A novel particle tracking approach to model debris-covered glaciers in the Instructed Glacier Model (IGM)

Assigned Session: #AGM28: Generic Meeting Session

Abstract ID: 28.7432 | Accepted as Poster | Poster | 2025-02-28 12:45 - 14:15 | Ágnes‐Heller‐Haus/Small Lecture Room

Florian Hardmeier (0)
Muñoz Hermosilla, José Manuel (2), Miles, Evan (1), Vieli, Andreas (1)
Florian Hardmeier ((0) University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Zürich, CH)
Muñoz Hermosilla, José Manuel (2), Miles, Evan (1), Vieli, Andreas (1)

(0) University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Zürich, CH
(1) University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Zürich, CH
(2) Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, AT

(1) University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Zürich, CH
(2) Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, AT

Categories: Cryospheric Processes, Glacier-Climate Interactions, Modelling
Keywords: debris-covered glaciers, glacier modelling, Lagrangian particle tracking, IGM, glacier dynamics

Categories: Cryospheric Processes, Glacier-Climate Interactions, Modelling
Keywords: debris-covered glaciers, glacier modelling, Lagrangian particle tracking, IGM, glacier dynamics

In a warming world, debris-covered glaciers are of increasing relevance in high mountain areas worldwide. Still, the complex process interactions between ice flow, debris input, transport and its effect surface mass balance that govern the advance and retreat of these glaciers are not well understood. To gain a more complete understanding of the entire system, we include and couple all these processes in a numerical flow model and aim to investigate the relationship between erosion rates debris fluxes, and debris cover thickness patterns in a changing climate.


Our approach exploits recent advances in deep learning that drastically reduce computational cost for ice flow modelling in the Instructed Glacier Model (IGM), enabling model runs at higher spatial resolution and over longer timescales. Issues of mass conservation and diffusion in englacial debris transport are circumvented by utilizing Lagrangian particle tracking approach for modelling debris transport. We assign a representative debris volume to each particle and seed particles based on user-defined rules, setting thresholds for variables related to steep rock slopes. Once particles melt out at the ice surface down-glacier, their representative debris volumes are evaluated to compute debris cover thicknesses. Mass balance is then modified accordingly using an Østrem curve.


First applications to the two contrasting cases of Zmuttgletscher (Switzerland) and Satopanth Glacier (India) look promising and are reproducing general debris cover patterns well without modifying seeding locations to fit observations. We also examine model sensitivity to key parameters, including model grid size, seeding frequency, debris input quantity, and various seeding conditions.


NAME:
Small Lecture Room
BUILDING:
Ágnes‐Heller‐Haus
FLOOR:
0
TYPE:
Lecture Hall
CAPACITY:
200
ACCESS:
Only Participants
ADDITIONAL:
TBA
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