Glacier Changes on the Qiangtang Plateau between 1976 and 2015:A Case Study in the Xainza Xiegang Mountains

1976–2015年羌塘高原冰川变化遥感分析:以申扎杰岗为例（英文）

Xainza County on the Qiangtang Plateau（QP） spans a transitionally climatic and eco-environmental zone and is therefore a very sensitive region.Glaciers in this area are one of the most important kinds of land cover as well as key water resources,yet our understanding of their current status and spatio-temporal change remains limited.Using Landsat images,this study investigated the current distribution of glaciers（2015） in the Xainza Xiegang Mountains as well as the spatio-temporal changes that took place over six time periods between 1976 and 2015.Results show that,in 2015,131 glaciers covered a total area of 74.59 ± 5.25 km^2,mainly located between 5,600 and 6,000 m above sea level（a.s.l）.Between 1976 and 2015,the total number of glaciers increased by 12,while their areas decreased by 24.98%（24.83 km^2）.Glacial retreat has induced a loss of water resources of 11.77 × 10~8 m^3 over the last 39 years,while spatial heterogeneities in glacial changes across various sub-basins,aspects,and altitudinal zones are also clearly observed.Climate warming is the key factor driving this continuous glacial retreat;the high-quality dataset presented in this paper for the Xainza Xiegang study area is crucial for the ongoing assessment of climatic and eco-environmental changes.

羌塘高原的申扎县处于青藏高原的气候和生态环境过渡带,该区域对环境变化非常敏感。冰川是该区域重要的土地覆被类型之一,也是重要的淡水资源。目前对该区域冰川的最新状况和时空变化的理解非常有限。本研究选用6期陆地卫星遥感影像,完成了2015年申扎杰岗山脉冰川调查及1976~2015年间冰川时空变化分析。结果显示:2015年研究区有131条冰川(74.59±5.25 km^2),主要分布在海拔5600–6000 m。1976–2015年,研究区冰川面积退缩了24.98%(24.83 km^2),冰川分裂导致冰川总条目增加了12条。据估算,过去的39年冰川退缩导致11.77×10~8 m^3的冰川水资源损耗。冰川在不同的子流域、坡向和海拔段存在显著的变化差异。气候变暖是冰川持续退缩的关键驱动因子。本研究构建的数据集可为羌塘高原的气候、生态和环境变化研究提供重要的支持。