scholarly journals Estimating the longevity of glaciers in the Xinjiang region of the Tian Shan through observations of glacier area change since the Little Ice Age using high-resolution imagery

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (257) ◽  
pp. 471-484
Author(s):  
Julia Liu ◽  
Daniel E. Lawson ◽  
Robert L. Hawley ◽  
Jonathan Chipman ◽  
Brian Tracy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Relative Loss ◽  
High Resolution Imagery ◽  
High Resolution Satellite Imagery ◽  
Kaidu River ◽  
Tian Shan

AbstractGlacial retreat in response to warming climates in the arid Xinjiang region of northwestern China directly impacts downstream water resources available for local communities. We used high-resolution satellite imagery from 1969 to 2014 to delineate spatial changes in 54 active glaciers in the upper Kaidu River Basin in the Tian Shan as well as their past expanses during the Little Ice Age (LIA). We manually delineated their boundaries based on the interpretation of glacial, geomorphic and topographic features. From the total glacier surface area, we estimated glacier volume and mass. From 1969 to 2014, glacier area decreased by 10.1 ± 1.0 km2 (relative loss of 34.2 ± 3.5%) and mass by 1.025 ± 0.108 Gt (relative loss of 43 ± 4.6%). From the LIA maximum (est. 1586 CE) to 1969, relative losses were less (25.7 ± 4.3% area loss and 33.1 ± 5.7% mass loss). Our results indicate that glacier recession is accelerating over time and that the glaciers are currently losing over 1.5 times more relative area than elsewhere in the Tian Shan. Using linear and non-linear projections, we estimate that these glaciers may disappear between 2050 and 2150 CE if climatic warming continues at the same pace.

scholarly journals Tracing glacier changes in Austria from the Little Ice Age to the present using a lidar-based high-resolution glacier inventory in Austria

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 753-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fischer ◽  
B. Seiser ◽  
M. Stocker Waldhuber ◽  
C. Mitterer ◽  
J. Abermann
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Relative Area ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Glacier Inventory ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Glacier Changes ◽  
The Mean

Abstract. Glacier inventories provide the basis for further studies on mass balance and volume change, relevant for local hydrological issues as well as for global calculation of sea level rise. In this study, a new Austrian glacier inventory has been compiled, updating data from 1969 (GI 1) and 1998 (GI 2) based on high-resolution lidar digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthophotos dating from 2004 to 2012 (GI 3). To expand the time series of digital glacier inventories in the past, the glacier outlines of the Little Ice Age maximum state (LIA) have been digitalized based on the lidar DEM and orthophotos. The resulting glacier area for GI 3 of 415.11 ± 11.18 km2 is 44% of the LIA area. The annual relative area losses are 0.3% yr−1 for the ~119-year period GI LIA to GI 1 with one period with major glacier advances in the 1920s. From GI 1 to GI 2 (29 years, one advance period of variable length in the 1980s) glacier area decreased by 0.6% yr−1 and from GI 2 to GI 3 (10 years, no advance period) by 1.2% yr−1. Regional variability of the annual relative area loss is highest in the latest period, ranging from 0.3 to 6.19% yr−1. The mean glacier size decreased from 0.69 km2 (GI 1) to 0.46 km2 (GI 3), with 47% of the glaciers being smaller than 0.1 km2 in GI 3 (22%).

scholarly journals Tracing glacial disintegration from the LIA to the present using a LIDAR-based hi-res glacier inventory

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 5195-5226 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fischer ◽  
B. Seiser ◽  
M. Stocker-Waldhuber ◽  
C. Mitterer ◽  
J. Abermann
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Glacier Inventory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Lidar Dem

Abstract. Glacier inventories provide the basis for further studies on mass balance and volume change, relevant for local hydrological issues as well as for global calculation of sea level rise. In this study, a new Austrian glacier inventory updating data from 1969 (GI I) and 1998 (GI II) has been compiled, based on high resolution LiDAR DEMs and orthophotos dating from 2004 to 2011 (GI III). To expand the time series of digital glacier inventories in the past, the glacier inventory of the Little Ice Age maximum state (LIA) has been digitalized based on the LiDAR DEM. The resulting glacier area for GI III of 415.11 ± 11.18 km2 is 44% of the LIA area. The area losses show high regional variability, ranging from 11% annual relative loss to less than 1% for the latest period. The glacier sizes reduced from LIA to the latest period, so that in GI III 47% of the glaciers' areas are smaller than 0.1 km2.

scholarly journals Climate Variability in Central Europe during the Last 2500 Years Reconstructed from Four High-Resolution Multi-Proxy Speleothem Records

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Sarah Waltgenbach ◽  
Dana F. C. Riechelmann ◽  
Christoph Spötl ◽  
Klaus P. Jochum ◽  
Jens Fohlmeister ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Medieval Warm Period ◽  
Warm Period ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Cold Period ◽  
Cave System ◽  
Dark Ages

The Late Holocene was characterized by several centennial-scale climate oscillations including the Roman Warm Period, the Dark Ages Cold Period, the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. The detection and investigation of such climate anomalies requires paleoclimate archives with an accurate chronology as well as a high temporal resolution. Here, we present 230Th/U-dated high-resolution multi-proxy records (δ13C, δ18O and trace elements) for the last 2500 years of four speleothems from Bunker Cave and the Herbstlabyrinth cave system in Germany. The multi-proxy data of all four speleothems show evidence of two warm and two cold phases during the last 2500 years, which coincide with the Roman Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period, as well as the Dark Ages Cold Period and the Little Ice Age, respectively. During these four cold and warm periods, the δ18O and δ13C records of all four speleothems and the Mg concentration of the speleothems Bu4 (Bunker Cave) and TV1 (Herbstlabyrinth cave system) show common features and are thus interpreted to be related to past climate variability. Comparison with other paleoclimate records suggests a strong influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation at the two caves sites, which is reflected by warm and humid conditions during the Roman Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period, and cold and dry climate during the Dark Ages Cold period and the Little Ice Age. The Mg records of speleothems Bu1 (Bunker Cave) and NG01 (Herbstlabyrinth) as well as the inconsistent patterns of Sr, Ba and P suggests that the processes controlling the abundance of these trace elements are dominated by site-specific effects rather than being related to supra-regional climate variability.

scholarly journals High‐resolution proglacial lake records of pre‐Little Ice Age glacier advance, northeast Greenland

Boreas ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Adamson ◽  
Timothy Lane ◽  
Matthew Carney ◽  
Thomas Bishop ◽  
Cathy Delaney
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Proglacial Lake ◽  
Glacier Advance

Recent, rapid and profound changes to glacier morphology and dynamics, Juneau Icefield, Alaska

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethan Davies ◽  
Jacob Bendle ◽  
Robert McNabb ◽  
Jonathan Carrivick ◽  
Christopher McNeil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Regional Warming ◽  
Geomorphological Mapping ◽  
Glacier Recession ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
High Resolution Satellite Imagery ◽  
Global Sea Level

<p>The Alaskan region (comprising glaciers in Alaska, British Columbia and Yukon) contains the third largest ice volume outside of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and contributes more to global sea level rise than any other glacierised region defined by the Randolph Glacier Inventory. However, ice loss in this area is not linear, but in part controlled by glacier hypsometry as valley and outlet glaciers are at risk of becoming detached from their accumulation areas during thinning. Plateau icefields, such as Juneau Icefield in Alaska, are very sensitive to changes in Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) as this can result in rapidly shrinking accumulation areas. Here, we present detailed geomorphological mapping around Juneau Icefield and use this data to reconstruct the icefield during the “Little Ice Age”. We use topographic maps, archival aerial photographs, high-resolution satellite imagery and digital elevation models to map glacier lake and glacier area and volume change from the Little Ice Age to the present day (1770, 1948, 1979, 1990, 2005, 2015 and 2019 AD). Structural glaciological mapping (1979 and 2019) highlights structural and topographic controls on non-linear glacier recession.  Our data shows pronounced glacier thinning and recession in response to widespread detachment of outlet glaciers from their plateau accumulation areas. Glacier detachments became common after 2005, and occurred with increasing frequency since then. Total summed rates of area change increased eightfold from 1770-1948 (-6.14 km<sup>2</sup> a<sup>-1</sup>) to 2015-2019 (-45.23 km<sup>2</sup> a<sup>-1</sup>). Total rates of recession were consistent from 1770 to 1990 AD, and grew increasingly rapid after 2005, in line with regional warming.</p>

scholarly journals Climate and social change at the start of the Late Antique Little Ice Age

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1643-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter N Peregrine
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Social Disruption ◽  
Epidemic Disease ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
The Relationship

The Late Antique Little Ice Age, spanning the period from 536 CE to roughly 560 CE, saw temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere drop by a degree C in less than a decade. This rapid cooling is thought to have caused widespread famine, epidemic disease, and social disruption. The relationship between cooling and social disruption is examined here using a set of high-resolution climate and historical data. A significant link between cooling and social disruption is demonstrated, but it is also demonstrated that the link is highly variable, with some societies experiencing dramatic cooling changing very little, and others experiencing only slight cooling changing dramatically. This points to variation in vulnerability, and serves to establish the Late Antique Little Ice Age as a context within which naturalistic quasi-experiments on vulnerability to climate change might be conducted.

Drastic glacier retreat at Pico de Orizaba (19º N, Mexico) since the Little Ice Age

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Alcalá Reygosa ◽  
Néstor Campos ◽  
Melaine Le Roy ◽  
Bijeesh Kozhikkodan Veettil ◽  
Adam Emmer
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Physical Geography ◽  
Glacier Retreat ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Glacier Area ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Bolivian Andes ◽  
The Alps

<p>The Little Ice Age (LIA) occurred between CE 1250 and 1850 and is considered a period of moderate cold conditions, especially recorded in the northern hemisphere. Numerous recent studies provide robust evidence of glacier advances worldwide during the LIA and a dramatic retreat since then. These studies combined investigation of moraine records, paintings, topographical and glaciological measurements as well as multitemporal aerial and terrestrial photographs and satellite images. For instance, post-LIA glaciers retreat amounts ~60 % in the Alps (Paul et al., 2020), ~88 % in the Pyrenees (Rico et al., 2016) and 89 % in the Bolivian Andes (Ramírez et al., 2001). However, there is scarce knowledge in Mexico about the glacier changes since the LIA. The reconstructions are limited to the Iztaccíhualt volcano where Schneider et al. (2008) established a glacier retreat of 95 %.</p><p>Here, we reconstruct the glacier evolution since the LIA to CE 2015 of the Mexican highest ice-capped volcano: Pico de Orizaba (19° 01´ N, 97° 16´W, 5,675 m a.s.l.). Due to Pico de Orizaba is in the outer Tropic, the most plausible scenario is a glacier evolution similar to the Bolivian Andes and especially to the Iztaccíhualt volcano. To carry out this research, we mapped the glacier area during the LIA, based on moraine record, and the area during 1945, 1958, 1971, 1988, 1994, 2003 and 2015 using a previous map elaborated by Palacios and Vázquez-Selem (1996), aerial orthophotographs and satellite images. The geographical mapping and the calculus of area, minimum altitude and volume of the glacier were generated with the software ArcGIS 10.2.2. The results show that glacier area retreated 92% between the LIA (8.8 km<sup>2</sup>) and 2015 (0.67 km<sup>2</sup>), being a drastic glacier loss in agreement with the Bolivian Andes and Iztaccíhualt. Therefore, mexican glaciers have experienced the major shrunk since LIA that implies a highly sensitive reaction to global warming.</p><p>This research was supported by the Project UNAM-DGAPA-PAPIIT grant IA105318.</p><p>References</p><p>Palacios, D., Vázquez-Selem, L. 1996. Geomorphic effects of the retreat of Jamapa glacier, Pico de Orizaba volcano (Mexico). Geografiska Annaler, Series A, Physical Geography 78, 19-34.</p><p>Paul F., Rastner P., Azzoni R.S., Diolaiuti G., Fugazza D., Le Bris R., Nemec J., Rabatel A., Ramusovic M., Schwaizer G., and Smiraglia C. 2020. Glacier shrinkage in the Alps continues unabated as revealed by a new glacier inventory from Sentinel-2 https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2019-213.</p><p>Ramírez, E., Francou, B., Ribstein, P., Descloitres, M., Guérin, R., Mendoza, J., Gallaire, R., Pouyaud, B., Jordan, E. 2001. Small glaciers disappearing in the tropical Andes: a case study in Bolivia: Glaciar Chacaltaya (16° S). Journal of Glaciology 47 (157), 187-194.</p><p>Rico I., Izagirre E., Serrano E., López-Moreno J.I., 2016. Current glacier area in the Pyrenees : an updated assessment 2016. Pirineos 172, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3989/Pirineos.2017.172004.</p><p>Schneider, D., Delgado-Granados, H., Huggel, C., Kääb, A. 2008. Assessing lahars from ice-capped volcanoes using ASTER satellite data, the SRTM DTM and two different flow models: case study on Iztaccíhuatl (Central Mexico). Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 8, 559-571.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Intermittent thinning of Jakobshavn Isbræ, West Greenland, since the Little Ice Age

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (184) ◽  
pp. 131-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bea Csatho ◽  
Toni Schenk ◽  
C.J. Van Der Veen ◽  
William B. Krabill
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Dynamical Response ◽  
The South ◽  
Glacier Surface ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
The North ◽  
Climate Forcings

AbstractRapid thinning and velocity increase on major Greenland outlet glaciers during the last two decades may indicate that these glaciers became unstable as a consequence of the Jakobshavn effect (Hughes, 1986), with terminus retreat leading to increased discharge from the interior and consequent further thinning and retreat. To assess whether recent trends deviate from longer-term behavior, we measured glacier surface elevations and terminus positions for Jakobshavn Isbræ, West Greenland, using historical photographs acquired in 1944, 1953, 1959, 1964 and 1985. These results were combined with data from historical records, aerial photographs, ground surveys, airborne laser altimetry and field mapping of lateral moraines and trimlines, to reconstruct the history of changes since the Little Ice Age (LIA). We identified three periods of rapid thinning since the LIA: 1902–13, 1930–59 and 1999–present. During the first half of the 20th century, the calving front appears to have been grounded and it started to float during the late 1940s. The south and north tributaries exhibit different behavior. For example, the north tributary was thinning between 1959 and 1985 during a period when the calving front was stationary and the south tributary was in balance. The record of intermittent thinning, combined with changes in ice-marginal extent and position of the calving front, together with changes in velocity, imply that the behavior of the lower parts of this glacier represents a complex ice-dynamical response to local climate forcings and interactions with drainage from the interior.

scholarly journals Presumed Little Ice Age glacial extent in the eastern Tian Shan, China

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (sup1) ◽  
pp. 71-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanan Li ◽  
Yingkui Li ◽  
Yixin Chen ◽  
Xiaoyu Lu
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Tian Shan

scholarly journals Distribución espacial y temporal de glaciares, glaciares cubiertos y glaciares rocosos durante la última deglaciación en el valle de La Bonaigua (Pirineo Central)

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-446
Author(s):  
J. Ventura-Roca
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Lidar Data ◽  
Forest Environment ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Rock Glaciers ◽  
Elevation Model ◽  
Glacial Landforms ◽  
Central Pyrenees

The application of the paleogeographic method to the study of glacial landforms and rock glaciers allows their morphometric and sedimentological characterization, the establishment of a detailed morphostratigraphic sequence and a chronological proposal for the identified glacial phases. This study analyzes 86 landforms (57 glacial deposits, 21 rock glaciers and 8 protalus ramparts) in the Bonaigua Valley (Noguera Pallaresa Basin, Central Pyrenees), with special attention to the differentiation between debris-covered glaciers and rock glaciers. Other subjects studied concerning rock glaciers are: distinguish its glacial or periglacial origin; the possible current activity of some landforms, and the detection of rock glaciers located at low altitudes (in the current forest environment) through the use of high-resolution digital elevation model (2x2 m) from LIDAR data. The chronological hypothesis elaborated by correlation with other high Pyrenean valleys (with absolute ages available) includes 7 phases (6 glacial phases and 1 periglacial phase) in which co-exist and/or evolve, in a paraglacial dynamic, glaciers, debris-covered glaciers and rock glaciers, and that we temporarily place between the end of the Oldest Dryas and the Little Ice Age.

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