Mass balance and near-surface ice temperature structure of Baishui Glacier No.1 in Mt. Yulong

The accumulation and ablation of a glacier directly reflect its mass income and wastage, and ice temperature indicates glacier＇s climatic and dynamic conditions. Glaciological studies at Baishui Glacier No.1 in Mt. Yulong are important for estimating recent changes of the cryosphere in Hengduan Mountains. Increased glacier ablation and higher ice temperatures can cause the incidents of icefall. Therefore, it is important to conduct the study of glacier mass balance and ice temperature, but there are few studies in relation to glacier＇s mass balance and active-layer temperature in China＇s monsoonal temperate glacier region. Based on the field observations of mass balance and glacier temperature at Baishui Glacier No.1, its accumulation, ablation, net balance and near-surface ice temperature structure were analyzed and studied in this paper. Results showed that the accumulation period was ranged from October to the following mid-May, and the ablation period occurred from mid-May to October, suggesting that the ablation period of temperate glacier began about 15 days earlier than that of continental glaciers, while the accumulation period began about 15 days later. The glacier ablation rate was 6.47 cm d 1 at an elevation of 4600 m between June 23 and August 30, and it was 7.4 cm d 1 at 4800 m between June 26 and July 11 in 1982, moreover, they respectively increased to 9.2 cm d 1 and 10.8 cm d 1 in the corresponding period and altitude in 2009, indicating that glacier ablation has greatly intensified in the past years. The temperature of the main glacier body was close to melting point in summer, and it dropped from the glacier surface and reached a minimum value at a depth of 4-6 m in the ablation zone. The temperature then rose to around melting point with the depth increment. In winter, the ice temperature rose gradually with the increasing depth, and close to melting point at the depth of 10 m. Compared with the data from 1982, the glacier temperature has risen in the ablation zone in recent decades.

乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川2009年出现物质正平衡

自1997年以来,乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川消融极为强烈,物质平衡呈大幅度亏损,连续12 a都处于强负平衡状态,平均物质平衡达-708 mm,且在2008年物质平衡达到历史最低值-999 mm,然而2009年出现了物质正平衡,物质平衡63 mm,年际变化量达1 062 mm。以2008-2009年物质平衡实测资料为基础,根据该地区的气温和降水资料分析,结果表明,造成这种现象的主要原因是夏季气温(5～8月)的降低,较2008年低1.8℃,致使冰川消融期的开始时间推迟至了7月份,结束时间提前到8月份,大大削弱了冰川的消融强度,其次是2005年以来逐渐增多的连续性降水,增加了冰川的积累量。

中国大陆型冰川和海洋型冰川变化比较分析——以天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川和玉龙雪山白水河1号冰川为例

以天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川和玉龙雪山白水河1号冰川为例,比较分析了全球变暖背景下中国大陆型冰川和海洋型冰川自20世纪中期以来的变化。结果表明：物质平衡亏损、平衡线高度上升、活动层温度升高、厚度减薄、运动速度降低、末端退缩、面积和冰储量减少是两类冰川的主要变化趋势;大陆型冰川变率有加大或者大于海洋型冰川的表现,并且两类冰川的变化幅度差距有逐渐缩小或趋稳的迹象。进一步分析认为：两类冰川消融退缩的主要原因是气温上升,重要因素是冰面反照率降低,而气候环境、响应气候变化的敏感性、加速消融机理等差异,是造成两者变化差异性的主要原因。

横断山区典型海洋型冰川物质平衡研究

玉龙雪山发育着对气候变化响应极为敏感的典型海洋型冰川。基于2008-2013年共5个物质平衡年观测数据,对玉龙雪山规模最大的白水1号冰川物质平衡特征进行分析,为评估横断山区气候和冰川变化之间的关系奠定基础。结果表明:2008-2013年白水1号冰川物质平衡最大值仅为-907 mm w.e.,最小值则达到-1872 mm w.e.。2008年冰川平衡线高度为4972 m,2009-2013年白水1号冰川积累区近乎消失。白水1号冰川积累期主要集中于10月至次年5月,6-9月为强消融期,积累量几乎为零,消融量占全年80%,属冬春季积累型冰川。2008-2009、2011-2012和2012-2013年平均物质平衡梯度为1230 mm w.e.(100 m)-1,消融期物质平衡梯度小于年物质平衡梯度,消融期初与消融期末物质平衡梯度小于100 mm w.e.(100 m)-1。