Register now After registration you will be able to apply for this opportunity online.
This opportunity is not published. No applications will be accepted.
Is irrigation leading to glacier growth in the Karakoram?
A number of observations acquired in recent decades have pointed at an anomalous behaviour of glaciers in the western part of High Mountain Asia. The goal of this thesis is to test a recent hypotesis for the deeper causes of this so-called "Karakoram anomaly".
Since the 2000s, evidence for an anomalous behaviour of the glaciers located in the Karakoram has accumulated. Widespread glacier surging and a possibly positive glacier mass balace have prompted glaciologists to forge the term "Karakoram anomaly". Recently, de Kok and colleagues (2018) suggested that the deeper cause of this anomaly could be related to regional irrigation patterns, feeding back to the regional climate via moisture transport and net radiance.
Since the 2000s, evidence for an anomalous behaviour of the glaciers located in the Karakoram has accumulated. Widespread glacier surging and a possibly positive glacier mass balace have prompted glaciologists to forge the term "Karakoram anomaly". Recently, de Kok and colleagues (2018) suggested that the deeper cause of this anomaly could be related to regional irrigation patterns, feeding back to the regional climate via moisture transport and net radiance.
The goal of this thesis is to further test the hypothesis that irrigation is leading to anomalous glacier behaviour in the Karakoram. To this end, the a glacier model will be forced with output from Earth System Model simulations with and without irrigation. Output of the glacier model simulations (surface mass balance and glacier flow) will be analysed, providing information about regional sensitivities.
The work will be a collaboration with partners at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Prof. Wim Thiery) and the Delft University of Technology (Dr. Harry Zekollari).
The goal of this thesis is to further test the hypothesis that irrigation is leading to anomalous glacier behaviour in the Karakoram. To this end, the a glacier model will be forced with output from Earth System Model simulations with and without irrigation. Output of the glacier model simulations (surface mass balance and glacier flow) will be analysed, providing information about regional sensitivities. The work will be a collaboration with partners at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Prof. Wim Thiery) and the Delft University of Technology (Dr. Harry Zekollari).
For further information please contact Prof. Wim Thiery (wim.thiery@vub.be) or Dr. Harry Zekollari (zharry@ethz.ch).
For further information please contact Prof. Wim Thiery (wim.thiery@vub.be) or Dr. Harry Zekollari (zharry@ethz.ch).