Observing the mass balance and emergence velocity of a temperate glacier on Mt. Yulong, southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Corresponding Author
Xingguo Yan
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Correspondence:
Xingguo Yan ([email protected])
Shijin Wang ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Shijin Wang
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Midui Glacier-Guangxie Lake Disaster Field Science Observation and Research Station of Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi, China
Correspondence:
Xingguo Yan ([email protected])
Shijin Wang ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorZhenqi Sun
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Midui Glacier-Guangxie Lake Disaster Field Science Observation and Research Station of Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi, China
Search for more papers by this authorXinggang Ma
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Midui Glacier-Guangxie Lake Disaster Field Science Observation and Research Station of Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi, China
Search for more papers by this authorTao Pu
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Search for more papers by this authorYuanqing He
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Xingguo Yan
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Correspondence:
Xingguo Yan ([email protected])
Shijin Wang ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Shijin Wang
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Midui Glacier-Guangxie Lake Disaster Field Science Observation and Research Station of Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi, China
Correspondence:
Xingguo Yan ([email protected])
Shijin Wang ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorZhenqi Sun
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Midui Glacier-Guangxie Lake Disaster Field Science Observation and Research Station of Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi, China
Search for more papers by this authorXinggang Ma
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Midui Glacier-Guangxie Lake Disaster Field Science Observation and Research Station of Tibet Autonomous Region, Nyingchi, China
Search for more papers by this authorTao Pu
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Search for more papers by this authorYuanqing He
Yulong Snow Mountain Cryosphere and Sustainable Development Field Science Observation and Research Station/State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: This work was supported by the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF (grant no. GZC20232951), the Science and Technology program of Gansu Province (grant no. 22ZD6FA005).
Abstract
Temperate glaciers in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau are shrinking rapidly in response to ongoing climate change. This study focuses on the Baishui River Glacier No. 1, a typical temperate glacier in the Yulong Snow Mountain. Through field observations over four years, we have obtained records and valuable data on the mass balance, ice flow velocity and emergence velocity. The results show that it has been in a state of negative mass balance in recent 4-years. The mass loss ranges from 1.17 ± 0.18 to 1.46 ± 0.25 m w.e., with an average annual mass loss of 1.29 ± 0.17 m w.e. The average ice flow velocity is ~29.24 ± 3.51 m yr−1, with spatial differences related to glacier morphology and mass turnover. These differences can be attributed to the glacier's morphological characteristics (such as width, slope, thickness and crevasse) and the large mass turnover conditions. In its low-latitude wet climate, BRG1 has a fast emergence velocity of ~4.07 ± 1.03 m yr−1. The emergent ice flow is insufficient cannot offset melting. Slope change uncertainties hamper calculating surface mass balance from emergence velocity. Our data reveals a significant correlation (r2 = 0.69) between ice flow velocity and emergence velocity, and a very significant negative one (r2 = 0.78) between ice flow velocity and mass balance. Faster ice flow transports more ice to lower, warmer areas, accelerating melting. The data presented in this article offers valuable and useful insights into the physical ice flow model of such low-latitude temperate glaciers.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors have no conflicts of interest.
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