@article{fdi:010064606,
  title = {{C}an the snowline be used as an indicator of the equilibrium line and mass balance for glaciers in the outer tropics ?},
  author = {{R}abatel, {A}. and {B}ermejo, {A}. and {L}oarte, {E}. and {S}oruco, {A}. and {G}omez, {J}. and {L}eonardini, {G}. and {V}incent, {C}. and {S}icart, {J}ean-{E}mmanuel},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{B}ecause the glacier snowline is easy to identify on optical satellite images and because in certain conditions it can be used as an indicator of the equilibrium line, it may be a relevant parameter for the study of the relationships between climate and glaciers. {A}lthough several studies have shown that the snowline altitude ({SLA}) at the end of the hydrological year is a good indicator of the equilibrium-line altitude ({ELA}) for mid-latitude glaciers, such a relationship remains conjectural for tropical glaciers. {I}ndeed, unlike in mid-latitudes, tropical climate conditions result in a distinct seasonality of accumulation/ablation processes. {W}e examine this relationship using direct field {ELA} and mass-balance measurements made on {G}laciar {Z}ongo, {B}olivia (similar to 16 degrees {S}), vand {G}laciar {A}rtesonraju, {P}eru (similar to 9 degrees {S}), and the {SLA} retrieved from satellite images acquired in the past two decades. {W}e show that on glaciers in the outer tropics: (1) ablation is reduced during the dry season in austral winter ({M}ay-{A}ugust), the {SLA} does not change much, and satellite images acquired between {M}ay and {A}ugust could be used to compute the {SLA}; and (2) the highest {SLA} detected on a number of satellite images acquired during the dry season provides a good estimate of the annual {ELA}. {H}owever, as snowfall events can occur during the dry season, the {SLA} detected on satellite images tends to underestimate the {ELA}. {T}hus, we recommend validating the {SLA} computed from satellite images with field data collected on a benchmark glacier before measuring the {SLA} on other glaciers in the same mountain range for which no field data are available. {T}his study is a major step towards extending the measurement of glacier parameters ({ELA} and mass balance) at the scale of a whole mountain range in the outer tropics to better document the relationships between climate and glaciers.},
  keywords = {{BOLIVIE} ; {PEROU}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {G}laciology},
  volume = {58},
  numero = {212},
  pages = {1027--1036},
  ISSN = {0022-1430},
  year = {2012},
  DOI = {10.3189/2012{J}o{G}12{J}027},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010064606},
}