Opportunities and Challenges Arising from Rapid Cryospheric Changes in the Southern Altai Mountains, China

Abstract

Optimizing the functions and services provided by the mountain cryosphere will maximize its benefits and minimize the negative impacts experienced by the populations that live and work in the cryosphere-fed regions. The high sensitivity of the mountain cryosphere to climate change highlights the importance of evaluating cryospheric changes and any cascading effects if we are to achieve regional sustainable development goals (SDGs). The southern Altai Mountains (SAM), which are located in the arid to semi-arid region of central Asia, are vulnerable to ecological and environmental changes as well as to developing economic activities in northern Xinjiang, China. Furthermore, cryospheric melting in the SAM serves as a major water resource for northeastern Kazakhstan. Here, we systematically investigate historical cryospheric changes and possible trends in the SAM and also discover the opportunities and challenges on regional water resources management arising from these changes. The warming climate and increased solid precipitation have led to inconsistent trends in the mountain cryosphere. For example, mountain glaciers, seasonally frozen ground (SFG), and river ice have followed significant shrinkage trends as evidenced by the accelerated glacier melt, shallowed freezing depth of SFG, and thinned river ice with shorter durations, respectively. In contrast, snow accumulation has increased during the cold season, but the duration of snow cover has remained stable because of the earlier onset of spring melting. The consequently earlier melt has changed the timing of surface runoff and water availability. Greater interannual fluctuations in snow cover have led to more frequent transitions between snow cover hazards (snowstorm and snowmelt flooding) and snow droughts, which pose challenges to hydropower, agriculture, aquatic life, the tail-end lake environment, fisheries, and transboundary water resource management. Increasing the reservoir capacity to regulate interannual water availability and decrease the risk associated with hydrological hazards related to extreme snowmelt may be an important supplement to the regulation and supply of cryospheric functions in a warmer climate.

Anthropogenic Impact on the Components of the Forest Ecosystem: On the Example of the Bayanaul State National Natural Park

“…The selected territories are mainly associations of Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.), with an admixture of aspen and birch. To assess natural and anthropogenic factors on forest ecosystems, generally accepted geobotanical and dendrochronological studies were used according to classical methods [7]. To determine the floral composition of phytocenoses, an herbarium was collected.…”

The sensitivity and evolutionary trajectory of the mountain cryosphere: Implications for mountain geomorphic systems and hazards

“…Several studies have specifically examined the relationships between permafrost properties and mass movement activity, identifying how spatial and temporal patterns of permafrost degradation are genetically linked to mass flow development (Gruber et al, 2017;Haeberli et al, 2017;Jiang et al, 2022;Sattler et al, 2011;Zhang et al, 2022).…”

“…For these reasons, lower elevation and warmer/thinner permafrost is the most sensitive to climate forcing, and it is in this region where mass movements are most likely to be generated (Scherler et al, 2013). Several studies have specifically examined the relationships between permafrost properties and mass movement activity, identifying how spatial and temporal patterns of permafrost degradation are genetically linked to mass flow development (Gruber et al, 2017; Haeberli et al, 2017; Jiang et al, 2022; Sattler et al, 2011; Zhang et al, 2022). However, individual mass flows have their trigger zones elevationally above the lowest limit of permafrost, suggesting a relationship to active layer depth (Sattler et al, 2011), and local feedbacks may also exist where headscarps can expose greater depths of permafrost to thaw (Jiang et al, 2022; Marcer et al, 2020).…”

“…Several studies highlight that land surface processes are strongly related to the cryosphere through the presence/absence of snow/ice cover over the land surface, or through the presence of subsurface permafrost (e.g., Gruber & Haeberli, 2007; Pohl et al, 2019; Ran et al, 2021; Sattler et al, 2011). Changes in snow/ice distributions over time and space, and changes in their properties such as thickness and temperature, have implications for land surface stability, sediment and water dynamics in mountain environments, and the generation of geohazards (e.g., Haeberli & Beniston, 1998; Huggel et al, 2012; Knight & Harrison, 2014; Lane et al, 2017; Mergili et al, 2012; Zhang et al, 2022). It is therefore relevant to consider in more detail the land surface process domains associated with the changing cryosphere in mountains, because this has implications for the workings of mountains systems in totality, including hazards, ecosystems, and human activity (Chakraborty, 2021; Knight, 2022), and for climate change adaptation and sustainable development (Marston, 2008; Muccione et al, 2016).…”

Diurnal Impact of Below-Cloud Evaporation on Isotope Compositions of Precipitation on the Southern Slope of the Altai Mountains, Central Asia

“…The Altai Mountains are a trans-national mountain range in arid central Asia, dominated by westerly moisture; they are a hot spot of modern climate [27,28] and paleoclimate studies [29,30]. Due to the arid land, moisture sources and hydrological resources are always practical topics for regional sustainability [31][32][33][34]. The stable water isotopes are a useful tool to understand hydrological circulation and water resource sustainability.…”