ORCID

Abstract

Ice cliffs and supraglacial ponds are key drivers of mass loss on debris-covered glaciers. However, the relationship between melt ponds and adjacent ice cliffs has not been fully explored. We investigated the seasonal drainage patterns of a melt pond on the debris-covered Zhuxi Glacier in southeast Tibet and estimated the mass loss of its adjacent ice cliff during 2023-2024. Using hourly time-lapse photogrammetry we built a series of high-resolution point clouds to quantify the evolution of the ice cliff-pond system. Our findings indicate that subaerial melting and undercutting were the primary mechanisms of ice cliff mass loss during summer. In winter when the pond water level dropped, ice cliff calving became the dominant mode of ice loss. As the water level rose in spring, calving and subaerial melting occurred simultaneously and ice loss from calving accounted for approximately 19.5 % of total ice loss from February to July 2024. Our results reveal the transitional state of this ice cliff-pond system, exhibiting characteristics of both melt hotspots and lake-terminating calving fronts, and highlight the interplay between seasonal drainage-refill pond and differing modes of ice loss on adjacent ice cliff. Future research should focus on additional high-resolution monitoring of similar systems and incorporation of ice cliff-pond dynamics in glacier-scale numerical models.

Publication Date

2025-11-10

Publication Title

Journal of Glaciology

Volume

71

ISSN

0022-1430

Acceptance Date

2025-10-31

Deposit Date

2025-12-12

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quantifying-the-seasonal-dynamics-of-a-transitional-ice-cliff-pond-system-on-a-debris-covered-glacier.pdf (1626 kB)

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