Catchment-scale reconstruction of glacier mass balance using observations and global climate data: Case study of the Hailuogou catchment, south-eastern Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACTCryoconite is a dark-coloured granular sediment that contains biological and mineralogical components, and it plays a pivotal role in geochemistry, carbon cycling and glacier mass balance. In this work, we collected cryoconite samples from Laohugou Glacier No. 12 (LHG) on the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau during the summer of 2015 and measured the spectral albedo. To explore the impacts of this sediment on surface ablation, the ice melting differences between the cryoconite-free (removed) ice and the intact layers were compared. The results showed that the mean concentrations of black carbon (BC), organic carbon (OC) and total iron (Fe) in the LHG cryoconite were 1.28, 11.18 and 39.94 mg g−1, respectively. BC was found to play a stronger role in solar light adsorption than OC and free Fe. In addition, ice covered by cryoconite exhibited the lowest mean reflectance (i.e., <0.1). Compared with the cryoconite-free ice surface, cryoconite effectively absorbed solar energy and enhanced glacial melting at a rate of 2.27–3.28 cm d−1, and free Fe, BC and OC were estimated to contribute 1.01, 0.99 and 0.76 cm d−1, respectively. This study provides important insights for understanding the role of cryoconite in the glacier mass balance of the northern Tibetan Plateau.

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Impact of future loss of glaciers on precipitation pattern: A case study from south-eastern Tibetan Plateau

Atmospheric Research ◽

10.1016/j.atmosres.2020.104984 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 242 ◽

pp. 104984 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liying Ren ◽

Keqin Duan ◽

Rui Xin

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Precipitation Pattern ◽

Eastern Tibetan Plateau ◽

South Eastern ◽

Future Loss

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Predictions of changes of glacier mass balance in the Nepal Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau: a case study of air temperature increase for three glaciers

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/1992aog16-1-89-94 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 89-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Yutaka Ageta ◽

Tsutomu Kadota

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Equilibrium State ◽

Mass Balance ◽

Air Temperature ◽

High Mountain ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Nepal Himalaya ◽

Ice Cap

Annual mass exchange differs between maritime and continental glaciers. A common characteristic of these glaciers in Asian high-mountain areas is that most of the annual accumulation occurs in summer. Since variations in mass balance of a summer-accumulation type of glacier are quite sensitive to variations in summer air temperature, shrinkages of such glaciers due to climate warming are predicted by the use of simplified experimental relations between air temperature and mass balance, disregarding variation of other climatic variables such as cloudiness and precipitation. The results predict that both small and large maritime glaciers are more sensitive to warming than a continental ice cap. A small glacier would disappear in a few decades if the air temperature persisted a few degrees above that of an equilibrium state of mass balance.

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Predictions of changes of glacier mass balance in the Nepal Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau: a case study of air temperature increase for three glaciers

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0260305500004870 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 89-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Yutaka Ageta ◽

Tsutomu Kadota

Keyword(s):

Tibetan Plateau ◽

Equilibrium State ◽

Mass Balance ◽

Air Temperature ◽

High Mountain ◽

Glacier Mass Balance ◽

Mountain Areas ◽

Nepal Himalaya ◽

Ice Cap

Annual mass exchange differs between maritime and continental glaciers. A common characteristic of these glaciers in Asian high-mountain areas is that most of the annual accumulation occurs in summer. Since variations in mass balance of a summer-accumulation type of glacier are quite sensitive to variations in summer air temperature, shrinkages of such glaciers due to climate warming are predicted by the use of simplified experimental relations between air temperature and mass balance, disregarding variation of other climatic variables such as cloudiness and precipitation. The results predict that both small and large maritime glaciers are more sensitive to warming than a continental ice cap. A small glacier would disappear in a few decades if the air temperature persisted a few degrees above that of an equilibrium state of mass balance.

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