Quantitative Estimates of Holocene Glacier Mass Fluctuations on the Western Tibetan Plateau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juzhi Hou
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Alpine Glacier ◽  
Kunlun Mountain ◽  
Western Kunlun ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Western Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The Difference

<p><strong><span>Knowledge of the alpine glacier mass fluctuations is a fundamental prerequisite for understanding glacier dynamics, projecting future glacier change, and assessing the availability of freshwater resources. The glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are sources of water for most of the major Asian rivers and their fate remains unclear due to accurate estimates of glacier mass fluctuations are lacking over long time scales. Here, we used d</span><sup><span>18</span></sup><span>O record at a proglacial open lake as proxy to estimate the Holocene glacier mass fluctuations in the Western Kunlun Mountain (WKM) quantitatively and continuously. Relative to past decades, maximum WKM glacier mass loss (-28.62±25.76 Gt) occurred at 9.5-8.5 ka BP, and maximum glacier mass gain (24.53±25.02 Gt) occurred at 1.3~0.5 ka BP, the difference in WKM glacier mass between the two periods account for ~20% of the total glaciers. Long-term changes in glacier mass suggests the TP glaciers likely face severe threats at the current rates of global warming. </span></strong></p>

scholarly journals Slight glacier reduction over the northwestern Tibetan Plateau despite significant recent warming

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yetang Wang ◽  
Shugui Hou ◽  
Wenling An ◽  
Hongxi Pang ◽  
Yaping Liu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
21St Century ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Mountain Glaciers ◽  
Recent Warming ◽  
Kunlun Mountain ◽  
Western Kunlun ◽  
Significant Area ◽  
The Early 21St Century

Abstract. "Pamir–Karakoram–Western-Kunlun-Mountain (northwestern Tibetan Plateau) Glacier Anomaly" has been a topic of debate due to the balanced, or even slightly positive glacier mass budgets in the early 21st century. Here we focus on the evolution of glaciers on the western Kunlun Mountain and its comparison with those from other regions of the Tibetan Plateau. The possible driver for the glacier evolution is also discussed. Western Kunlun Mountain glaciers reduce in area by 0.12 % yr−1 from 1970s to 2007–2011. However, there is no significant area change after 1999. Averaged glacier thickness loss is 0.08 ± 0.09 m yr−1 from 1970s to 2000, which is in accordance with elevation change during the period 2003–2008 estimated by the ICESat laser altimetry measurements. These further confirm the anomaly of glaciers in this region. Slight glacier reduction over the northwestern Tibetan Plateau may result from more accumulation from increased precipitation in winter which to great extent protects it from mass reductions under climate warming during 1961–2000. Warming slowdown since 2000 happening at this region may further mitigate glacier mass reduction, especially for the early 21st century.

scholarly journals Triassic-Jurassic Granitoids and Pegmatites from Western Kunlun-Pamir Syntax: Implications for the Paleo-Tethys Evolution at the Northern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Lithosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Qiang Liu ◽  
Chuan-Lin Zhang ◽  
Haibo Zou ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Xiao-Shu Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Magmatic Rocks ◽  
Western Kunlun ◽  
Type Granite ◽  
Tethys Ocean ◽  
Terrane Accretion

Abstract The Western Kunlun-Pamir-Karakorum (WKPK) at the northwestern Tibetan Plateau underwent long-term terrane accretion from the Paleozoic to the Cenozoic. Within this time span, four phases of magmatism occurred in WKPK during the Early Paleozoic, Triassic-Jurassic, Early Cretaceous, and Cenozoic. These voluminous magmatic rocks contain critical information on the evolution of the Tethys Oceans. In this contribution, we provide field observations, petrography, ages, whole-rock elemental and Sr-Nd isotopic compositions, and zircon in situ Lu-Hf isotopes of the Triassic-Jurassic granitoids and pegmatites from the Dahongliutan in Western Kunlun and Turuke area at the Pamir Plateau, in an attempt to constrain their petrogenesis and to decipher a more detailed Paleo-Tethys evolution process. The Dahongliutan pluton is composed of diorites (ca. 210 Ma) and monzogranite (ca. 200 Ma). The diorites have moderate SiO2 (56.77–62.22 wt. %), variable Mg# (46–49), and low Cr (34.4–50.6 ppm) and Ni contents (7.0–14.5 ppm). They show LREE-enriched patterns (LaN/YbN=4.3–17), with variable negative Eu anomalies (0.63–0.91) and variable ratios of Nb/La (0.27–0.97). Isotopically, the diorites display enriched whole-rock εNdt (-5.43 to -7.67) and negative to positive zircon εHft values (-6.6 to 0.4). They were most likely generated by melting of a subduction-modified mantle source with subsequent assimilation and fractional crystallization. The Turuke monzogranites (ca. 202–197 Ma) have S-type granite characteristics and are characterized by high SiO2 (70.36–76.12 wt. %) and A/CNK values (1.19–1.36), variable LREE-enriched patterns (LaN/YbN=8.87–14.40), negative Eu anomaly (0.07–0.56), relatively uniform whole-rock εNdt (-10.49 to -11.22), and variable negative zircon εHft values (-10.7 to -1.3). They were probably generated by muscovite-dehydration melting of dominantly metapelitic sources. The widespread pegmatites (ca. 195 Ma) at the Dahongliutan area record an extensional setting after the collision of Karakorum with the South Kunlun-Tianshuihai terrane. Combining our new data with the previous studies, we propose a divergent double-sided subduction of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean (243–208 Ma) and a gradual closure of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean from east (ca. 200 Ma) to west (ca. 180 Ma) to explain the Triassic-Jurassic tectono-magmatism in the WKPK.

scholarly journals Atmospheric Thermal and Dynamic Vertical Structures of Summer Hourly Precipitation in Jiulong of the Tibetan Plateau

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 505
Author(s):  
Yonglan Tang ◽  
Guirong Xu ◽  
Rong Wan ◽  
Xiaofang Wang ◽  
Junchao Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Hourly Precipitation ◽  
Air Convection ◽  
Precipitation Variation ◽  
Long Term Observation

It is an important to study atmospheric thermal and dynamic vertical structures over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and their impact on precipitation by using long-term observation at representative stations. This study exhibits the observational facts of summer precipitation variation on subdiurnal scale and its atmospheric thermal and dynamic vertical structures over the TP with hourly precipitation and intensive soundings in Jiulong during 2013–2020. It is found that precipitation amount and frequency are low in the daytime and high in the nighttime, and hourly precipitation greater than 1 mm mostly occurs at nighttime. Weak precipitation during the daytime may be caused by air advection, and strong precipitation at nighttime may be closely related with air convection. Both humidity and wind speed profiles show obvious fluctuation when precipitation occurs, and the greater the precipitation intensity, the larger the fluctuation. Moreover, the fluctuation of wind speed is small in the morning, large at noon and largest at night, presenting a similar diurnal cycle to that of convective activity over the TP, which is conductive to nighttime precipitation. Additionally, the inverse layer is accompanied by the inverse humidity layer, and wind speed presents multi-peaks distribution in its vertical structure. Both of these are closely related with the underlying surface and topography of Jiulong. More studies on physical mechanism and numerical simulation are necessary for better understanding the atmospheric phenomenon over the TP.

scholarly journals Atmospheric Water Vapor Budget and its Long-term Trend over the Tibetan Plateau

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongru Yan ◽  
Jianping Huang ◽  
Yongli He ◽  
Yuzhi Liu ◽  
Tianhe Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Atmospheric Water Vapor ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Atmospheric Water ◽  
Term Trend ◽  
Long Term Trend ◽  
Water Vapor Budget

scholarly journals Diachronous Tibetan Plateau landscape evolution derived from lava field geomorphology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Allen ◽  
Robert Law
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Tectonic Geomorphology ◽  
Normal Faults ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Lava Field ◽  
Northern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tectonic Processes ◽  
Stepwise Evolution

<p><strong>Evolution of the Tibetan Plateau is important for understanding continental tectonics because of its exceptional elevation (~5 km above sea level) and crustal thickness (~70 km). Patterns of long-term landscape evolution can constrain tectonic processes, but have been hard to quantify, in contrast to established datasets for strain, exhumation and paleo-elevation. This study analyses the relief of the bases and tops of 17 Cenozoic lava fields on the central and northern Tibetan Plateau. Analyzed fields have typical lateral dimensions of 10s of km, and so have an appropriate scale for interpreting tectonic geomorphology. Fourteen of the fields have not been deformed since eruption. One field is cut by normal faults; two others are gently folded with limb dips <6<sup>o</sup></strong><strong>. </strong><strong>Relief of the bases and tops of the fields is comparable to modern, internally-drained, parts of the plateau, and distinctly lower than externally-drained regions. The lavas preserve a record of underlying low relief bedrock landscapes at the time they were erupted, which have undergone little change since. There is an overlap in each area between younger published low-temperature thermochronology ages and the oldest eruption in each area, here interpreted as the transition </strong><strong>between the end of significant (>3 km) exhumation and plateau landscape development. </strong><strong>This diachronous process took place between ~32.5<sup>o</sup> - ~36.5<sup>o</sup> N between ~40 and ~10 Ma, advancing northwards at a long-term rate of ~15 km/Myr. Results are consistent with incremental northwards growth of the plateau, rather than a stepwise evolution or synchronous uplift.</strong></p>

scholarly journals Long-term snow disasters during 1982–2012 in the Tibetan Plateau using satellite data

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 466-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hang Yin ◽  
Chunxiang Cao ◽  
Min Xu ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Xiliang Ni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Satellite Data ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau

Denisovan DNA in Late Pleistocene sediments from Baishiya Karst Cave on the Tibetan Plateau

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 370 (6516) ◽  
pp. 584-587
Author(s):  
Dongju Zhang ◽  
Huan Xia ◽  
Fahu Chen ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Viviane Slon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Amino Acid Substitution ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Karst Cave ◽  
Late Middle Pleistocene

A late Middle Pleistocene mandible from Baishiya Karst Cave (BKC) on the Tibetan Plateau has been inferred to be from a Denisovan, an Asian hominin related to Neanderthals, on the basis of an amino acid substitution in its collagen. Here we describe the stratigraphy, chronology, and mitochondrial DNA extracted from the sediments in BKC. We recover Denisovan mitochondrial DNA from sediments deposited ~100 thousand and ~60 thousand years ago (ka) and possibly as recently as ~45 ka. The long-term occupation of BKC by Denisovans suggests that they may have adapted to life at high altitudes and may have contributed such adaptations to modern humans on the Tibetan Plateau.

A comparative study of radiocarbon dating on terrestrial organisms and fish from Qinghai Lake in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1712-1719 ◽  
Author(s):  
E ChongYi ◽  
YongJuan Sun ◽  
XiangJun Liu ◽  
Guangliang Hou ◽  
ShunChang Lv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Qinghai Lake ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Fish Bones ◽  
Northeastern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Animal Bones ◽  
Gymnocypris Przewalskii ◽  
The Difference

Qinghai Lake is the largest lake on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and in China and has been a focus of paleoenvironmental and climatic research for decades. However, limited understanding of lake 14C reservoir effects (LRE) has led to inconsistent interpretations among proxies of different sediment cores. As such, the onset of LRE variability during the Holocene is still unclear. 14C dating of archeological samples from four locations (Gangcha, Shaliuheqiaoxi, and Shinaihai sites, and Niaodao section) including naked carp ( Gymnocypris przewalskii, Kessler) fish bones, animal bones and teeth, and charcoal was employed to estimate variations in LRE over the last few thousand years. LRE offsets calculated as the difference between LRE of animal bones and fish bones are more reliable than that of charcoal and fish bones due to the ‘old wood’ effect in charcoal. LRE offsets recorded in fish bones were ~0.5, ~0.6, and ~0.7 ka during the periods of 3.0–3.4 cal ka BP, 0.58–0.60 cal ka BP, and modern lake times, respectively, which may indicate a temporal minimum LRE offset. Unlike the wide spatial variations of LRE ages obtained from surface total organic carbon (TOC) samples of the modern Qinghai Lake, LRE offsets from the three contemporaneous locations in Qinghai Lake were all ~0.5 ka, suggesting efficient carbon mixing occurred in naked carp. However, the late-Holocene (~3.1 ka BP) LRE increased slightly with increasing salinity and decreasing lake level.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document