Glacial lakes under climate change: the imperative for comparative studies of microbial carbon metabolism in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Arctic

Glacial lakes,intimately linked to glacier termini,are crucial landscape features of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau(QXP,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau)and the Arctic.Climate warming has accelerated glacier retreat and the rapid expansion of glacial lakes in both regions.Despite being typically considered harsh environments,these lakes serve as vital reservoirs for microbial biodiversity and carbon metabolism.In the face of climate change,glacial lake ecosystems over the QXP and the Arctic are undergoing unprecedentedtransformations.Thisopinioneditorial highlights the significance of conducting research and establishing long-term monitoring programs focused on microbial carbon metabolism in these glacial lakes.

Regional differences in global glacier retreat from 1980 to 2015

Global warming triggers shrinking and thinning of glaciers worldwide,with potentially severe implications for human society.However,regional differences in glacier retreat and its relationship with climatic characteristics have not been conclusively demonstrated.In this study,regional changes in global glaciers based on two primary features,area change and mass balance,were investigated on the basis of data collected from published research on glacier changes.Results show that during the period 1980—2015,the rate of global glacier area shrinkage was 0.18%per year and that of global glacier mass loss was 0.25 m w.e.per year.Retreat of glaciers located at low and middle latitudes was characterized by severe area shrinkage and mass loss.Correspondingly,in the Arctic,deglaciation was characterized by ice thinning due to a low area reduction but relatively high mass loss rate.However,glaciers in high southern latitudes were in a relatively stable status.High Mountain Asia exhibited the lowest rate of area shrinkage and mass loss among glaciers located at low and middle latitudes,and a slower rate of mass loss compared with the global average.Glaciers in the Tropical Andes exhibited the fastest rate of glacier area shrinkage(—1.6%per year),whereas Antarctic and Subantarctic glaciers showed the lowest rate(—0.11%per year).For mass balance,the most negative occurred at Southern Andes(—0.81 m w.e.per year),followed by Alaska(-0.74 m w.e.per year).Only the Antarctic and Subantarctic experienced small mass gain(0.04 m w.e.per year).High levels of correlation are found between the rates of glacier retreat and annual average temperature and annual total precipitation instead of their trends.The variability of the surface climate conditions in the glacier environment plays a key role in driving these regional differences in global glacier retreat.

Monitoring glaciers in the Chenab basin with SBAS InSAR technology

The Chenab basin is located in northwest India and eastern Pakistan.Glaciers in Chenab basin,as local freshwater resources,are very important to the regional ecological environment and development.At the same time,SBAS InSAR can monitor the deformation of the ground for a long time,the monitoring accuracy can reach mm level,and can obtain the time series change of deformation,whcih provides a new idea and method for glacier detection.In this study,the deformation from SBAS InSAR was combined with glacial area data to study the glacial changes in Chenab Basin.Sentinel-1 and Landsat series images were used to obtain the deformation and change in the area of glaciers by SBAS InSAR and the semi-automated method.The results showed that glaciers in the Chenab basin retreated rapidly,especially in the past ten years.The glacier area decreased by 88.05 km^(2)in 1990~2000 and 118.86 km^(2) in 2000~2010,and the glacier area decreased by 236.01 km^(2) in 2010~2020,which was the largest rate of change of 9.49%.Moreover,glacial deformation decreased in 2020,and the deformation rate ranged from-146.3mm/a to 119.52 mm/a.Most glaciers had deformation rates between-50 mm/a and 50 mm/a.Influenced by precipitation and temperature,glacial deformation in the Chenab basin started to change in August,the maximum accumulation was 6,828.43mm,and the minimum ablation was-20,656.41 mm.

Significance of glacio-morphological factors in glacier retreat：a case study of part of Chenab basin,Himalaya

A study has been carried out in part of Chenab basin,Himalaya to understand the relationship between glacio-morphological factors and change in glacial area. Initially change in areal extent of glaciers was derived for two time frames(1962-2001/02 and 2001/02-2010/11). The study comprised of 324 glaciers for the monitoring period of 1962-2001/02 for,which 11% loss in glacial area was observed. Two hundred and thirty-eight glaciers were further monitored between 2001/02 and 2010/11. These glaciers showed an area loss of 1.1%. The annual deglaciation has been found to be higher during the period of 1962-2001/02 compared to 2001/02-2010/11. The spatial and temporal variability in deglaciation was also addressed usingglacio-morphic parameters. Area,length,percentage of debris cover,and various elevation parameters of glaciers were observed to have significant controls on relationships to the rate of glacial shrinkage. Largerarea and longer glaciers show a lower percentage of retreat than smaller and shorter ones. Moreover,glaciers located at lower altitudes and having gentle slopes show more area retreat. The results of area retreat in debris covered and debris free glaciers supports that the glaciers covered by debris retard ice melting at some extent. 158 glaciers were observed having no debris cover,and these exhibit 14% of loss in surface area. In glaciers having 40% debris cover,8% of deglaciation was observed. The glaciers located below equilibrium line altitude(ELA) have experienced 4.6% of deglaciation for the time frame 2001/02 – 2010/11 whereas it was found to be 1.1% for the glaciers occurring above ELA. However,theorientation of glaciers did not show any considerable influence on glacial change based on hypothesis.

Bedrock outcropping in the accumulation zone of the largest glacier in Mexico(Glaciar Norte of Citlaltépetl),as evidence of a possible accelerated extinction

The highest volcano in Mexico,at the same time the third largest mountain in North America(Citlaltépetl,5610 m a.s.l.),is home to the largest glacier in the country.Because of the extinction of the Popocatépetl glacier(5500 m a.s.l.)caused by eruptive activity,and the almost disappearance of the Iztaccíhuatl glaciers(5220 m a.s.l.)due to the lower elevation of the mountain,the Glaciar Norte of Citlatépetl has been the only glacier that has shown a certain degree of stability as a response to the altitude in which it is located.However,as occurs in almost all glaciers on the planet,the retreat of its glacier terminus has been continuous.Furthermore,during the last years the thickness of its upper part began to decrease rapidly until its bedrock was exposed for the first time in 2019.Due to its ecosystem importance and because it is the main glacier in Mexico,as well as the only one in the world located at latitude 19°N,in this work its current dimensions are updated,as well as the local climatology that governs the current state of the glacier is pointed out.The study was based on the analysis of high-resolution Sentinel-2 optical images,as well as through Sentinel-1 SAR images,with the support of climatological information from the study area.Therefore,the outcropping of the bedrock in the accumulation zone and the consequent horizontal retreat of the upper part of the glacier are documented;at the same time,the decrease in the thickness of the ice along it is noted.The rocky outcrop in the accumulation zone suggests that the flow dynamics of the ice towards the ablation zone will be considerably less,accelerating the retreat of the glacier terminus.Finally,the ascent of the glacial front to 5102 m a.s.l.and the modelled altitude of the equilibrium line to 5276 m a.s.l.are reported as a warning signal in terms of snow catchment and mass balance;likewise,the decrease of 23%of its surface is also indicated regarding the surface reduction monitoring that has been done until 2017.These findings may indicate that the future of this glacier is related to its possible extinction sooner than previously thought,with severe environmental consequences,especially in terms of the provision of drinking water for thousands of inhabitants of the slopes of the volcano.This research is expected to help reflect on the impacts of current climate variability and at the same time serve as a reference for the tropical glaciers on the planet.

Remote sensing detection of glacier changes in Tianshan Mountains for the past 40 years

Both marginal fluctuation and areal change were used to detect the accurate dynamics of glacier change in the study area using Landsat MSS, ETM, SPOT HRV and topographic maps based on GIS. From 1963 to 1977, four of eight glaciers advanced, two of them retreated and another two kept stable, the glacier advanced generally. From 1977 to 1986, four of eight glaciers retreated and the others kept stable, but the retreated glaciers were those which advanced from 1963 to 1977. From 1986 to 2000, seven of eight glaciers retreated and only one glacier kept stable, the retreating velocity was 10-15 m/a. Glacier recession in this period became very fast and universal. From 1963 to 2000, the area of glaciers decreased from 5479.0 ha to 4795.4 ha, up to 12.5%. It is alarming that most of glacier retreats happened from 1986 to 2000. This was very consistent with change process of summer mean temperature in this region and global warming beginning in the 1980s.

Impacts of Yulong Mountain Glacier on Tourism in Lijiang

The glacier on the Yulong Mountain is one of the most important attractions in Lijiang, Yunnan, China. But it keeps retreating these years due to global warming, which is bound to influence regional tourism significantly in Lijiang. This study estimates the effects of the glacier retreat of the Yulong Mountains on tourism there. Primary data were collected through a visitor survey including demographics, motives, lengths of stay, and opinions about each tourism resource from tourists to Lijiang, as well as questions about which scenic spot（s） they had visited or would visit, how much they expended per day during their visit and how their visiting behavior would be changed upon the hypothesis that the glacier would disappear. These data were used to analyze the proportion of the contribution of glacier to the tourism in Lijiang and estimate the impact of glacier on the regional tourism quantitatively. According to the survey, it could be concluded that three quarters of the tourists to Lijiang were interested in the Yulong Mountain glacier, indicating that the glacier possesses notable appeal for sightseeing tourists. The results of our analysis showed that about 689,013-1,508,247 tourists, accounting for 19.63-42.97 % of the total 3,510,000 domestic tourists to Lijiang in 2004, would not come to Lijiang in the absence of the glacier, resulting in a possible direct economic loss of 84,382,508-184,713,011 USD （viz. 700,374,824-1,533,117,993 RMB） and a markedly decrease in the attraction radius.

Impact of Global Warming on Water Resource in Arid Area of Northwest China

As the unprecedented global warming is under way, the glacier retreat is getting more and more serious. In the inland arid area of Northwest China, due to very scarce precipitation, where there is water, there are oases. And the glacier melt water amounts to 22 % of the total direct supply of the inland river water and is of crucial importance to the survival and development of the oases. In this paper, using both the observed data and the previous research achievements of the glaciers in the inland valley of Northwest China where the oasis depending on the glacier is the only location suitable for human living, the authors describe the glacier retreat trend over the past half century, focusing on discussing the possible impact of the glacier retreat on the melt water runoff that is almost the only water resource efficient to nourish the oases. The authors find that even with increasing amount of water from the glacier with global warming, the water shortage is getting more and more serious and the environment is under a degrading way due to the accelerating economical development. The water shortage is bound to be more serious if the glacier retreat keeps on, especially after the glacier melt water is over its top for the degradedglacier scale. So suggestions are stressed in the end that a new water-saving pattern should be adopted in the area for a sustainable development due to the warming-up induced continuous glacier retreat.

A GIS-BASED GLACIER INVENTORY FOR THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA AND THE SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS——A FIRST CASE STUDY ON KING GEORGE ISLAND

The aim of the international project “Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS)" headed by the US Geological Survey is to establish a world wide glacier inventory based on satellite imagery.This data set will form a first digital baseline study for future glacier monitoring.The presented GIS_based glacier inventory for King George Island is a case study for the area of the Antarctic Peninsula.In the database of the glacier inventory topographic information,specific glaciological parameters as well as metadata will be included.The topographic data consists of drainage basin limits,basin areas,altitudinal ranges,perimeters and mean lengths.Glaciological data sets should comprise information on glacier retreat in different periods,glacier velocities,ice thickness and bedrock topography as well as derived parameters.Modelled and measured mass balance parameters could be included as additional data layers.In particular,these metadata records must comprise background information on data accuracy and data sources and should be compatible with a future data model for the King George Island GIS (KGIS).Three examples illustrate that the GLIMS database will not only contain information valuable for glaciological applications,but also other environmental studies on the island will benefit from this standardised remote sensing data sets.Therefore,a very close link between the data models of KGIS and GLIMS has to be established to enable these synergisms.Finally,better access to historic aerial photography would enable a continuous record of glacier retreat from the beginning of the 1950’s onward.

THE COMPILATION OF A DTM AND A NEW SATELLITE IMAGE MAP FOR KING GEORGE ISLAND,ANTARCTICA

An improved topographic database for King George Island,one of the most frequently visited regions in Antarctica,is presented.A first step consisted in combining data from differential GPS surveys gained during the austral summers 1997～1998 and 1999～2000,with the current coastline from a SPOT satellite image mosaic,topographic information from existing maps and from the Antarctic Digital Database.From this data sets,a digital terrain model (DTM) was generated using Arc/Info GIS.In a second step,a satellite image map at the scale 1∶100 000 was assembled from contour lines derived from the DTM and the satellite mosaic.A lack of accurate topographic information in the eastern part of the island was identified.Additional topographic surveying or SAR interferometry should be used to improve the data quality in that area.The GIS integrated database will be indispensable for glaciological and climatological studies and administrative and scientific purposes.In future,the application of GIS techniques will be mandatory for environmental impact studies and environmental monitoring as well as for management plans on King George Island.

Effect of topography on the changes of Urumqi Glacier No.1 in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains

Topography plays an important role in determining the glacier changes.However,topography has often been oversimplified in the studies of the glacier changes.No systematic studies have been conducted to evaluate the relationship between the glacier changes and topographic features.The present study provided a detailed insight into the changes in the two branches(east branch and west branch)of Urumqi Glacier No.1 in the Chinese Tianshan Mountains since 1993 and systematically discussed the effect of topography on the glacier parameters.This study analyzed comprehensive recently observed data(from 1992/1993 to 2018/2019),including mass balance,ice thickness,surface elevation,ice velocity,terminus,and area,and then determined the differences in the changes of the two branches and explored the effect of topography on the glacier changes.We also applied a topographic solar radiation model to analyze the influence of topography on the incoming shortwave radiation(SW_(in))across the entire glacier,focusing on the difference in the SW_(in) between the two branches.The glacier mass balance of the east branch was more negative than that of the west branch from 1992/1993 to 2018/2019,and this was mainly attributed to the lower average altitude of the east branch.Compared with the west branch,the decrease rate of the ice velocity was lower in the east branch owing to its relatively increased slope.The narrow shape of the west branch and its southeast aspect in the earlier period resulted in a larger glacier terminus retreat of the west branch.The spatial variability of the SW_(in) across the glacier surface became much larger as altitude increased.The SW_(in) received by the east branch was slightly larger than that received by the west branch,and the northern aspect could receive more SW_(in),leading to glacier melting.In the future,the difference of the glacier changes between the two branches will continue to exist due to their topographic differences.This work is fundamental to understanding how topographic features affect the glacier changes,and provides information for building different types of relationship between the glacier area and ice volume to promote further studies on the basin-scale glacier classification.

Main Causes and Countermeasures of Global Warming

Global warming and its serious consequences have attracted more and more attention,and how to deal with global warming has aroused extensive debate and research.Although many people believe that global warming is caused by human burning fossil fuels,there is still controversy in the scientific community.Therefore,the author analyzes various factors affecting global climate change,finds that the retreat of polar glaciers is the main cause of global warming,and puts forward reasonable countermeasures to prevent global warming.