Ice‐Dynamic Constraints on Glacier Climatic Mass Balance Using Inverse Techniques

Abstract

Abstract Accurate glacier climatic mass balance (CMB) modeling relies on pertinent atmospheric data for forcing and in situ stake measurements for calibration, which are often sparse or unavailable in remote high‐mountain regions. This study presents a proof‐of‐concept for estimating glacier‐wide CMB fields by combining mass conservation and ice dynamics with remotely sensed observations of elevation change, ice velocity, and ice thickness. Using the data assimilation tool of the Instructed Glacier Model, we map glacier thickness and infer the flux divergence. A sensitivity analysis highlights the dominant influence of thickness on the inversion process and investigates the impact on the flux divergence field. The approach is validated on Rhône Glacier and expanded to all glaciers within the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network, showing strong agreement with observations. As it relies solely on remote sensing data, the method is transferable to other regions and suitable for estimating solid precipitation in data‐sparse regions.