2018
DOI: 10.1017/jog.2018.16
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Reconstruction of the mass balance of Muztag Ata No. 15 glacier, eastern Pamir, and its climatic drivers

Abstract: ABSTRACT. The mass-balance of Muztag Ata No. 15 (MZ15) glacier in the eastern Pamir is reconstructed between 1980 and 2012 using an energy-based mass-balance model. The results show that this glacier has been characterized by obvious interannual mass-balance changes during 1980-2012 with a slightly positive mass balance during 1998-2012. Precipitation in the ablation season is a primary driver of these mass-balance fluctuations. Distinct changes in the mass-balance of MZ15 glacier between 1980-1997 and 1998-2… Show more

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Cited by 30 publications
(37 citation statements)
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“…Despite the model's simplicity and the use of monthly time series of temperature and precipitation, the reconstructed mass balance time series of Muztag Ata glacier in Pamir and Zhangdang in the Nyainqêntanglha agree with the mass balance time series simulated with an energy balance [53,67] (see Supplementary Figures S1 and S2 for more details). In general, a temperature index model performs better on glaciers whose ablation is dominated by melt rather than sublimation.…”
Section: Uncertainties In the Modeled Mass Balance And Sensitivitymentioning
confidence: 79%
See 1 more Smart Citation
“…Despite the model's simplicity and the use of monthly time series of temperature and precipitation, the reconstructed mass balance time series of Muztag Ata glacier in Pamir and Zhangdang in the Nyainqêntanglha agree with the mass balance time series simulated with an energy balance [53,67] (see Supplementary Figures S1 and S2 for more details). In general, a temperature index model performs better on glaciers whose ablation is dominated by melt rather than sublimation.…”
Section: Uncertainties In the Modeled Mass Balance And Sensitivitymentioning
confidence: 79%
“…The spatial pattern of the degree-day factors is consistent with the patterns found in previous studies [52], highlighting the heterogeneity in the glacier ablation potential across the region. In the maritime climatice setting under the influence of Indian monsoon, the degree-day factors are large and the glacier mass loss is dominated by melting, while in the arid and cold environment dominated by westerlies, the degree-day factors are small and the glacier mass loss is controlled by sublimation [18,53,54]. In order to provide a physics-based explanation for the glacier-to-glacier variability in the degree-days factors, one would need to look into the surface energy balance of each glacier [53], which is beyond the scope of this study.…”
Section: Factors Influencing Temperature Sensitivitymentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Tibetan Plateau glaciers, which are known to be sensitive to climate variability, play a vital role in regulating streamflow in headwater systems of a number of large Asian river basins (Yao et al, ; L. L. Zhang et al, ; Zhu et al, ; Gao et al, ). Being impacted by climate change (e.g., regional warming or fluctuations in precipitation), most glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau and the Tian Shan mountain ranges have undergone a loss in glacier mass balance over the past 30 years with the exception of a number of glaciers in eastern Pamir, the northern region of the Karakoram, and the western region of the Kunlun Mountains (Gardelle et al, ; Lin et al, ; Sorg et al, ; Yao et al, ).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In this context, glacial models play a vital role in reconstructing long‐term glacier mass balances as well as allowing for the analysis of causes related to mass balance change. For example, a number of studies have reconstructed mass balance series using the empirically based degree‐day approach over approximately five decades in the northern (Wang et al, ), southern (Caidong & Sorteberg, ), and central Tibetan Plateau regions (Gao et al, ), or by using physically based energy balance models, but only over the past two decades on Pamir (Zhu et al, ). Compared to the ] ?>degree‐day] ?> approach, the physical process‐based distributed surface energy balance model (DSEBM) can determine the most important atmospheric variables and water balance components both temporally and spatially as well as the key locations that should be monitored (Pellicciotti et al, 2004).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Lastly but most important, glacier mass balance status is discussed, based on an analysis of more recent research and meteorological data, to understand if the glacier mass loss has been increasing or decreasing in recent years. To date, glaciers in Xinjiang have been investigated broadly in various ways such as long term station-based monitoring for a single glacier [12][13][14], short term field investigation for some glaciers [15][16][17][18], and remote sensing retrieval for a basin or a mountain region [19][20][21]. Part of glacier changes in Xinjiang are also involved in some larger scale investigations, such as on High Mountain Asia [6,[22][23][24][25], on the Tibetan Plateau [26] and Tien Shan ranges [9].…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%