A Review on the Little Ice Age and Factors to Glacier Changes in the Tian Shan, Central Asia

AbstractBased on aerial photographs, topographical maps and the Landsat-5 image data, we have analyzed fluctuations of glaciers in the western Qilian Shan, north-west China, from the Little Ice Age (LIA) to 1990. The areas and volumes of glaciers in the whole considered region decreased 15% and 18%, respectively, from the LIA maximum to 1956. This trend of glacier shrinkage continued and accelerated between 1956 and 1990. These latest decreases in area and volume were about 10% in 34 years. The recent shrinkage may be due either to a combination of higher temperatures and lower precipitation during the period 1956–66, or to continuous warming in the high glacierized mountains from 1956 to 1990. As a consequence, glacier runoff from ice wastage between 1956 and 1990 has increased river runoff by 6.2 km3 in the four river basins under consideration. Besides, the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) rise estimated from the mean terminus retreat of small glaciers <1 km long is 46 m, which corresponds to a 0.3°C increase of mean temperatures in warm seasons from the LIA to the 1950s.

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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

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/jog.2020.24 ◽

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.

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Relation between recent glacier variations and climate in the Tien Shan mountains, central Asia

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0260305500004742 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 11-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Liu Chaohai ◽

Han Tianding

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Central Asia ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Little Ice Age ◽

General Trend ◽

Summer Temperature ◽

Tien Shan ◽

Ice Age ◽

Climatic Fluctuations ◽

Tien Shan Mountains

Since the Little Ice Age, most glaciers in the Tien Shan mountains have been retreating. Owing to an increase in precipitation in most parts of the mountains during the late 1950s to early 1970s, the percentage of receding glaciers and the speed of retreat have tended to decrease in the 1970s. However, the general trend of continuous glacier retreat remains unchanged, in part because the summer air temperature shows no tendency to decrease.In the Tien Shan mountains, as the degree of climatic continentality increases the mass balance becomes more dependent on summer temperature, and accumulation and ablation tend to be lower. Therefore, the responses of glaciers to climatic fluctuations in more continental areas are not synchronous with those in less continental areas, and the amplitude of the glacier variations becomes smaller.

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Accelerating retreat and high-elevation thinning of glaciers in central Spitsbergen

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-10-1317-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 1317-1329 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Jakub Małecki

Keyword(s):

Little Ice Age ◽

High Elevation ◽

Comprehensive Analysis ◽

Ice Age ◽

The Arctic ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Glacier Changes ◽

The Mean ◽

Geodetic Mass Balance ◽

The 1960S

Abstract. Svalbard is a heavily glacier-covered archipelago in the Arctic. Dickson Land (DL), in the central part of the largest island, Spitsbergen, is relatively arid and, as a result, glaciers there are relatively small and restricted mostly to valleys and cirques. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of glacier changes in DL based on inventories compiled from topographic maps and digital elevation models for the Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum, the 1960s, 1990, and 2009/2011. Total glacier area has decreased by ∼ 38 % since the LIA maximum, and front retreat increased over the study period. Recently, most of the local glaciers have been consistently thinning in all elevation bands, in contrast to larger Svalbard ice masses which remain closer to balance. The mean 1990–2009/2011 geodetic mass balance of glaciers in DL is among the most negative from the Svalbard regional means known from the literature.

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Mountain glaciers of southeast Siberia: current state and changes since the Little Ice Age

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/2014aog66a135 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 55 (66) ◽

pp. 167-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

E.Yu. Osipov ◽

O.P. Osipova

Keyword(s):

Little Ice Age ◽

Snow Accumulation ◽

Ice Age ◽

High Mountain ◽

Late 20Th Century ◽

Glacier Inventory ◽

Mountain Glaciers ◽

Current State ◽

Field Investigations ◽

Glacier Changes

AbstractContemporary glaciers of southeast Siberia are located on three high-mountain ridges (east Sayan, Baikalsky and Kodar). In this study, we present an updated glacier inventory based on high- to middle-resolution satellite imagery and field investigations. The inventory includes 51 glaciers with a total area of - 15 km2. Areas of individual glaciers vary from 0.06 to 1.33 km2, lengths from 130 to 2010 m and elevations from 1796 to 3490 m. The recent ice maximum extents (Little Ice Age) have been delineated from terminal moraines. On average, debris-free surface area shrunk by 59% between 1850 and 2006/11 (0.37% a–1), by 44% between 1850 and 2001/02 (0.29% a–1) and by 27% between 2001/02 and 2006/11 (3.39% a–1). The Kodar glaciers have experienced the largest area shrinkage, while the area loss on Baikalsky ridge was more moderate. Glacier changes are mainly related to regional summer temperature increase (by 1.7-2.6C from 1970 to 2010). There are some differences in glacier response due to different spatial patterns of snow accumulation, local topography (e.g. glacier elevation, slope) and geological activity. The studied glaciers (especially of Kodar ridge) are the most sensitive in Siberia to climate change since the late 20th century.

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