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- Title
Mass loss from glaciers in the Chinese Altai Mountains between 1959 and 2008 revealed based on historical maps, SRTM, and ASTER images.
- Authors
Wei, Jun-feng; Liu, Shi-yin; Xu, Jun-li; Guo, Wan-qin; Bao, Wei-jia; Shangguan, Dong-hui; Jiang, Zong-li
- Abstract
Mass loss of glaciers in the Chinese Altai was detected using geodetic methods based on topographical maps (1959), the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (2000), and the Advanced Space-borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) stereo images (2008). The results indicate that a continued and accelerating shrinkage has occurred in the Chinese Altai Mountains during the last 50 years, with mass deficits of 0.43 ± 0.02 and 0.54 ± 0.13 m a water equivalent (w.e.) during the periods 1959-1999 and 1999-2008, respectively. Overall, the Chinese Altai Mountains have lost 7.06 ± 0.44 km in ice volume (equivalent to −0.43 ± 0.03 m a w.e.) from 1959-2008. The spatial heterogeneity in mass loss was potentially affected by comprehensive changes in temperature and precipitation, and had a substantial correlation with glacier size and topographic settings. Comparison shows that in the Chinese Altai Mountains glaciers have experienced a more rapid mass loss than those in the Tianshan and northwestern Tibetan Plateau (TP), and the mass balance of glaciers was slightly less negative relative to those in the Russian Altai, Himalaya, and southern TP.
- Subjects
ALTAI Mountains; MASS loss (Astrophysics); GLACIERS; HISTORICAL maps; SHUTTLE Radar Topography Mission
- Publication
Journal of Mountain Science, 2015, Vol 12, Issue 2, p330
- ISSN
1672-6316
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11629-014-3175-1