The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in the arid regions of Northwest China. Glaciers provide a large proportion of water resources for human production and living. Studies of glacier changes...The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in the arid regions of Northwest China. Glaciers provide a large proportion of water resources for human production and living. Studies of glacier changes and their impact on water resources in the arid lands are of vital importance. A joint expedition was carried out in 2010 for investigating glaciers in the Hulugou Basin, which is located in the upper reaches of Heihe River. There- fore, glacier changes in the Hulugou Basin of central Qilian Mountains during the past 50 years were analyzed in this study by comparing topographic maps, satellite images, digital elevation models and field observation data from different periods. Results showed that the total area of the 6 glaciers in the Hulugou Basin decreased by 0.590±0.005 km^2 during the period 1956-2011, corresponding to a loss of 40.7% over the total area in 1956. The average area reduction rate of the 6 glaciers is 0.011 km^2/a. During the past five decades, the glacier shrinkage was accelerated. The changes in glacier ice surface elevation ranged from -15 to 3 m with an average thinning of 10±8 m or an annual decrease of 0.23±0.18 m (0.20±0.15 m/a water equivalent) for the period 1956-2000. The area of Shiyi Glacier in the Hulugou Basin decreased from 0.64 km^2 in 1956 to 0.53 km2 in 2011 with a reduction rate of 17.2%. The Shiyi Glacier had been divided into two separated glaciers because of severe melting. Comparative analysis showed that glacier shrinkage in the Hulugou Basin is more serious than that in the other regions of Qilian Mountains.展开更多
Many rivers originate in high mountainous regions. However, the effects of climate warming on the runoff and water balance in these regions remain unclear due to the lack of observational data from harsh environments,...Many rivers originate in high mountainous regions. However, the effects of climate warming on the runoff and water balance in these regions remain unclear due to the lack of observational data from harsh environments, and the variable influences of climate change on alpine land-cover types with different water balances. Using observations and simulations from Coup Model, water-balance values collected at five alpine land-cover types(steppe, shrub meadow, moist meadow, swamp meadow, and moraine) in a small alpine watershed, the Qilian Mountains in Northwest China, from October 2008 to September 2014, were compared. Measured evapotranspiration, multilayer soil temperatures and water contents, and frozen-depth data were used to validate Coup Model outputs. The results show that elevation is the primary influence on precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff coefficients in alpine regions. Land-cover types at higher elevations receive more precipitation and have a larger runoff coefficient. Notably, climate warming not only increases evapotranspiration but also particularly increases the evapotranspiration/precipitation ratio due to an upward shift in the optimum elevation of plant species. These factors lead to decrease runoff coefficients in alpine basins.展开更多
基金funded by the National Basic Research Program of China (2013CBA01801)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41301069, 41471058)+1 种基金the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China (41121001)the Special Financial Grant from the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2014T70948)
文摘The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in the arid regions of Northwest China. Glaciers provide a large proportion of water resources for human production and living. Studies of glacier changes and their impact on water resources in the arid lands are of vital importance. A joint expedition was carried out in 2010 for investigating glaciers in the Hulugou Basin, which is located in the upper reaches of Heihe River. There- fore, glacier changes in the Hulugou Basin of central Qilian Mountains during the past 50 years were analyzed in this study by comparing topographic maps, satellite images, digital elevation models and field observation data from different periods. Results showed that the total area of the 6 glaciers in the Hulugou Basin decreased by 0.590±0.005 km^2 during the period 1956-2011, corresponding to a loss of 40.7% over the total area in 1956. The average area reduction rate of the 6 glaciers is 0.011 km^2/a. During the past five decades, the glacier shrinkage was accelerated. The changes in glacier ice surface elevation ranged from -15 to 3 m with an average thinning of 10±8 m or an annual decrease of 0.23±0.18 m (0.20±0.15 m/a water equivalent) for the period 1956-2000. The area of Shiyi Glacier in the Hulugou Basin decreased from 0.64 km^2 in 1956 to 0.53 km2 in 2011 with a reduction rate of 17.2%. The Shiyi Glacier had been divided into two separated glaciers because of severe melting. Comparative analysis showed that glacier shrinkage in the Hulugou Basin is more serious than that in the other regions of Qilian Mountains.
基金financial support from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(41401041)and the National Basic Research Program of China(2013CBA01806)
文摘Many rivers originate in high mountainous regions. However, the effects of climate warming on the runoff and water balance in these regions remain unclear due to the lack of observational data from harsh environments, and the variable influences of climate change on alpine land-cover types with different water balances. Using observations and simulations from Coup Model, water-balance values collected at five alpine land-cover types(steppe, shrub meadow, moist meadow, swamp meadow, and moraine) in a small alpine watershed, the Qilian Mountains in Northwest China, from October 2008 to September 2014, were compared. Measured evapotranspiration, multilayer soil temperatures and water contents, and frozen-depth data were used to validate Coup Model outputs. The results show that elevation is the primary influence on precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff coefficients in alpine regions. Land-cover types at higher elevations receive more precipitation and have a larger runoff coefficient. Notably, climate warming not only increases evapotranspiration but also particularly increases the evapotranspiration/precipitation ratio due to an upward shift in the optimum elevation of plant species. These factors lead to decrease runoff coefficients in alpine basins.