Glacier melt: a review of processes and their modelling

Modelling ice and snow melt is of large practical and scientific interest, including issues such as water resource management, avalanche forecasting, glacier dynamics, hydrology and hydrochemistry, as well as the response of glaciers to climate change. During the last few decades, a large variety of melt models have been developed, ranging from simple temperature-index to sophisticated energy-balance models. There is a recent trend towards modelling with both high temporal and spatial resolution, the latter accomplished by fully distributed models. This review discusses the relevant processes at the surface-atmosphere interface, and their representation in melt models. Despite considerable advances in…