Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier
Hanging glaciers hold the absolute dominant number in West China and their changes had important influences on local hydrology, sea-level rise and natural hazards (snow/ice avalanches). However, logistic and operational difficulties have resulted in the lack of in-situ-measured data, leaving us with...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2022-02-01
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| Series: | Advances in Climate Change Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927821001581 |
| _version_ | 1819005082203586560 |
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| author | Chun-Hai Xu Zhong-Qin LI Fei-Teng Wang Pu-Yu Wang Jian-Xin Mu |
| author_facet | Chun-Hai Xu Zhong-Qin LI Fei-Teng Wang Pu-Yu Wang Jian-Xin Mu |
| author_sort | Chun-Hai Xu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hanging glaciers hold the absolute dominant number in West China and their changes had important influences on local hydrology, sea-level rise and natural hazards (snow/ice avalanches). However, logistic and operational difficulties have resulted in the lack of in-situ-measured data, leaving us with poor knowledge of the changing behaviors of this type of glacier. Here, we presented the spatiotemporal pattern of seasonal and annual mass changes of a mid-latitude hanging glacier in the Tien Shan based on repeated terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) surveys during the period 2016–2018. The distributed glacier surface elevation changes exhibited highly spatiotemporal variability, and the winter elevation changes showed slight surface lowering at the upper elevations and weak thickening at the glacier terminus, which was contrary to altitudinal elevation changing patterns at the summer and annual scales. Mass balance processes of the hanging glacier mainly occurred during summer and the winter mass balance was nearly balanced (−0.10 ± 0.15 m w.e.). The glacier exhibited more rapid mass loss than adjacent other morphological glacier and the estimated response time of the glacier to climate change was very short (6–9 years), indicating hanging glaciers will experience rapid wastage and disappearance in the future even with climate change mitigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:47:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-035b93f1ce6b4b0c9a7c6abdc9bbeacd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1674-9278 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:47:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-02-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Climate Change Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-035b93f1ce6b4b0c9a7c6abdc9bbeacd2022-12-21T19:22:55ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Advances in Climate Change Research1674-92782022-02-011317381Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacierChun-Hai Xu0Zhong-Qin LI1Fei-Teng Wang2Pu-Yu Wang3Jian-Xin Mu4State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; National Cryosphere Desert Data Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Corresponding author. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaNational Cryosphere Desert Data Center, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaHanging glaciers hold the absolute dominant number in West China and their changes had important influences on local hydrology, sea-level rise and natural hazards (snow/ice avalanches). However, logistic and operational difficulties have resulted in the lack of in-situ-measured data, leaving us with poor knowledge of the changing behaviors of this type of glacier. Here, we presented the spatiotemporal pattern of seasonal and annual mass changes of a mid-latitude hanging glacier in the Tien Shan based on repeated terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) surveys during the period 2016–2018. The distributed glacier surface elevation changes exhibited highly spatiotemporal variability, and the winter elevation changes showed slight surface lowering at the upper elevations and weak thickening at the glacier terminus, which was contrary to altitudinal elevation changing patterns at the summer and annual scales. Mass balance processes of the hanging glacier mainly occurred during summer and the winter mass balance was nearly balanced (−0.10 ± 0.15 m w.e.). The glacier exhibited more rapid mass loss than adjacent other morphological glacier and the estimated response time of the glacier to climate change was very short (6–9 years), indicating hanging glaciers will experience rapid wastage and disappearance in the future even with climate change mitigation.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927821001581Hanging glaciersMass balance processesGlacier disappearanceTien ShanClimate change |
| spellingShingle | Chun-Hai Xu Zhong-Qin LI Fei-Teng Wang Pu-Yu Wang Jian-Xin Mu Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier Advances in Climate Change Research Hanging glaciers Mass balance processes Glacier disappearance Tien Shan Climate change |
| title | Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier |
| title_full | Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier |
| title_fullStr | Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier |
| title_short | Rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer-accumulation type hanging glacier |
| title_sort | rapid mass loss and disappearance of summer accumulation type hanging glacier |
| topic | Hanging glaciers Mass balance processes Glacier disappearance Tien Shan Climate change |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927821001581 |
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