Abstract:
We present the updated glaciological mass balance (MB) of Chhota Shigri Glacier, the
longest continuous annual MB record in the Hindu-Kush Karakoram Himalaya (HKH) region.
Additionally, 4 years of seasonal MBs are presented and analyzed using the data acquired at an
automatic weather station (AWS-M) installed in 2009 on a lateral moraine (4863ma.s.l.). The
glaciological MB series since 2002 is first recalculated using an updated glacier hypsometry and then
validated against geodetic MB derived from satellite stereo-imagery between 2005 (SPOT5) and 2014
(Pléiades). Chhota Shigri Glacier lost mass between 2002 and 2014 with a cumulative glaciological MB
of –6.72mw.e. corresponding to a mean annual glacier-wide MB (Ba) of –0.56mw.e. a–1. Equilibriumline
altitude (ELA0) for the steady-state condition is calculated as �4950ma.s.l., corresponding to an
accumulation–area ratio (AAR0) of �61%. Analysis of seasonal MBs between 2009 and 2013 with air
temperature from AWS-M and precipitation from the nearest meteorological station at Bhuntar
(1050ma.s.l.) suggests that the summer monsoon is the key season driving the interannual variability of
Ba for this glacier. The intensity of summer snowfall events controls the Ba evolution via controlling
summer glacier-wide MB (Bs).
