Region-wide glacier area and mass budgets for the Shaksgam River Basin,Karakoram Mountains,during 2000–2016

The Karakoram Mountains are well known for their widespread surge-type glaciers and slight glacier mass gains.On the one hand,glaciers are one of the sensitive indicators of climate change,their area and thickness will adjust with climate change.On the other hand,glaciers provide freshwater resources for agricultural irrigation and hydroelectric generation in the downstream areas of the Shaksgam River Basin(SRB)in western China.The shrinkage of glaciers caused by climate change can significantly affect the security and sustainable development of regional water resources.In this study,we analyzed the changes in glacier area from 2000 to 2016 in the SRB using Landsat TM(Thematic Mapper)/ETM+(Enhanced Mapper Plus)/OLI(Operational Land Imager)images.It is shown that the SRB contained 472 glaciers,with an area of 1840.3 km2,in 2016.The glacier area decreased by 0.14%/a since 2000,and the shrinkage of glacier in the southeast,east and south directions were the most,while the northeast,north directions were the least.Debris-covered area accounted for 8.0%of the total glacier area.We estimated elevation and mass changes using the 1 arc-second SRTM(Shuttle Radar Topography Mission)DEM(Digital Elevation Model)(2000)and the resolution of 8 m HMA(High Mountain Asia)DEM(2016).An average thickness of 0.08(±0.03)m/a,or a slight mass increase of 0.06(±0.02)m w.e./a has been obtained since 2000.We found thinning was significantly lesser on the clean ice than the debris-covered ice.In addition,the elevation of glacier surface is spatially heterogeneous,showing that the accumulation of mass is dominant in high altitude regions,and the main mass loss is in low altitude regions,excluding the surge-type glacier.For surge-type glaciers,the mass may transfer from the reservoir to the receiving area rapidly when surges,then resulting in an advance of glacier terminus.The main surge mechanism is still unclear,it is worth noting that the surge did not increase the glacier mass in this study.     

Five decades of glacier changes in the Hulugou Basin of central Qilian Mountains,Northwest China

The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in the arid regions of Northwest China. Glaciers provide a large proportion of water resources for human production and living. Studies of glacier changes and their impact on water resources in the arid lands are of vital importance. A joint expedition was carried out in 2010 for investigating glaciers in the Hulugou Basin, which is located in the upper reaches of Heihe River. Therefore, glacier changes in the Hulugou Basin of central Qilian Mountains during the past 50 years were analyzed in this study by comparing topographic maps, satellite images, digital elevation models and field observation data from different periods. Results showed that the total area of the 6 glaciers in the Hulugou Basin decreased by 0.590±0.005 km2 during the period 1956–2011, corresponding to a loss of 40.7% over the total area in 1956. The average area reduction rate of the 6 glaciers is 0.011 km2/a. During the past five decades, the glacier shrinkage was accelerated. The changes in glacier ice surface elevation ranged from –15 to 3 m with an average thinning of 10±8 m or an annual decrease of 0.23±0.18 m(0.20±0.15 m/a water equivalent) for the period 1956–2000. The area of Shiyi Glacier in the Hulugou Basin decreased from 0.64 km2 in 1956 to 0.53 km2 in 2011 with a reduction rate of 17.2%. The Shiyi Glacier had been divided into two separated glaciers because of severe melting. Comparative analysis showed that glacier shrinkage in the Hulugou Basin is more serious than that in the other regions of Qilian Mountains.     

Glacier variations and their response to climate change in an arid inland river basin of Northwest China

Glaciers are a critical freshwater resource of river recharge in arid areas around the world. In recent decades, glaciers have shown evidence of retreat due to climate change, and the accelerated ablation of glaciers and associated impacts on water resources have received widespread attention. Glacier variations result from climate change, so they can serve as an indicator of climate change. Considering the climatic differences in different elevation ranges, it is worthwhile to explore whether different responses exist between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone. In this study, we selected a typical arid inland river basin(Sugan Lake Basin) in the western Qilian Mountains of Northwest China to analyze the glacier variations and their response to climate change. The glacier area data from 1989 to 2016 were delineated using Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM), Enhanced TM+(ETM+) and Operational Land Imager(OLI) images. We compared the relationships between glacier area and air temperature at seven meteorological stations in the glacier-covered areas and in the Sugan Lake Basin, and further analyzed the relationship between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in the elevation range of 4700–5500 m a.s.l. by the linear regression method and correlation analysis. In addition, based on the linear regression relationship established between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone, we predicted glacier areas under future climate scenarios during the periods of 2046–2065 and 2081–2100. The results indicate that the glaciers experienced a remarkable shrinkage from 1989 to 2016 with a shrinkage rate of –1.61 km2/a(–0.5%/a), and the rising temperature is the decisive factor dominating glacial retreat; there is a significant negative linear correlation between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in each elevation zone from 1989 to 2016. The variations in glaciers are far less sensitive to changes in precipitation than to changes in air temperature. Due to the influence of climate and topographic conditions, the distribution of glacier area and the rate of glacier ablation first increased and then decreased in different elevation zones. The trend in glacier shrinkage will continue because air temperature will continue to increase in the future, and the result of glacier retreat in each elevation zone will be slightly slower than that in the entire study area. Quantitative glacier research can more accurately reflect the response of glacier variations to climate change, and the regression relationship can be used to predict the areas of glaciers under future climate scenarios. These conclusions can offer effective references for assessing glacier variations and their response to climate change in arid inland river basins in Northwest China as well as other similar regions in the world.     

conomic losses from reduced freshwater under future climate scenarios: An example from the Urumqi River,Tianshan Mountains

As important freshwater resources in alpine basins,glaciers and snow cover tend to decline due to climate warming,thus affecting the amount of water available downstream and even regional economic development.However,impact assessments of the economic losses caused by reductions in freshwater supply are quite limited.This study aims to project changes in glacier meltwater and snowmelt of the Urumqi River in the Tianshan Mountains under future climate change scenarios(RCP2.6(RCP,Representative Concentration Pathway),RCP4.5,and RCP8.5)by applying a hydrological model and estimate the economic losses from future meltwater reduction for industrial,agricultural,service,and domestic water uses combined with the present value method for the 2030 s,2050 s,2070 s,and 2090 s.The results indicate that total annual glacier meltwater and snowmelt will decrease by 65.6%and 74.5%under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios by the 2090 s relative to the baseline period(1980-2010),respectively.Compared to the RCP2.6 scenario,the projected economic loss values of total water use from reduced glacier meltwater and snowmelt under the RCP8.5 scenario will increase by 435.10×10⁶ and 537.20×10⁶ CNY in the 2050 s and 2090 s,respectively,and the cumulative economic loss value for 2099 is approximately 2124.00×10⁶ CNY.We also find that the industrial and agricultural sectors would likely face the largest and smallest economic losses,respectively.The economic loss value of snowmelt in different sectorial sectors is greater than that of glacier meltwater.These findings highlight the need for climate mitigation actions,industrial transformation,and rational water allocation to be considered in decision-making in the Tianshan Mountains in the future.     

Growth of the Sayram Lake and retreat of its water-supplying glaciers in the Tianshan Mountains from 1972 to 2011

Inland lakes and alpine glaciers are important constituents of water resources in arid and semiarid regions. Understanding their variations is critical for both an accurate evaluation of the dynamic changes of water resources and the retrieval of climatic information. On the basis of earlier researches, this study investigated the growth of the Sayram Lake and the retreat of its water-supplying glaciers in the Tianshan Mountains using long-term sequenced remote sensing images. Our results show that over the past 40 years, the surface area and the water level of the lake has increased by 12.0±0.3 km2 and 2.8 m, respectively, and the area of its water-supplying glaciers has decreased continuously since the early 1970 s with a total reduction of about –2.13±0.03 km2. Our study has indicative significance to the research of regional climate change.     

Melting and shrinkage of cryosphere in Tibet and its impact on the ecological environment

Global warming is having a profound impact on global ecological systems,and has inevitably induced changes in the cryosphere,one of the five layers of the earth.Major changes include the shrinking and reduction in the area and volume of both the mountain glaciers and the ice caps covering the North and South poles,and the melting of permafrost and thickening of the active frost layer.Swift changes in the cryosphere have inevitably induced ecological and environmental changes in its zone.While some of these changes are beneficial to mankind,such as an increase in water circulation,short term increases in water volumes and the enlargement of the cultivatable area,others are extremely hazardous,like the flooding of lowlands caused by an increased sea level elevation,debris flow caused by glaciers,glacier lake bursts,undermined building safety caused by permafrost melting,the deterioration of alpine cold meadows,and the surface aridization and desertification of land.Tibet,having a major part of the cryosphere in China,is home to the most widely spread glaciers and permafrost,which play a vital role in regulating water resources,climate,environment and the ecological safety in China and Asia.However,due to global warming,the glaciers and permafrost in Tibet have recently changed dramatically,exhibiting shrinkage and melting,which threatens long-term water resources,and the ecological and environmental safety of China.Based on existing research,this paper discusses the relationship between global warming and the melting and shrinkage of the cryosphere.The results show that the cryosphere's melting and shrinkage in Tibet are the direct result of global warming.The melting of glaciers has led to a series of disasters,such as changes in river runoff,the heightened frequency of debris flows induced by glaciers and the outbursts of glacier lakes.The melting of the permafrost also resulted in a series of ecological and environmental problems in Tibet,such as the degradation and population succession of the alpine grassland and meadows,the aridization of the land surface,and the occurrence of freeze-thaw erosion.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of the inter-annual oscillations of glacier mass over Central Asia inferred from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment(GRACE) data

Monitoring glacier mass balance is crucial to managing water resources and also to understanding climate change for the arid and semi-arid regions of Central Asia. This study extracted the inter-annual oscillations of glacier mass over Central Asia from the first ten principal components(S-PCs) of filtered variability via multichannel singular spectral analysis(MSSA), based on gridded data of glacier mass inferred from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment(GRACE) data obtained from July 2002 to March 2015. Two significant cycles of glacier mass balance oscillations were identified. The first cycle with a period of 6.1-year accounted for 54.5% of the total variance and the second with a period of 2.3-year accounted for 4.3%. The 6.1-year oscillation exhibited a stronger variability compared with the 2.3-year oscillation. For the 6.1-year oscillation, the results from lagged cross-correlation function suggested that there were significant correlations between glacier mass balances and precipitation variations with the precipitation variations leading the response of glacier mass balances by 9–16 months.     

Processes and trends of the land use change in Aksu watershed in the central Asia from 1960 to 2008

Land use change (LUC) in trans-boundary watersheds is of great importance to environmental assessment. The Aksu River is the largest trans-boundary river crossing Kyrgyzstan and China,but there was little information on the LUC of the watershed. We quantitatively investigated the processes and trends of its LUC by using analytic models based on the land use data derived from the remote sensing images and topographic maps. The LUC was in the quasi-balanced status with a slight difference between the loss and the gain of the area for most land use types during the period of 1960-1990,whereas transferred to the unbalanced status with significant difference between the loss and gain of the area during the period of 1990-2008. At the same time,land conversion direction changed from two-way transition to one-way transition for the most land use types. The integrated rate of net change of land use during the period of 1990-2008 is 2.1 times of that during the period of 1960-1990. Information on the processes and trends of LUC is valuable for better understanding the environmental changes across the whole trans-boundary watershed,and helpful to decision-making management for Kyrgyzstan and China.     

Multi-decadal variations in glacier flow velocity and the influencing factors of Urumqi Glacier No.1 in Tianshan Mountains,Northwest China

Urumqi Glacier No. 1 is a representative glacier in the inland areas of Central Asia and is the only Chinese reference glacier in the World Glacier Monitoring Service. In this study, we explored multi-decadal variations in the flow velocity of the glacier and the influencing factors based on continuous field observations and path coefficient analysis. Results show that the glacier flow velocity decreased from 5.5 m/a in 1980/1981 to 3.3 m/a in 2010/2011. The annual variation in the direction of glacier flow velocity in the western branch and eastern branch was less than 1°–3°, and the change of glacier flow velocity in the western branch was more dramatic than that in the eastern branch. Glacier flow velocity was influenced by glacier morphology(including glacier area, glacier length, and ice thickness), glacier mass balance and local climate conditions(air temperature and precipitation), the glacier morphology being the leading factor. The long-term flow velocity data set of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 contributes to a better understanding of glacier dynamics within the context of climatic warming.     

Understanding the impact of mountain landscapes on water balance in the upper Heihe River watershed in northwestern China

Estimating the impact of mountain landscape on hydrology or water balance is essential for the sustainable development strategies of water resources.Specifically,understanding how the change of each landscape influences hydrological components will greatly improve the predictability of hydrological responses to mountain landscape changes and thus can help the government make sounder decisions.In the paper,we used the VIC(Variable Infiltration Capacity)model to conduct hydrological modeling in the upper Heihe River watershed,along with a frozen-soil module and a glacier melting module to improve the simulation.The improved model performed satisfactorily.We concluded that there are differences in the runoff generation of mountain landscape both in space and time.About 50% of the total runoff at the catchment outlet were generated in mid-mountain zone(2,900-4,000 m asl),and water was mainly consumed in low mountain region(1,700-2,900 m asl)because of the higher requirements of trees and grasses.The runoff coefficient was 0.37 in the upper Heihe River watershed.Barren landscape produced the largest runoff yields(52.46% of the total runoff)in the upper Heihe River watershed,followed by grassland(34.15%),shrub(9.02%),glacier(3.57%),and forest(0.49%).In order to simulate the impact of landscape change on hydrological components,three landscape change scenarios were designed in the study.Scenario 1,2 and 3 were to convert all shady slope landscapes at 2,000-3,300 m,2,000-3,700 m,and 2,000-4,000 m asl respectively to forest lands,with forest coverage rate increased to 12.4%,28.5% and 42.0%,respectively.The runoff at the catchment outlet correspondingly declined by 3.5%,13.1% and 24.2% under the three scenarios.The forest landscape is very important in water conservation as it reduced the flood peak and increased the base flow.The mountains as "water towers" play important roles in water resources generation and the impact of mountain landscapes on hydrology is significant.     

Climate change and its impacts on mountain glaciers during 1960-2017 in western China

Mountain glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change. In this paper, we systematically analyzed and discussed the responses of glaciers to climate change during 1960-2017 in western China by the methods of least squares and correlation analysis. Results show that the maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average temperature, and precipitation significantly increased in western China at the rates of 0.32°C/10a, 0.48°C/10a, 0.39°C/10a, and 11.20 mm/10a, respectively. However, the wind speed, hours of sunshine, snowfall, and snowy days displayed decreasing trends at the rates of -0.53 m/(s?10a), 3.72 h/10a, -2.90 mm/10a, and -0.10 d/10a, respectively. The annual percentage of glacier area decreased by approximately 0.42%, and the average glacier area decreased by 2.76 km²/a. Meanwhile, glacial shrinkages were greater in the Altay Mountains, Tanggula Mountains, and Qilian Mountains than in the other mountainous regions. Glacier accumulation decreased while melt volume increased at a rate of 2.7×10⁴ m³/a. The area of melt volume was 1.3 times that of the glacier accumulation area. The glacier mass balance (GMB) decreased substantially at a rate of -14.0 mm/a, whereas the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) showed an increasing trend at a rate of 0.5 mm/a. After 1997, the mass was smaller than -500.0 mm, indicating a huge loss in glaciers. Furthermore, relationships between ELA and GMB and various climatic factors were established. Temperature and precipitation demonstrated a significantly negative correlation, whereas wind speed and snowy days had significantly positive correlations with GMB. Snowy days also exhibited a remarkably negative correlation with ELA. The strong warming trend and less snowy days were thought to be the main factors leading to glacial melting, whereas the increase in precipitation, and reductions of sunshine hours and wind speed might slow glacial melting.     

Spatial variability between glacier mass balance and environmental factors in the High Mountain Asia

High Mountain Asia (HMA) region contains the world's highest peaks and the largest concentration of glaciers except for the polar regions, making it sensitive to global climate change. In the context of global warming, most glaciers in the HMA show various degrees of negative mass balance, while some show positive or near-neutral balance. Many studies have reported that spatial heterogeneity in glacier mass balance is strongly related to a combination of climate parameters. However, this spatial heterogeneity may vary according to the dynamic patterns of climate change at regional or continental scale. The reasons for this may be related to non-climatic factors. To understand the mechanisms by which spatial heterogeneity forms, it is necessary to establish the relationships between glacier mass balance and environmental factors related to topography and morphology. In this study, climate, topography, morphology, and other environmental factors are investigated. Geodetector and linear regression analysis were used to explore the driving factors of spatial variability of glacier mass balance in the HMA by using elevation change data during 2000-2016. The results show that the coverage of supraglacial debris is an essential factor affecting the spatial heterogeneity of glacier mass balance, followed by climatic factors and topographic factors, especially the median elevation and slope in the HMA. There are some differences among mountain regions and the explanatory power of climatic factors on the spatial differentiation of glacier mass balance in each mountain region is weak, indicating that climatic background of each mountain region is similar. Therefore, under similar climatic backgrounds, the median elevation and slope are most correlated with glacier mass balance. The interaction of various factors is enhanced, but no unified interaction factor plays a primary role. Topographic and morphological factors also control the spatial heterogeneity of glacier mass balance by influencing its sensitivity to climate change. In conclusion, geodetector method provides an objective framework for revealing the factors controlling glacier mass balance.     

1973-2010年布喀塔格峰冰川波动对气候变化的响应

通过遥感图像处理技术和目视解译方法提取1973-2010年位于昆仑山中段的布喀塔格峰冰川界限,用GIS分析近37a冰川面积变化,并系统地研究其对气候变化的响应情况。结果表明:1973-2010年布喀塔格峰冰帽表现先扩大(1973-1976年)后退缩(1976-2010年)趋势,总面积缩小了5.42%,每年退缩0.14%。分析1960-2010年研究区的气候变化特征,发现布喀塔格峰冰帽退缩的关键因素是气候变暖,年降水量的增加不能够抵消由夏季温度剧烈上升导致的冰川消融率,并且地形条件、地理位置以及冰川规模都是影响冰川波动的重要因素。     

Spatial variability of glacial changes and their effects on water resources in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains during the last five decades

Changes in glaciers in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains have been analyzed previously. However, most previous studies focused on individual glaciers and/or decentralized glacial basins. Moreover, a majority of these studies were published only in Chinese, which limited their usefulness at the international level. With this in mind, the authors reviewed the previous studies to create an overview of glacial changes in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains over the last five decades and discussed the effects of glacial changes on water resources. In response to climate change, glaciers in the Tianshan Mountains are shrinking rapidly and are ca. 20% smaller on average in the past five decades. Overall, the area reduction of glacial basins in the central part of the Chinese Tianshan Mountains is larger than that in the eastern and western parts. The spatial differentiation in glacial changes are caused by both differences in regional climate and in glacial factors. The effects of glacial changes on water resources vary in different river basins due to the differences in glacier distribution, characteristics of glacial change and proportion of the glacier meltwater in river runoff.     

1976-2010年祁连山中段岗格尔肖合力雪山冰川退缩和气候变化的关系研究

运用最大似然监督分类法和比值阈值法（TM3/TM5）结合目视解译方法,从1976、1990、2001和2010的MSS、TM、ETM影像中提取了岗格尔肖合力雪山四个时段的冰川边界,并结合距其较近的托勒、野牛沟、祁连、德令哈和刚察5个气象站点1960-2010年年总降水量数据和年平均气温数据进行了分析,得到如下结论：1）...     

Spatiotemporal changes of typical glaciers and their responses to climate change in Xinjiang,Northwest China

Glaciers are highly sensitive to climate change and are undergoing significant changes in mid-latitudes. In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal changes of typical glaciers and their responses to climate change in the period of 1990-2015 in 4 different mountainous sub-regions in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of Northwest China: the Bogda Peak and Karlik Mountain sub-regions in the Tianshan Mountains; the Yinsugaiti Glacier sub-region in the Karakorum Mountains; and the Youyi Peak sub-region in the Altay Mountains. The standardized snow cover index (NDSI) and correlation analysis were used to reveal the glacier area changes in the 4 sub-regions from 1990 to 2015. Glacial areas in the Bogda Peak, Karlik Mountain, Yinsugaiti Glacier, and Youyi Peak sub-regions in the period of 1990-2015 decreased by 57.7, 369.1, 369.1, and 170.4 km², respectively. Analysis of glacier area center of gravity showed that quadrant changes of glacier areas in the 4 sub-regions moved towards the origin. Glacier area on the south aspect of the Karlik Mountain sub-region was larger than that on the north aspect, while glacier areas on the north aspect of the other 3 sub-regions were larger than those on the south aspect. Increased precipitation in the Karlik Mountain sub-region inhibited the retreat of glaciers to a certain extent. However, glacier area changes in the Bogda Peak and Youyi Peak sub-regions were not sensitive to the increased precipitation. On a seasonal time scale, glacier area changes in the Bogda Peak, Karlik Mountain, Yinsugaiti Glacier, and Youyi Peak sub-regions were mainly caused by accumulated temperature in the wet season; on an annual time scale, the correlation coefficient between glacier area and annual average temperature was -0.72 and passed the significance test at P<0.05 level in the Karlik Mountain sub-region. The findings of this study can provide a scientific basis for water resources management in the arid and semi-arid regions of Northwest China in the context of global warming.     

Ice thickness distribution and volume estimation of Burqin Glacier No. 18 in the Chinese Altay Mountains

Information on the thickness distribution and volume of glacier ice is highly important for glaciological applications; however, detailed measurements of the ice thickness of many glaciers in the Chinese Altay Mountains remain lacking. Burqin Glacier No. 18 is a northeast-orientated cirque glacier located on the southern side of the Altay Mountains. This study used PulseEKKO^® PRO 100A enhancement ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to survey the ice thickness and volume of Burqin Glacier No. 18 in summer 2018. Together with GPR surveying, spatial distributed profiles of the GPR measurements were concurrently surveyed using the real-time kinematic (RTK) global navigation satellite system (GNSS, Unistrong E650). Besides, we used QuickBird, WorldView-2, and Landsat TM to delineate accurate boundary of the glacier for undertaking estimation of glacier ice volume. GPR measurements revealed that the basal topography of profile B1-B2 was flat, the basal topography of profile C1-C2 presented a V-type form, and the basal topography of profile D1-D2 had a typical U-type topographic feature because the bedrock near the central elevation of the glacier was relatively flat. The longitudinal profile A1-A2 showed a ladder-like distribution. Glacier ice was thin at the terminus and its thickness increased gradually from the elevation of approximately 2620 m a.s.l. along the main axis of the glacier tongue with an average value of 80 (±1) m. The average ice thickness of the glacier was determined as 27 (±2) m and its total ice volume was estimated at 0.031 (±0.002) km³. Interpretation of remote sensing images indicated that during 1989-2016, the glacier area reduced from 1.30 to 1.17 km² (reduction of 0.37%/a) and the glacier terminus retreated at the rate of 8.48 m/a. The mean ice thickness of Burqin Glacier No. 18 was less than that of the majority of other observed glaciers in China, especially those in the Qilian Mountains and Central Chinese Tianshan Mountains; this is probably attributable to differences in glacier type and climatic setting.