Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements
Glacier mass changes are a valuable indicator of climate variability and monsoon oscillation on the underexplored Tibetan Plateau. In this study data from the Ice Cloud and Elevation Satellite (ICESat) is employed to estimate elevation and mass changes of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau between 2003...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2014-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/1/014009 |
| _version_ | 1797747934116184064 |
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| author | N Neckel J Kropáček T Bolch V Hochschild |
| author_facet | N Neckel J Kropáček T Bolch V Hochschild |
| author_sort | N Neckel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glacier mass changes are a valuable indicator of climate variability and monsoon oscillation on the underexplored Tibetan Plateau. In this study data from the Ice Cloud and Elevation Satellite (ICESat) is employed to estimate elevation and mass changes of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau between 2003 and 2009. In order to get a representative sample size of ICESat measurements, glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau were grouped into eight climatically homogeneous sub-regions. Most negative mass budgets of − 0.77 ± 0.35 m w.e. a ^−1 were found for the Qilian Mountains and eastern Kunlun Mountains while a mass gain of + 0.37 ± 0.25 m w.e. a ^−1 was found in the westerly-dominated north-central part of the Tibetan Plateau. A total annual mass budget of − 15.6 ± 10.1 Gt a ^−1 was estimated for the eight sub-regions sufficiently covered by ICESat data which represents ∼80% of the glacier area on the Tibetan Plateau. 13.9 ± 8.9 Gt a ^−1 (or 0.04 ± 0.02 mm a ^−1 sea-level equivalent) of the total mass budget contributed ‘directly’ to the global sea-level rise while 1.7 ± 1.9 Gt a ^−1 drained into endorheic basins on the plateau. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:58:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e94362d3c3445d4916fe87fa11cf9dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:58:42Z |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e94362d3c3445d4916fe87fa11cf9dd2023-08-09T14:45:38ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262014-01-019101400910.1088/1748-9326/9/1/014009Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurementsN Neckel0J Kropáček1T Bolch2V Hochschild3Institute of Geography, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 19-23, D-72070 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute of Geography, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 19-23, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Cartography, Dresden University of Technology, Helmholzstraße 10, D-01062 Dresden, GermanyInstitute for Cartography, Dresden University of Technology, Helmholzstraße 10, D-01062 Dresden, Germany; Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurer Straße 190, 8057 Zürich, SwitzerlandInstitute of Geography, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 19-23, D-72070 Tübingen, GermanyGlacier mass changes are a valuable indicator of climate variability and monsoon oscillation on the underexplored Tibetan Plateau. In this study data from the Ice Cloud and Elevation Satellite (ICESat) is employed to estimate elevation and mass changes of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau between 2003 and 2009. In order to get a representative sample size of ICESat measurements, glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau were grouped into eight climatically homogeneous sub-regions. Most negative mass budgets of − 0.77 ± 0.35 m w.e. a ^−1 were found for the Qilian Mountains and eastern Kunlun Mountains while a mass gain of + 0.37 ± 0.25 m w.e. a ^−1 was found in the westerly-dominated north-central part of the Tibetan Plateau. A total annual mass budget of − 15.6 ± 10.1 Gt a ^−1 was estimated for the eight sub-regions sufficiently covered by ICESat data which represents ∼80% of the glacier area on the Tibetan Plateau. 13.9 ± 8.9 Gt a ^−1 (or 0.04 ± 0.02 mm a ^−1 sea-level equivalent) of the total mass budget contributed ‘directly’ to the global sea-level rise while 1.7 ± 1.9 Gt a ^−1 drained into endorheic basins on the plateau.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/1/014009glacier mass changesICESatTibetan Plateauendorheic lakes |
| spellingShingle | N Neckel J Kropáček T Bolch V Hochschild Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements Environmental Research Letters glacier mass changes ICESat Tibetan Plateau endorheic lakes |
| title | Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements |
| title_full | Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements |
| title_fullStr | Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements |
| title_short | Glacier mass changes on the Tibetan Plateau 2003–2009 derived from ICESat laser altimetry measurements |
| title_sort | glacier mass changes on the tibetan plateau 2003 2009 derived from icesat laser altimetry measurements |
| topic | glacier mass changes ICESat Tibetan Plateau endorheic lakes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/1/014009 |
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