. Mölg, W. Gurgiser, and G. Kaser (2016), Climatic controls and climate proxy potential of Lewis Glacier, Mt. Kenya, The Cryosphere, 10(1), 133–148, doi: /tc
Taylor, R. G., L. Mileham, C. Tindimugaya, A. Majugu, A. Muwanga, and B. Nakileza (2006), Recent glacial recession in the Rwenzori Mountains of East Africa due to rising air temperature, Geophysical Research Letters, 33(10), L10402, doi: /2006GL
Winkler, M., G. Kaser, N. J. Cullen, T. Mölg, D. R. Hardy, and W. T. Pfeffer (2010), Land-based marginal ice cliffs: Focus on Kilimanjaro, Erdkunde, 64(2), 179–193, doi: /erdkunde
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