<p>I intend to create a long term melt record on a glacier surface. What are parameters required to efficiently calculate the same using satellite, weather station observations &amp; reanalysis datasets (<strong>ERA-INTERIM</strong>)? I need the record to be of at least 100 years &amp; therefore any or a combination of these datasets needs to be used for the same!</p>

<p>I have three cores from coastal Antarctica,  which have frequent melt layers.  I intend to calculate the melting that has happened at the surface in the past by using various climatic parameters (reanalysis data sets)  and satellite data (e.g. Microwave Datasets)  to quantify &amp; /or ascertain a melting event at a certain point of time! </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T15:45:15.070Z
Hello, and welcome to Stack Exchange. It isn't clear to me what you're asking; are you looking for data sources, or variables that you might find in all such data sources, or something else?
Daniel Griscom
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T17:10:40.210Z
It all depends on the accuracy and what do you want it for. It depends also on the glacier you are interested in. In a small one the downscaling of weather parameter is a challenge. If it doesn't count with a good record of extent you will need to couple the melt model with a dynamic one (a complicated business).
You should explain better what do you want it for. The answers can range from a very simple degree-day model on a steady-state glacier (that would require only a current terrain model, a lapse rate and temperature record), to sophisticated coupled dynamic and energy balance models.
Camilo Rada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T17:53:38.490Z
Hi @Daniel. Ya I'm looking for variables that have a long record and can be used to quantify the melt.
Rahul
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T17:59:10.743Z
@Camilo, I want to get a closest possible estimate of melting occuring at a location in coastal Antarctica &  correlate it with melt records from ice cores from the location.
Rahul
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T18:21:40.657Z
Can you please elaborate more? How was melt derived from the ice core? Ice cores are usually obtained from areas where there is no melt at all, otherwise water percolation mix information from different points in time rendering the core useless for reconstruction of climatic variables.
I would recommend that you edit the question adding a thoughtful explanation of what you want to do. Otherwise it is too broad, the parameters depend on how you model the melt.
Camilo Rada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T18:42:38.623Z
Well what you said about ice coring locations is partially true.  When you want to study the coastal regions of antarctica,  cores with melt layers are a common things.  The coring locations is primarily dependant upon your objectives!  As for ice cores,  the melting at a period of time can be easily calculated by measuring the volume of melt layers and percolation capillaries,  if any.
Rahul
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-15T19:05:53.007Z
Ok, it makes more sense now. Are the cores obtained from an ice divide? Or have them been advected downglacier? Is there historic data available for those locations to constrain elevation changes in the glacier surface? If not satellite data won't take you as far as 100 years, and you will need to model the dynamics that would add a whole new layer of complication (Unless you are happy to extrapolate thickening/thinning rates of the last few decades all the way back to the early 1900's)
Camilo Rada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-16T05:08:04.633Z
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/77553/discussion-between-rahul-and-camilo-rada).
Rahul
<climate-change><glaciology><reanalysis><weather-satellites>
Quantifying long term melt record on glacier surface
Rahul
# Quantifying long term melt record on glacier surface

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-15)

I intend to create a long term melt record on a glacier surface. What are parameters required to efficiently calculate the same using satellite, weather station observations & reanalysis datasets (**ERA-INTERIM**)? I need the record to be of at least 100 years & therefore any or a combination of these datasets needs to be used for the same!

I have three cores from coastal Antarctica, which have frequent melt layers. I intend to calculate the melting that has happened at the surface in the past by using various climatic parameters (reanalysis data sets) and satellite data (e.g. Microwave Datasets) to quantify & /or ascertain a melting event at a certain point of time!

**Tags:** climate-change, glaciology, reanalysis, weather-satellites

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hello, and welcome to Stack Exchange. It isn't clear to me what you're asking; are you looking for data sources, or variables that you might find in all such data sources, or something else?  
> **username_2**: It all depends on the accuracy and what do you want it for. It depends also on the glacier you are interested in. In a small one the downscaling of weather parameter is a challenge. If it doesn't count with a good record of extent you will need to couple the melt model with a dynamic one (a complicated business). You should explain better what do you want it for. The answers can range from a very simple degree-day model on a steady-state glacier (that would require only a current terrain model, a lapse rate and temperature record), to sophisticated coupled dynamic and energy balance models.  
> **username_0**: Hi @username_1. Ya I'm looking for variables that have a long record and can be used to quantify the melt.  
> **username_0**: @username_2, I want to get a closest possible estimate of melting occuring at a location in coastal Antarctica &  correlate it with melt records from ice cores from the location.  
> **username_2**: Can you please elaborate more? How was melt derived from the ice core? Ice cores are usually obtained from areas where there is no melt at all, otherwise water percolation mix information from different points in time rendering the core useless for reconstruction of climatic variables. I would recommend that you edit the question adding a thoughtful explanation of what you want to do. Otherwise it is too broad, the parameters depend on how you model the melt.  
> **username_0**: Well what you said about ice coring locations is partially true.  When you want to study the coastal regions of antarctica,  cores with melt layers are a common things.  The coring locations is primarily dependant upon your objectives!  As for ice cores,  the melting at a period of time can be easily calculated by measuring the volume of melt layers and percolation capillaries,  if any.  
> **username_2**: Ok, it makes more sense now. Are the cores obtained from an ice divide? Or have them been advected downglacier? Is there historic data available for those locations to constrain elevation changes in the glacier surface? If not satellite data won't take you as far as 100 years, and you will need to model the dynamics that would add a whole new layer of complication (Unless you are happy to extrapolate thickening/thinning rates of the last few decades all the way back to the early 1900's)  
> **username_0**: Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/77553/discussion-between-username_0-and-username_2-username_2).  

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## 0 answers

