Fig. 1: Impact of avalanches occurring at the surface of a hypothetical mountain glacier.
From: Topographically-controlled contribution of avalanches to glacier mass balance in the 21st century
a Hypothetical glacier with avalanche release, transition and deposit areas in light blue, purple and red, respectively. b Corresponding effect on the annual mass balance patterns with elevation. Avalanches occurring within the glacier boundaries (1-3 & 6) lead to additional accumulation on the avalanche deposits (3) while the removal of snow in the release areas locally reduces the surface mass balance (1). Avalanches from outside (4-5) the glacier boundaries, from seasonally snow-covered slopes or other glaciers, lead to a local increase in mass balance.
