Changes in glacier mass in the Lenglongling Mountains from 1972 to 2016 based on remote sensing data and modeling

Cao, Bo; Pan, Baotian; Wen, Zhenling; Guan, Weijin; Li, Kaiji

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124010

Cited by 24 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Pan et al [40] and Cao et al [41,43,46] documented that glacier shrinkage in this study area can probably be attributed to the increase in air temperature. According to the datasets recorded at the Menyuan meteorological station (2924 m asl) located 20 km away from the NC01 glacier, the summer (JJA) air temperatures in 2018, 2019, and 2020 were 14.0 °C, 12.4 °C, and 12.2 °C, respectively, which were significantly higher than the mean values from 1972-2010 [46].…”

Section: Factors Influencing Glacier Changesmentioning

confidence: 55%

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High-Resolution Monitoring of Glacier Mass Balance and Dynamics with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Ningchan No. 1 Glacier in the Qilian Mountains, China

Cao

Guan

et al. 2021

Remote Sensing

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Glaciers located in the Qilian Mountains are rapidly retreating and thinning due to climate change. The current understanding of small glacier mass balance changes under a changing climate is limited by the scarcity of in situ measurements in both time and space as well as the resolution of remote sensing products. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide an unparalleled opportunity to track the spatiotemporal variations in glacier extent at a high resolution and the changing glacier morphological features related to glacial dynamics. Five measurements were performed on the Ningchan No. 1 (NC01) glacier in the Qilian Mountains between 18 August 2017 and 13 August 2020. The glacier changes displayed in the digital orthophoto maps (DOMs) and digital surface models (DSMs) show a 7.4 ± 0.1 m a−1 retreat of the terminus of NC01, a mass balance of −1.22 ± 0.1 m w.e. a−1 from 2017 to 2020, and a maximum surface velocity of 3.2 ± 0.47 m from 18 August 2017 to 26 August 2018, which clearly show consistency with stake measurements. The surface elevation change was influenced by the combined effects of air temperature, altitude, slope, and surface velocity. This research demonstrates that UAV photogrammetry can greatly improve the temporal and spatial resolution of glaciological research.

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Section: Factors Influencing Glacier Changesmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Changes in the glaciers in the Qilian Mountains indicate a sensitive response to climate variation [39][40][41][42][43]. In recent years, glaciers in the Qilian Mountains have been quickly retreating, which may have affected the water resources in the Hexi Corridor [40,44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High-Resolution Monitoring of Glacier Mass Balance and Dynamics with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Ningchan No. 1 Glacier in the Qilian Mountains, China

Cao

Guan

et al. 2021

Remote Sensing

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“…As a consequence of global warming, mountains glaciers worldwide including ice caps, valley and cirque glaciers are undergoing a trajectory of enhanced melt and thus negative mass balance over recent decades ( e.g ., Cogley, 2016 ; Azam et al, 2018 ; Cao et al, 2019 ; Ding et al, 2020 ). The result of this can be seen through (1) long-term changes in glacier area or spatial extent; (2) changes in glacier volume as expressed through mass balance; and/or (3) changes in glacier dynamics, as evidenced by oscillations of the glacier margin.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientists’ warning of the impacts of climate change on mountains

Knight¹

2022

PeerJ

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Mountains are highly diverse in areal extent, geological and climatic context, ecosystems and human activity. As such, mountain environments worldwide are particularly sensitive to the effects of anthropogenic climate change (global warming) as a result of their unique heat balance properties and the presence of climatically-sensitive snow, ice, permafrost and ecosystems. Consequently, mountain systems—in particular cryospheric ones—are currently undergoing unprecedented changes in the Anthropocene. This study identifies and discusses four of the major properties of mountains upon which anthropogenic climate change can impact, and indeed is already doing so. These properties are: the changing mountain cryosphere of glaciers and permafrost; mountain hazards and risk; mountain ecosystems and their services; and mountain communities and infrastructure. It is notable that changes in these different mountain properties do not follow a predictable trajectory of evolution in response to anthropogenic climate change. This demonstrates that different elements of mountain systems exhibit different sensitivities to forcing. The interconnections between these different properties highlight that mountains should be considered as integrated biophysical systems, of which human activity is part. Interrelationships between these mountain properties are discussed through a model of mountain socio-biophysical systems, which provides a framework for examining climate impacts and vulnerabilities. Managing the risks associated with ongoing climate change in mountains requires an integrated approach to climate change impacts monitoring and management.

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“…Changes in glacier surface elevation in the WKM indicated that the glaciers were relatively stable overall from 1970 to 2016, with a rate of −0.04 ± 0.02 m a −1 (Figure 6a). Glacial thinning is generally at its maximum (minimum) at lower (higher) elevations (Cao et al., 2019). Among the 21 selected glaciers, eight exhibited this melting pattern during both 1970–2000 and 2000–2016.…”

Section: Results and Interpretationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Updated Surge‐Type Glacier Inventory in the West Kunlun Mountains, Tibetan Plateau, and Implications for Glacier Change

et al. 2021

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Glacier surging is a dynamic instability that affects the flow of some glaciers, modifying the glacier area, surface velocity, and surface elevation. It is also among the major causes of ice dams and glacier lake floods. Previous studies have shown that in the West Kunlun Mountains| (WKM) where a cluster of surge‐type glaciers had been found, the glaciers were relatively stable in recent years. Nevertheless, the surge cycle and its impact on glacier changes on a regional scale are poorly understood. In this study, we updated the surge‐type glacier inventory of the WKM using the detailed changes in glacier length, surface velocity, and surface elevation during the 1972–2020 period using 78 Landsat optical images, 86 Sentinel‐1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, and three digital elevation models of the WKM. The updated results show that among the 423 glaciers in the WKM, 10 are confirmed as surge‐type glaciers, three are likely surge‐type glaciers, and five are possible surge‐type glaciers. Furthermore, these 18 glaciers account for 63% of the total glacier area. During the period analyzed, there were marked changes in the lengths, areas and surface elevations of all surge‐type glaciers, while those of the non‐surge‐type glaciers were relatively stable. These results appear to indicate that the observed regional trends of glaciers in the WKM recently may be related to the existence of surge‐type glaciers. Furthermore, the surge‐type glacier underwent advance after accelerating for 3–4 years, which could be used to forecast when glacier termini may advance and avoid the possible catastrophic damages.

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Changes in glacier mass in the Lenglongling Mountains from 1972 to 2016 based on remote sensing data and modeling

Cited by 24 publications

References 55 publications

High-Resolution Monitoring of Glacier Mass Balance and Dynamics with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Ningchan No. 1 Glacier in the Qilian Mountains, China

High-Resolution Monitoring of Glacier Mass Balance and Dynamics with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles on the Ningchan No. 1 Glacier in the Qilian Mountains, China

Scientists’ warning of the impacts of climate change on mountains

Updated Surge‐Type Glacier Inventory in the West Kunlun Mountains, Tibetan Plateau, and Implications for Glacier Change

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