Viani A. auteur aut IRD Condom Thomas auteur aut IRD Vincent C. auteur aut IRD Rabatel A. auteur aut IRD Bacchi B. auteur aut IRD Sicart Jean-Emmanuel auteur aut IRD Revuelto J. auteur aut IRD Six D. auteur aut IRD Zin I. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access We present the glacier-wide summer surface mass balances determined by a detailed hydrological balance (sSMBhydro) and the quantification of the uncertainties of the calculations on the Argentiere and Mer de Glace-Leschaux drainage basins, located in the upper Arve watershed (French Alps), over the period 1996-2004. The spatial distribution of precipitation within the study area was adjusted using in situ winter mass-balance measurements. The sSMBhydro performance was assessed via a comparison with the summer surface mass balances based on in situ glaciological observations (sSMBglacio). Our results show that the sSMBhydro has an uncertainty of +/- 0.67 m w.e.a(-1) at Argentiere and +/- 0.66 m w.e.a(-1) at Mer de Glace-Leschaux. Estimates of the Argentiere sSMBhydro values are in good agreement with the sSMBglacio values. These time series show almost the same interannual variability. From the marked difference between the sSMBhydro and sSMBglacio values for the Mer de Glace-Leschaux glacier, we suspect a significant role of groundwater fluxes in the hydrological balance. This study underlines the importance of taking into account the groundwater transfers to represent and predict the hydro-glaciological behaviour of a catchment. specialized Glacier hydrology glacier mass balance mass-balance reconstruction mountain glaciers FRANCE 062 64 243 119-131 2018 0022-1430 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010072483 10.1017/jog.2018.7 0022-1430 [F B010072483] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010072483 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/divers18-04/010072483.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2018-05-04 2024-01-11 fdi:010072483 fre