Stable-isotope time series and precipitation origin from firn-core and snow samples, Altai glaciers, Siberia

Geo-informational simulation of possible changes in Central Asian water resources

“…This result agrees with our analysis of stable isotope records obtained from the central Asian ice cores (Aizen et al, 2005), which revealed that a considerable amount of accumulated precipitation (more than half) in the high altitudes of central Asian glaciers was re-evaporated from internal moisture sources. Therefore, we propose that central Asia is a self-regulating system, where natural processes maintain the system in a steady state, so an increase of air temperature causes increased internal evapotranspiration with consequent intensifying of re-evaporated moisture precipitated in high mountains that should, as result, suppress the increased air temperature.…”

Isotopic and Elemental Changes in Winter Snow Accumulation on Glaciers in the Southern Alps of New Zealand

“…However, other environments have also been studied, including tropical glaciers (Thompson et al 2000;Ginot et al 2002) and glaciers at high-altitude sites, for example, the Altai Mountains (Aizen et al 2005), Siberia; Yukon Territory, Canada (Holdsworth and Krouse 2002;Fisher et al 2008); and the Himalaya Mountains, north-central Asia (Kaspari et al 2008). Even sites at lower elevation with melting, for example, the Canadian Arctic, have been found to contain important climate information (Fisher et al 1998;Goto-Azuma et al 2002).…”

Atmospheric circulation change in the central Himalayas indicated by a high-resolution ice core deuterium excess record

“…The air mass for winter/ spring snowfall is carried by winter westerlies, with the moisture most likely originating from the northern Atlantic Ocean and augmented by evaporation from the Medi terranean Sea (Med), the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and Aral Sea (Fig. 1a) (Thompson et al 2000, Aizen et al 2005. However, while being transported eastward, these air masses may have experienced strong kinetic fractionation because of dry climatic conditions during the winter/ spring season.…”

“…However, only a few studies have so far addressed d from ice cores in nonpolar regions (Schotterer et al 1997, Kreutz et al 2003, Ramirez et al 2003, Aizen et al 2005, Vimeux et al 2008. Notably, a decadal resolution d profile obtained from the Dasuopu ice core from the Himalayas (Thompson et al 2000) is the single long term (AD 1000 to 2000) record for this re gion.…”