For the first time, the separating issues of the Tenir-Too mountains into sectors in contrast to the accepted schemes of physical geography as a province and sub-province were discussed. Since the term province is mor...For the first time, the separating issues of the Tenir-Too mountains into sectors in contrast to the accepted schemes of physical geography as a province and sub-province were discussed. Since the term province is more acceptable in political science than in physical geography, the main factors in the process of sector formation were determined. The purpose of this article is not only to describe the high altitudes of the Tenir-Too mountains, but theoretically substantiate their formation, ecological and genetic features, and distribution patterns. Until today the Tenir-Too mountain area is not divided into sectors and subsectors with significant changes to the stencil scheme, which has been used to date in the physical geographical zoning. Research methods in this work are based on the recent study materials collected from meteorological stations of Tenir-Too region. Hypsometric and topographic maps were used to identify high altitude ranges, and climatic factors were separated by zones. Plant species and genus divisions were identified. In some areas of the Tenir-Too the range of altitudes along the routes was studied.展开更多
Glaciers are a critical freshwater resource of river recharge in arid areas around the world.In recent decades,glaciers have shown evidence of retreat due to climate change,and the accelerated ablation of glaciers and...Glaciers are a critical freshwater resource of river recharge in arid areas around the world.In recent decades,glaciers have shown evidence of retreat due to climate change,and the accelerated ablation of glaciers and associated impacts on water resources have received widespread attention.Glacier variations result from climate change,so they can serve as an indicator of climate change.Considering the climatic differences in different elevation ranges,it is worthwhile to explore whether different responses exist between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone.In this study,we selected a typical arid inland river basin(Sugan Lake Basin)in the western Qilian Mountains of Northwest China to analyze the glacier variations and their response to climate change.The glacier area data from 1989 to 2016 were delineated using Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM),Enhanced TM+(ETM+)and Operational Land Imager(OLI)images.We compared the relationships between glacier area and air temperature at seven meteorological stations in the glacier-covered areas and in the Sugan Lake Basin,and further analyzed the relationship between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in the elevation range of 4700–5500 m a.s.l.by the linear regression method and correlation analysis.In addition,based on the linear regression relationship established between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone,we predicted glacier areas under future climate scenarios during the periods of 2046–2065 and 2081–2100.The results indicate that the glaciers experienced a remarkable shrinkage from 1989 to 2016 with a shrinkage rate of–1.61 km^2/a(–0.5%/a),and the rising temperature is the decisive factor dominating glacial retreat;there is a significant negative linear correlation between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in each elevation zone from 1989 to 2016.The variations in glaciers are far less sensitive to changes in precipitation than to changes in air temperature.Due to the influence of climate and topographic conditions,the distribution of glacier area and the rate of glacier ablation first increased and then decreased in different elevation zones.The trend in glacier shrinkage will continue because air temperature will continue to increase in the future,and the result of glacier retreat in each elevation zone will be slightly slower than that in the entire study area.Quantitative glacier research can more accurately reflect the response of glacier variations to climate change,and the regression relationship can be used to predict the areas of glaciers under future climate scenarios.These conclusions can offer effective references for assessing glacier variations and their response to climate change in arid inland river basins in Northwest China as well as other similar regions in the world.展开更多
文摘For the first time, the separating issues of the Tenir-Too mountains into sectors in contrast to the accepted schemes of physical geography as a province and sub-province were discussed. Since the term province is more acceptable in political science than in physical geography, the main factors in the process of sector formation were determined. The purpose of this article is not only to describe the high altitudes of the Tenir-Too mountains, but theoretically substantiate their formation, ecological and genetic features, and distribution patterns. Until today the Tenir-Too mountain area is not divided into sectors and subsectors with significant changes to the stencil scheme, which has been used to date in the physical geographical zoning. Research methods in this work are based on the recent study materials collected from meteorological stations of Tenir-Too region. Hypsometric and topographic maps were used to identify high altitude ranges, and climatic factors were separated by zones. Plant species and genus divisions were identified. In some areas of the Tenir-Too the range of altitudes along the routes was studied.
基金This study was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2016YFC0402405)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(91647109,51179203,51579248,51679257,51779270).
文摘Glaciers are a critical freshwater resource of river recharge in arid areas around the world.In recent decades,glaciers have shown evidence of retreat due to climate change,and the accelerated ablation of glaciers and associated impacts on water resources have received widespread attention.Glacier variations result from climate change,so they can serve as an indicator of climate change.Considering the climatic differences in different elevation ranges,it is worthwhile to explore whether different responses exist between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone.In this study,we selected a typical arid inland river basin(Sugan Lake Basin)in the western Qilian Mountains of Northwest China to analyze the glacier variations and their response to climate change.The glacier area data from 1989 to 2016 were delineated using Landsat Thematic Mapper(TM),Enhanced TM+(ETM+)and Operational Land Imager(OLI)images.We compared the relationships between glacier area and air temperature at seven meteorological stations in the glacier-covered areas and in the Sugan Lake Basin,and further analyzed the relationship between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in the elevation range of 4700–5500 m a.s.l.by the linear regression method and correlation analysis.In addition,based on the linear regression relationship established between glacier area and air temperature in each elevation zone,we predicted glacier areas under future climate scenarios during the periods of 2046–2065 and 2081–2100.The results indicate that the glaciers experienced a remarkable shrinkage from 1989 to 2016 with a shrinkage rate of–1.61 km^2/a(–0.5%/a),and the rising temperature is the decisive factor dominating glacial retreat;there is a significant negative linear correlation between glacier area and mean air temperature of the glacier surfaces in July–August in each elevation zone from 1989 to 2016.The variations in glaciers are far less sensitive to changes in precipitation than to changes in air temperature.Due to the influence of climate and topographic conditions,the distribution of glacier area and the rate of glacier ablation first increased and then decreased in different elevation zones.The trend in glacier shrinkage will continue because air temperature will continue to increase in the future,and the result of glacier retreat in each elevation zone will be slightly slower than that in the entire study area.Quantitative glacier research can more accurately reflect the response of glacier variations to climate change,and the regression relationship can be used to predict the areas of glaciers under future climate scenarios.These conclusions can offer effective references for assessing glacier variations and their response to climate change in arid inland river basins in Northwest China as well as other similar regions in the world.
