Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years
Glaciers are crucial water resources for arid inland rivers in Northwest China. In recent decades, glaciers are largely experiencing shrinkage under the climate-warming scenario, thereby exerting tremendous influences on regional water resources. The primary role of understudying watershed scale gla...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2021-09-01
|
| Series: | China Geology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209651922100152X |
| _version_ | 1811170498549121024 |
|---|---|
| author | Lu-chen Wang Kun Yu Liang Chang Jun Zhang Tao Tang Li-he Yin Xiao-fan Gu Jia-qiu Dong Ying Li Jun Jiang Bing-chao Yang Qian Wang |
| author_facet | Lu-chen Wang Kun Yu Liang Chang Jun Zhang Tao Tang Li-he Yin Xiao-fan Gu Jia-qiu Dong Ying Li Jun Jiang Bing-chao Yang Qian Wang |
| author_sort | Lu-chen Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glaciers are crucial water resources for arid inland rivers in Northwest China. In recent decades, glaciers are largely experiencing shrinkage under the climate-warming scenario, thereby exerting tremendous influences on regional water resources. The primary role of understudying watershed scale glacier changes under changing climatic conditions is to ensure sustainable utilization of regional water resources, to prevent and mitigate glacier-related disasters. This study maps the current (2020) distribution of glacier boundaries across the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, south slope of Tianshan Mountains, and monitors the spatial evolution of glaciers over five time periods from 2000–2020 through thresholded band ratios approach, using 25 Landsat images at 30 m resolution. In addition, this study attempts to understand the role of climate characteristics for variable response of glacier area. The results show that the total area of glaciers was 398.21 km2 in 2020. The glaciers retreated by about 1.17 km2/a (0.26%/a) from 2000 to 2020. The glaciers were reducing at a significantly rapid rate between 2000 and 2005, a slow rate from 2005 to 2015, and an accelerated rate during 2015–2020. The meteorological data shows slight increasing trends of mean annual temperature (0.02°C/a) and annual precipitation (2.07 mm/a). The correlation analysis demonstrates that the role of temperature presents more significant correlation with glacier recession than precipitation. There is a temporal hysteresis in the response of glacier change to climate change. Increasing trend of temperature in summer proves to be the driving force behind the Kaidu-Kongque basin glacier recession during the recent 20 years.© 2021 China Geology Editorial Office. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:57:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8d67960cbc944000808b8ed8a1a42758 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2096-5192 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T16:57:33Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | China Geology |
| spelling | doaj.art-8d67960cbc944000808b8ed8a1a427582023-02-07T04:22:38ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.China Geology2096-51922021-09-0143389401Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 yearsLu-chen Wang0Kun Yu1Liang Chang2Jun Zhang3Tao Tang4Li-he Yin5Xiao-fan Gu6Jia-qiu Dong7Ying Li8Jun Jiang9Bing-chao Yang10Qian Wang11Key Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; Corresponding author: E-mail address: yukun01@mail.cgs.gov.cn (Kun Yu).Key Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; First author: E-mail address: wangluchen@email.cugb.edu.cn (Lu-chen Wang).Key Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaSchool of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaKey Laboratory of Groundwater and Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, China; Xi’an Center, China Geological Survey, Xi’an 710054, ChinaGlaciers are crucial water resources for arid inland rivers in Northwest China. In recent decades, glaciers are largely experiencing shrinkage under the climate-warming scenario, thereby exerting tremendous influences on regional water resources. The primary role of understudying watershed scale glacier changes under changing climatic conditions is to ensure sustainable utilization of regional water resources, to prevent and mitigate glacier-related disasters. This study maps the current (2020) distribution of glacier boundaries across the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, south slope of Tianshan Mountains, and monitors the spatial evolution of glaciers over five time periods from 2000–2020 through thresholded band ratios approach, using 25 Landsat images at 30 m resolution. In addition, this study attempts to understand the role of climate characteristics for variable response of glacier area. The results show that the total area of glaciers was 398.21 km2 in 2020. The glaciers retreated by about 1.17 km2/a (0.26%/a) from 2000 to 2020. The glaciers were reducing at a significantly rapid rate between 2000 and 2005, a slow rate from 2005 to 2015, and an accelerated rate during 2015–2020. The meteorological data shows slight increasing trends of mean annual temperature (0.02°C/a) and annual precipitation (2.07 mm/a). The correlation analysis demonstrates that the role of temperature presents more significant correlation with glacier recession than precipitation. There is a temporal hysteresis in the response of glacier change to climate change. Increasing trend of temperature in summer proves to be the driving force behind the Kaidu-Kongque basin glacier recession during the recent 20 years.© 2021 China Geology Editorial Office.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209651922100152XGlacier areaClimate changeRemote sensing monitoringHydrogeological survey engineeringKaidu-Kongque river basinTianshan Mountains |
| spellingShingle | Lu-chen Wang Kun Yu Liang Chang Jun Zhang Tao Tang Li-he Yin Xiao-fan Gu Jia-qiu Dong Ying Li Jun Jiang Bing-chao Yang Qian Wang Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years China Geology Glacier area Climate change Remote sensing monitoring Hydrogeological survey engineering Kaidu-Kongque river basin Tianshan Mountains |
| title | Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years |
| title_full | Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years |
| title_fullStr | Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years |
| title_full_unstemmed | Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years |
| title_short | Response of glacier area variation to climate change in the Kaidu-Kongque river basin, Southern Tianshan Mountains during the last 20 years |
| title_sort | response of glacier area variation to climate change in the kaidu kongque river basin southern tianshan mountains during the last 20 years |
| topic | Glacier area Climate change Remote sensing monitoring Hydrogeological survey engineering Kaidu-Kongque river basin Tianshan Mountains |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209651922100152X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT luchenwang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT kunyu responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT liangchang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT junzhang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT taotang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT liheyin responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT xiaofangu responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT jiaqiudong responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT yingli responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT junjiang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT bingchaoyang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years AT qianwang responseofglacierareavariationtoclimatechangeinthekaidukongqueriverbasinsoutherntianshanmountainsduringthelast20years |