scholarly journals A doubling of glacier mass loss in the Karlik Range, easternmost Tien Shan, between the periods 1972–2000 and 2000–2015

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Zhujun Wan ◽  
Yetang Wang ◽  
Shugui Hou ◽  
Baojuan Huai ◽  
Qi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Regional Warming ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
X Band

Abstract Despite a number of studies reporting glacier extent changes and their response to climate change over the eastern Tien Shan, glacier mass-balance changes over multiple decades are still not well reconstructed. Here, glacier mass budgets on the Karlik Range, easternmost Tien Shan during the time spans of 1972–2000 and 2000–2015 are quantified using digital elevation models reconstructed from topographic maps, SRTM X-band radar data and ASTER images. The results exhibit significant glacier mass loss in the Karlik Range for the two time spans, with a mean mass loss of −0.19 ± 0.08 m w.e. a−1 for the 1972–2000 period and −0.45 ± 0.17 m w.e. a−1 for the 2000–2015 period. The doubling of mass loss over the latter period suggests an acceleration of glacier mass loss in the early 21st century. The accelerated mass loss is associated with regional warming whereas the decline in annual precipitation is not significant.

scholarly journals High Mountain Asian glacier response to climate revealed by multi-temporal satellite observations since the 1960s

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atanu Bhattacharya ◽  
Tobias Bolch ◽  
Kriti Mukherjee ◽  
Owen King ◽  
Brian Menounos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
River Flow ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Northern Tien Shan

AbstractKnowledge about the long-term response of High Mountain Asian glaciers to climatic variations is paramount because of their important role in sustaining Asian river flow. Here, a satellite-based time series of glacier mass balance for seven climatically different regions across High Mountain Asia since the 1960s shows that glacier mass loss rates have persistently increased at most sites. Regional glacier mass budgets ranged from −0.40 ± 0.07 m w.e.a−1 in Central and Northern Tien Shan to −0.06 ± 0.07 m w.e.a−1 in Eastern Pamir, with considerable temporal and spatial variability. Highest rates of mass loss occurred in Central Himalaya and Northern Tien Shan after 2015 and even in regions where glaciers were previously in balance with climate, such as Eastern Pamir, mass losses prevailed in recent years. An increase in summer temperature explains the long-term trend in mass loss and now appears to drive mass loss even in regions formerly sensitive to both temperature and precipitation.

scholarly journals Geodetic Mass Balance of Haxilegen Glacier No. 51, Eastern Tien Shan, from 1964 to 2018

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Chunhai Xu ◽  
Zhongqin Li ◽  
Feiteng Wang ◽  
Jianxin Mu ◽  
Xin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Topographic Map ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

The eastern Tien Shan hosts substantial mid-latitude glaciers, but in situ glacier mass balance records are extremely sparse. Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 (eastern Tien Shan, China) is one of the very few well-measured glaciers, and comprehensive glaciological measurements were implemented from 1999 to 2011 and re-established in 2017. Mass balance of Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 (1999–2015) has recently been reported, but the mass balance record has not extended to the period before 1999. Here, we used a 1:50,000-scale topographic map and long-range terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data to calculate the area, volume, and mass changes for Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 from 1964 to 2018. Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 lost 0.34 km2 (at a rate of 0.006 km2 a−1 or 0.42% a−1) of its area during the period 1964–2018. The glacier experienced clearly negative surface elevation changes and geodetic mass balance. Thinning occurred almost across the entire glacier surface, with a mean value of −0.43 ± 0.12 m a−1. The calculated average geodetic mass balance was −0.36 ± 0.12 m w.e. a−1. Without considering the error bounds of mass balance estimates, glacier mass loss over the past 50 years was in line with the observed and modeled mass balance (−0.37 ± 0.22 m w.e. a−1) that was published for short time intervals since 1999 but was slightly less negative than glacier mass loss in the entire eastern Tien Shan. Our results indicate that Riegl VZ®-6000 TLS can be widely used for mass balance measurements of unmonitored individual glaciers.

scholarly journals Glacier mass balance over the central Nyainqentanglha Range during recent decades derived from remote-sensing data

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (251) ◽  
pp. 422-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
KUNPENG WU ◽  
SHIYIN LIU ◽  
ZONGLI JIANG ◽  
JUNLI XU ◽  
JUNFENG WEI
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Elevation Model

ABSTRACTTo obtain information on changes in glacier mass balance in the central Nyainqentanglha Range, a comprehensive study was carried out based on digital-elevation models derived from the 1968 topographic maps, the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM (2000) and TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X (2013). Glacier area changes between 1968 and 2016 were derived from topographic maps and Landsat OLI images. This showed the area contained 715 glaciers, with an area of 1713.42 ± 51.82 km2, in 2016. Ice cover has been shrinking by 0.68 ± 0.05% a−1 since 1968. The glacier area covered by debris accounted for 11.9% of the total and decreased in the SE–NW directions. Using digital elevation model differencing and differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry, a significant mass loss of 0.46 ± 0.10 m w.e. a−1 has been recorded since 1968; mass losses accelerated from 0.42 ± 0.20 m w.e. a−1 to 0.60 ± 0.20 m w.e. a−1 between 1968–2000 and 2000–2013, with thinning noticeably greater on the debris-covered ice than the clean ice. Surface-elevation changes can be influenced by ice cliffs, as well as debris cover and land- or lake-terminating glaciers. Changes showed spatial and temporal heterogeneity and a substantial correlation with climate warming and decreased precipitation.

scholarly journals Brief communication: Unabated wastage of the Juneau and Stikine icefields (southeast Alaska) in the early 21<sup>st</sup> century

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne Berthier ◽  
Christopher Larsen ◽  
William Durkin ◽  
Michael Willis ◽  
Matthew Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Radar Signal ◽  
Srtm Dem ◽  
Laser Altimetry ◽  
Southeast Alaska ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
The North ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance

Abstract. The large Juneau and Stikine icefields (Alaska, JIF and SIF) lost mass rapidly in the second part of the 20th century. Laser altimetry, gravimetry and sparse field measurements suggest continuing mass loss in the early 21st century. However, two recent studies based on time series of SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models (DEMs) indicate a slowdown in mass loss after 2000. Here, the ASTER-based geodetic mass balance is recalculated, carefully avoiding the use of the SRTM DEM because of the unknown penetration depth of the C-Band radar signal. We find strongly negative mass balances from 2000 to 2016 (−0.68 ± 0.15 m w.e. a-1 for JIF and −0.83 ± 0.12 m w.e. a-1 for SIF), in agreement with laser altimetry, confirming that mass losses are continuing at unabated rates for both icefields. The SRTM DEM should be avoided or used very cautiously to estimate glacier volume change, especially in the North Hemisphere and over timescales of less than ~ 20 yrs.

scholarly journals Hydrometeorological, glaciological and geospatial research data from the Peyto Glacier Research Basin in the Canadian Rockies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2875-2894
Author(s):  
Dhiraj Pradhananga ◽  
John W. Pomeroy ◽  
Caroline Aubry-Wake ◽  
D. Scott Munro ◽  
Joseph Shea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Canadian Rockies ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Mountain Environment ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract. This paper presents hydrometeorological, glaciological and geospatial data from the Peyto Glacier Research Basin (PGRB) in the Canadian Rockies. Peyto Glacier has been of interest to glaciological and hydrological researchers since the 1960s, when it was chosen as one of five glacier basins in Canada for the study of mass and water balance during the International Hydrological Decade (IHD, 1965–1974). Intensive studies of the glacier and observations of the glacier mass balance continued after the IHD, when the initial seasonal meteorological stations were discontinued, then restarted as continuous stations in the late 1980s. The corresponding hydrometric observations were discontinued in 1977 and restarted in 2013. Datasets presented in this paper include high-resolution, co-registered digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from original air photos and lidar surveys; hourly off-glacier meteorological data recorded from 1987 to the present; precipitation data from the nearby Bow Summit weather station; and long-term hydrological and glaciological model forcing datasets derived from bias-corrected reanalysis products. These data are crucial for studying climate change and variability in the basin and understanding the hydrological responses of the basin to both glacier and climate change. The comprehensive dataset for the PGRB is a valuable and exceptionally long-standing testament to the impacts of climate change on the cryosphere in the high-mountain environment. The dataset is publicly available from Federated Research Data Repository at https://doi.org/10.20383/101.0259 (Pradhananga et al., 2020).

scholarly journals Glacier changes in the Karlik Shan, eastern Tien Shan, during 1971/72–2001/02

2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (53) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yetang Wang ◽  
Shugui Hou ◽  
Yaping Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Summer Temperature ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Topographic Maps ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Upward Trend ◽  
Glacier Changes

AbstractGlacier changes in the Karlik Shan, eastern Tien Shan, from 1971/72 to 2001/02 were monitored in this study. Topographic maps of 1 : 50 000 scale based on aerial photographs from 1971/72 and satellite images (Landsat TM, Landsat ETM+ and ASTER) from 1992, 2001 and 2002 were used to map glacier extent through a process of manual digitizing. The total glacier area decreased by 5.3% from 1971/72 to 2001/02. The rate of glacier area shrinkage was 0.13% a–1 between 1972 and 1992, but it was 0.27% a–1 from 1992 to 2001/02, suggesting accelerated glacier retreat in recent decades. Glacier changes in the region are a response to summer temperature increase. Annual precipitation also showed an upward trend, but this could not compensate for the mass loss due to ablation.

scholarly journals Glacier elevation and mass changes in Himalayas during 2000–2014

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debmita Bandyopadhyay ◽  
Gulab Singh ◽  
Anil V. Kulkarni
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Jammu And Kashmir ◽  
Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry ◽  
Himalayan Glaciers ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Year 2000

Abstract. Glacier mass balance is a crucial parameter to understand the changes in glaciers. For the Himalayas, it is more complex as glaciers have a heterogeneous pattern of elevation and mass changes. In this study, mass balance using geodetic method is estimated, for which we utilize SRTM and TanDEM-X global digital elevation models (DEMs) of the year 2000 and 2012–2014 respectively. The unique feature of this study is that the dataset are prepared using repeat bistatic synthetic aperture radar interferometry which has not been used over the rugged Himalayan terrains on such a large-scale. The elevation and mass change measurements cover seven states namely Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. The mean elevation change is −0.45 ± 0.40 m yr−1 and the mass budget is −11.24 ± 0.79 Gt yr−1. However, the cumulative mass loss over the observation period of 2000–2014 is −154.72 ± 19.04 Gt which accounts for approximately 5 % of the total ice-mass present in the Indian Himalayas. This ice-mass loss contributes to 0.42 ± 0.05 mm of sea-level rise. Validation of the mass balance estimate over 20 glaciers for which long-term ground observations were reported gave a coefficient of correlation of 0.79. These 20 glaciers are spread over the entire region of study. Such information shall be helpful in updating the current sparse database we have for the Himalayan glaciers and act as a piece of reliable information for developing various glacier-climate models in the near future.

scholarly journals Multi-decadal mass balance series of three Kyrgyz glaciers inferred from transient snowline observations

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Barandun ◽  
Matthias Huss ◽  
Etienne Berthier ◽  
Andreas Kääb ◽  
Erlan Azisov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
The Past ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Pamir Mountains ◽  
Continuous Mass

Abstract. Glacier mass balance observations in the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains are sparse and often discontinuous. Nevertheless, glaciers are one of the most important components of the high-mountain cryosphere in the region; they strongly influence water availability in the arid, continental and intensely populated downstream areas. This study provides reliable and continuous mass balance series for selected glaciers located in the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay. A combination of three independent methods was used to reconstruct for the past two decades the mass balance of the three benchmark glaciers, Abramov, Golubin and No. 354. By applying different approaches, it was possible to compensate for the limitations and shortcomings of each individual method. This study proposes the use of transient snowline observations throughout the melting season obtained from satellite imagery and terrestrial automatic cameras. By combining modelling with remotely acquired information on summer snow depletion, it was possible to infer glacier mass changes for unmeasured years. Multi-annual mass changes based on high accuracy digital elevation models and in situ glaciological surveys were used to validate the results for the investigated glaciers. Substantial mass loss was confirmed for the three studied glaciers by all three methods, ranging from −0.30 ± 0.19 m w. e. a−1 to −0.41 ± 0.33 m w. e. a−1 over the 2004–2016 period. Our results indicate that integration of snowline observations into mass balance modelling significantly narrows the uncertainty ranges of the estimates, and hence highlights the potential of the methodology for application to inaccessible glaciers at larger scales for which no direct measurements are available.

scholarly journals Recent glacier mass balance and area changes in the Kangri Karpo Mountain derived from multi-sources of DEMs and glacier inventories

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Kunpeng ◽  
Liu Shiyin ◽  
Jiang Zongli ◽  
Xu Junli ◽  
Wei Junfeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Shuttle Radar Topography Mission ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Increase Risk ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Length Changes ◽  
Global Mean Sea Level

Abstract. Due to the effect of Indian monsoon, the Kangri Karpo Mountain, located in southeast Tibetan Plateau, is the most humid region of Tibetan Plateau, and become one of the most important and concentrated regions with maritime (temperate) glaciers development. Glacier mass loss in Kangri Karpo Mountain is important contributor to global mean sea level rise, and it change runoff distribution, increase risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). Because of their difficult accessibility and high labor costs, the knowledge of glaciological parameters of glaciers in the Kangri Karpo Mountain is still limited. This study presents glacier elevation changes in the Kangri Karpo Mountain, by utilizing geodetic methods based on digital elevation models (DEM) derived from Topographic Maps (1980), the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM (2000), and TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X (2014). Glacier area and length changes were derived from Topographical Maps and Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI images between 1980 and 2015. Our results show that the Kangri Karpo Mountain contains 1166 glaciers, with an area of 2048.50 ± 48.65 km2 in 2015. Ice cover in the Kangri Karpo Mountain diminished by 679.51 ± 59.49 km2 (24.9 % ± 2.2 %) or 0.71 % ± 0.06 % a-1 from 1980–2015, however, with nine glaciers in advance from 1980–2015. Glaciers with area of 788.28 km2 in the region, as derived from DEM differencing, have experienced a mean mass deficit of 0.46 ± 0.08 m w.e. a-1 from 1980–2014. These glaciers showed slight accelerated shrinkage and significant accelerated mass loss during 2000–2015 compared to that during 1980–2000, which is consistent with the tendency of climate warming.

scholarly journals Energy balance model of mass balance and its sensitivity to meteorological variability on Urumqi River Glacier No.1 in the Chinese Tien Shan

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjun Che ◽  
Mingjun Zhang ◽  
Zhongqin Li ◽  
Yanqiang Wei ◽  
Zhuotong Nan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Shortwave Radiation ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality

Abstract Energy exchanges between atmosphere and glacier surface control the net energy available for snow and ice melt. Based on the meteorological records in Urumqi River Glacier No.1 (URGN1) in the Chinese Tien Shan during the period of 2012–2015, an energy-mass balance model was run to assess the sensitivity of glacier mass balance to air temperature (T), precipitation (P), incoming shortwave radiation (Sin), relative humidity (RH), and wind speed (u) in the URGN1, respectively. The results showed that the glacier melting was mainly controlled by the net shortwave radiation. The glacier mass balance was very sensitivity to albedo for snow and the time scale determining how long the snow albedo approaches the albedo for firn after a snowfall. The net annual mass balance of URGN1 was decreased by 0.44 m w.e. when increased by 1 K in air temperature, while it was increased 0.30 m w.e. when decreased by 1 K. The net total mass balance increased by 0.55 m w.e. when increased precipitation by 10%, while it was decreased by 0.61 m w.e. when decreased precipitation by 10%. We also found that the change in glacier mass balance was non-linear when increased or decreased input condition of climate change. The sensitivity of mass balance to increase in Sin, u, and RH were at −0.015 m w.e.%−1, −0.020 m w.e.%−1, and −0.018 m w.e.%−1, respectively, while they were at 0.012 m w.e.%−1, 0.027 m w.e.%−1, and 0.017 m w.e.%−1 when decreasing in those conditions, respectively. In addition, the simulations of coupled perturbation for temperature and precipitation indicated that the precipitation needed to increase by 23% could justly compensate to the additional mass loss due to increase by 1 K in air temperature. We also found that the sensitivities of glacier mass balance in response to climate change were different in different mountain ranges, which were mainly resulted from the discrepancies in the ratio of snowfall to precipitation during the ablation season, the amount of melt energy during the ablation season, and precipitation seasonality in the different local regions.

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