Current Behaviour and Dynamics of the Lowermost Italian Glacier (Montasio Occidentale,Julian Alps)

Smaller glaciers (<0.5 km²) react quickly to environmental changes and typically show a large scatter in their individual response. Accounting for these ice bodies is essential for assessing regional glacier change, given their high number and contribution to the total loss of glacier area in mountain regions. However, studying small glaciers using traditional techniques may be difficult or not feasible, and assessing their current activity and dynamics may be problematic. In this paper, we present an integrated approach for characterizing the current behaviour of a small, avalanche‐fed glacier at low altitude in the Italian Alps, combining geomorphological, geophysical and high‐resolution geodetic surveying with a terrestrial laser scanner. The glacier is still active and shows a detectable mass transfer from the accumulation area to the lower ablation area, which is covered by a thick debris mantle. The glacier owes its existence to the local topo‐climatic conditions, ensured by high rock walls which enhance accumulation by delivering avalanche snow and reduce ablation by providing topographic shading and regulating the debris budget of the glacier catchment. In the last several years the glacier has displayed peculiar behaviour compared with most glaciers of the European Alps, being close to equilibrium conditions in spite of warm ablation seasons. Proportionally small relative changes have also occurred since the Little Ice Age maximum. Compared with the majority of other Alpine glaciers, we infer for this glacier a lower sensitivity to air temperature and a higher sensitivity to precipitation, associated with important feedback from increasing debris cover during unfavourable periods.     

RECENT HISTORICAL FLUCTUATIONS OF THE GLACIER DU TAILLON,PYRÉNÉES

The Taillon Glacier in the French Pyrénées offers one of the most detailed records of recent glacier fluctuations in the region. A comprehensive collection of early maps, paintings, and photographs, together with short-term measurements relating to the ice margins and glacier behavior, have made possible a full reconstruction of the glacier's history since the end of the 19th century. The general pattern of ice-front retreat has been punctuated by a series of significant local readvances, dated 1886–1890, 1906–1911, 1926–1928, 1945, and 1964. The record is compared with the more detailed histories of glaciers from the Alps, and signals a surprising degree of sensitivity for the Taillon Glacier, given its overall size and state of survival. [Key words: Taillon Glacier, Pyrénées, Little Ice Age, glaciology.]     

1990-2011年西昆仑峰区冰川变化的遥感监测

本文应用Landsat 5、7 TM、ETM+影像分析1990-2011年昆仑山西段昆仑峰区冰川变化特征,结果表明:1990-2011年冰川面积减少16.83 km²,退缩率仅为0.65%,冰川退缩趋势不明显。单条冰川变化有进有退,中峰冰川末端在2002-2004年以661 m/a的速率前进,初步判定为跃动冰川。1991-1998年,崇测冰川面积增加9.47 km²,冰川末端以200 m/a的速率前进,不排除有跃动冰川的可能性。尽管近年来全球气温普遍上升,大量冰川处于退缩状态,但统计已有研究结果发现近50年来青藏高原存在冰川长度、面积增加,冰川物质平衡为正的现象,表现出冰川对气候变化复杂的反馈机制。通过分析气象站点和冰芯资料,研究区周边地区气温上升、降水量缓慢增加可能是冰川微弱退缩的原因之一;增强的西风环流带来更多的降水、研究区以极大陆型大规模冰川为主,也可能是冰川退缩幅度较小的原因。     

The Retreat of Tien Shan Glaciers (Kyrgyzstan) Since the Little Ice Age Estimated from Aerial Photographs, Lichenometric and Historical Data

The retreat of 293 glaciers in the Tien Shan Mountains (Kyrgyz Republic) from their maximum extent during the Little Ice Age (LIA) is estimated using aerial photographs from 1980 to 1985 and maps at a scale of 1:25000, constructed during period 1956–1990. Two indices of changes are used: the linear distance from the glacier terminus to its Little Ice Age moraine and the difference in absolute elevation of the terminus and the moraine. Historical information about the front positions of glaciers in the 1880s to the 1930s was used as an indirect control of remote sensing data. The age of moraines in key regions was estimated by lichenometry. On average, Tien Shan glaciers have retreated by 989 ± 540 m since the LIA maximum. Their front elevations (dh) rose by 151 ± 105 m. These changes are similar to changes observed in the Alps and western Norway, Pamir‐Alay and Koryak plateau, but greater than in east Siberia over the same interval. Differences between four regions in Tien Shan (northern, western, inner, central) are generally small, though in the northern Tien Shan the glacier retreat and frontal rise are more prominent (1065 ± 479 m and 215 ± 140 m, respectively).     

1970-2016年冈底斯山冰川变化

基于修订后的中国两次冰川编目数据及2015-2016年Landsat OLI遥感影像,对冈底斯山1970-2016年的冰川时空变化特征进行分析,并利用相应时段的气温和降水数据,对冰川变化原因进行探讨,为全面认识冈底斯山在气候变暖背景下冰川的响应规律及区域水资源合理利用提供科学依据。结果表明：① 2015-2016年冈底斯山共有冰川3953条,面积1306.45 km ²,冰储量约58.16 km ³;冰川数量以面积< 0.5 km ²的冰川为主,面积则以介于0.1~5 km ²的冰川为主。② 1970-2016年冈底斯山冰川面积共减少854.05 km ²（-39.53%）,冰川面积变化相对速率高达-1.09%/a,消融期气温升高是导致该山区冰川退缩的最主要原因。与中国西部其他山系冰川变化相比,冈底斯山是冰川退缩最为强烈的地区,且近年来冰川退缩呈加快趋势。③ 冈底斯山冰川面积减少主要集中在海拔5600~6100 m之间,海拔6500 m以上区域基本没有变化。除南朝向和东南朝向外,冈底斯山其他朝向冰川数量和面积均呈减少趋势,其中北朝向冰川面积减少最多,西北朝向冰川面积变化最快。④ 冈底斯山冰川面积变化自西向东呈加快趋势,其中东段冰川面积变化相对速率高达-1.72%/a,中段次之（-1.67%/a）,西段仅为-0.83%/a。     

1978-2015年喀喇昆仑山克勒青河流域冰川变化的遥感监测

本文采用1978、1991、2001和2015年的Landsat MSS、TM、ETM+和OLI遥感影像,通过遥感图像计算机辅助分类和目视解译等方法提取冰川边界,分析喀喇昆仑山克勒青河流域冰川在1978-2015年间的进退变化。结果表明：1978-2015年间研究区冰川面积由1821.70 km2减少至1675.92 km2,减少145.78 km2,占1978年冰川总面积的8.00%;冰川消融率较低,在气候变暖的背景下反而呈现出退缩速率由快变慢的趋势。研究区东南向冰川退缩率明显高于西北向,冰川退缩率随冰川规模的增大而减小。研究区内有27处冰川在1978-2015年间发生过特殊的前进现象,面积与长度显著增加。其中,木斯塔冰川西侧冰川末端在1996-1998年间前进速度为904 m/a,乔戈里冰川东侧冰川末端在2007-2009年间前进速度为446 m/a,5Y654D0097冰川末端在1978-1990年间前进速度为238 m/a,初步判定这三条冰川为跃动冰川。以10 a为滞后期分析研究区周边气象站点资料发现：研究区气温持续升高,降水量以1981年为分界点呈现“先减后增”趋势是冰川退缩速率减慢的原因之一;此外,亚大陆型冰川性质、巨大山势条件和高山冷储作用,也可能是冰川退缩幅度较小的原因。     

1990—2015年喜马拉雅山冰川变化的遥感监测

基于Landsat系列遥感数据,运用比值阈值法（B3/B5）和目视解译,研究1990—2015年喜马拉雅山冰川面积的分布与变化特征。结果表明：25年间研究区冰川面积共减少2553.10 km²,年均退缩率为0.44%/a,研究时段冰川加速退缩。研究区冰川主要分布在西段地区,中段次之,东段最少,近25年来西段、东段和中段地区冰川均表现为退缩趋势,其中东段地区退缩最快,中段最慢。从地形分布和变化特征看,5°~25°范围内冰川的分布面积较多,近25年来各坡度等级冰川均在退缩,其中25°~30°之间冰川面积退缩较快,在极平缓/极陡峭地区退缩较慢。尽管8个坡向上冰川均表现为退缩趋势,但退缩幅度有所差异,北坡与西北坡冰川退缩较慢,其他坡向退缩较快。研究时段表碛物覆盖型与非表碛物覆盖型冰川均在退缩,但后者的退缩幅度较大,表明研究区表碛物在一定程度上抑制了冰川消融。     

1900-2007年横断山区部分海洋型冰川变化

横断山区7条海洋型冰川近百年进退速度变化呈现出以退缩为总趋势的阶段性变化,具体表现为20世纪初至1930s的冰川稳定,1930s-1960s的冰川后退,1970s-1980s的冰川稳定或减速后退,20世纪80年代中期以来的冰川后退,这与我国、北半球及横断山区同期的气候变化呈明显对应,展现出冷干阶段冰川稳定或前进、暖湿阶段后退的态势,但各冰川的变化幅度因纬度位置、坡向、冰川规模、局地环境等而存在明显差异.1982/83年大、小贡巴冰川、海螺沟冰川冰舌段的消融水当量分别为2710mm、3139 mm和5281 mm,1990/91-97/98期间海螺沟冰川冰舌段的年均消融水当量为6157 mm,比1982/83年增加了876 mm.2002年夏季白水1号冰川的积雪消融量由于表碛覆盖较少表现出明显的随海拔升高而降低的特征,平均消融水当量为1086.25 mm,2008.9-19.10.13期间白水1号冰川物质平衡花竿的观测表明,花竿布设区域10月6号左右转入物质积累期.期间日均积累深为1cm,折合水当量5mm.     

A geochronological approach to understanding the role of solar activity on Holocene glacier length variability in the Swiss Alps

We present a radiocarbon data set of 71 samples of wood and peat material that melted out or sheared out from underneath eight presentday mid‐latitude glaciers in the Central Swiss Alps. Results indicated that in the past several glaciers have been repeatedly less extensive than they were in the 1990s. The periods when glaciers had a smaller volume and shorter length persisted between 320 and 2500 years. This data set provides greater insight into glacier variability than previously possible, especially for the early and middle Holocene. The radiocarbon‐dated periods defined with less extensive glaciers coincide with periods of reduced radio‐production, pointing to a connection between solar activity and glacier melting processes. Measured long‐term series of glacier length variations show significant correlation with the total solar irradiance. Incoming solar irradiance and changing albedo can account for a direct forcing of the glacier mass balances. Long‐term investigations of atmospheric processes that are in interaction with changing solar activity are needed in order to understand the feedback mechanisms with glacier mass balances.     

Late Holocene glacier variations and climate at Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen is a small (373 km²) remote island in the Norwegian Sea. One third of it is covered by glaciers, all located on the Beerenberg volcano. There have been at least two Holocene periods of glacier expansion at Jan Mayen. The first may have taken place around 2500 B.P. Some glaciers had their maximum extent during the second period, around 1850 A.D. They have subsequently shown an oscillating retreat, with marked expansion around 1910, and with a minimum extent around 1950. Many glaciers advanced again around 1960. The advance of Sørbreen probably culminated around 1965. The climate appears to have been more arctic-continental than today during these two periods of glacier advances, caused by expanded pack ice cover in the East Greenland current and strong influence from the Greenland-Arctic high pressure area. The interplay between the high pressure area and the low pressure tracks in the North Atlantic Ocean determines the climate over the north-western part of the Atlantic, and this results in parallel climate and glacier variations within this region. We conclude, contrary to previous reports, that the advances of the glaciers around 1960 were caused by reduced summer temperatures and ablation, and not by increased precipitation.     

Remote sensing of ice cap outlet glacier fluctuations on Nordaustlandet, Svalbard

Landsat multispectral scanner images and 1:50, 000 scale aerial photographs are used to measure marginal fluctuations in 22 outlet glaciers of the Nordaustlandet ice caps, Svalbard, for all or parts of the period 1969 to 1981. Little was previously known about the behaviour of these glacier termini. Digital analysis of Landsat computer compatible tapes yielded measurement errors of less than ±150m, whereas data extracted from aerial photographs had an accuracy of ±25 m. Of the 22 glacier termini examined using aerial photographs, 15 were retreating, four were static and three were advancing. Retreat was usually in the order of hundreds of metres during the period of observation. For any outlet glacier, retreat was probably a result of either (1) glacier response to climatic wanning since the early part of the 20th century, or (2) stagnation and thinning during the quiescent period between surges. Short term iceberg calving events may also be responsible for retreat in a few cases. All observed outlet glaciers of Austfonna were static or retreating between 1969 and 1981, but analysis of Landsat imagery and aerial photographs showed that five outlet glaciers from Vestfonna and one from Vegafonna were advancing for all or part of that period. Bodleybreen advanced by a mean of 440 and a maximum of 580m a⁻¹ between 1976 and 1981. Bodleybreen, Søre Rijpbreen, and Palanderbreen are identified as surging, based on increases or changes in the pattern of surface crevassing. The ice streams Aldousbreen, Frazerbreen, and Idunbreen also advanced between 1976 and 1981, but surface crevasse patterns remained largely unaltered and surging is not inferred.     

1990-2015年喜马拉雅山东段中国和不丹边境地区冰川变化研究

利用Landsat影像,EDM影像等数据资料,使用遥感图像处理及目视解译方法提取了喜马拉雅山东段中国与不丹边境地区冰川从1990—2015年4期边界,研究其与气温降水变化关系,并选取特定冰川,对其表面流速进行估算。研究表明：1990—2015年,该地区冰川退缩速率达0.43%·a^-1,并且冰川年退缩率逐渐增大,表明冰川消融速度逐渐加快。该时段内,气温呈现明显上升趋势,导致了冰川的快速消融。通过对冰川表面流速的估算,得出中国与不丹边境地区研究选取的冰前湖对冰川流速具有促进作用,加速冰川消融。     

Adaptation models of mountain glacier tourism to climate change: a case study of Mt. Yulong Snow scenic area

Mountain glaciers have an obvious location advantage and tourist market condition over polar and high latitude glaciers. Due to the enormous economic benefit and heritage value, some mountain glaciers will always receive higher attention from commercial media, government departments and mountain tourists in China and abroad. At present, more than 100 glaciers have been developed successfully as famous tourist destinations all over the world. However, global climate change seriously affects mountain glaciers and its surrounding environment. According to the current accelerated retreat trend, natural and cultural landscapes of some glaciers will be weakened, even disappear in the future. Climate change will also inevitably affect mountain ecosystems, and tourism routes under ice and glacier experience activities in these ecosystems. Simultaneously, the disappearance of mountain glaciers will also lead to a clear reduction of tourism and local economic benefits. Based on these reasons, this paper took Mt. Yulong Snow scenic area as an example and analyzed the retreat trend of a typical glacier. We then put forward some scientific and rational response mechanisms and adaptation models based on climate change in order to help future sustainable development of mountain glacier tourism.     

Calving retreat and proglacial lake growth at Hooker Glacier,Southern Alps,New Zealand

Hooker Glacier in the central Southern Alps of New Zealand has undergone significant downwasting and recession (～2.14 km) during the last two centuries. High retreat rates (51 m a^?1 1986–2001, 43 m a^?1 2001–2011) have produced a large (1.22 km²) proglacial lake. We present a retreat scenario for Hooker Glacier. A retreat scenario predicts that the glacier terminus will stabilise >3 km up‐valley of the current lake outlet after 2028 when ice velocity equals calving rate.     

Paleolimnological records of recent glacier recession in the Rwenzori Mountains,Uganda-D. R. Congo

The status of tropical glaciers is enormously important to our understanding of past, present, and future climate change, yet lack of continuous quantitative records of alpine glacier extent on the highest mountains of tropical East Africa prior to the 20th century has left the timing and drivers of recent glacier recession in the region equivocal. Here we investigate recent changes (the last 150–700 years) in lacustrine sedimentation, glacier extent, and biogeochemical processes in the Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda- Democratic Republic of Congo) by comparing sedimentological (organic and siliciclastic component determined by loss-on-ignition; LOI) and organic geochemical profiles (carbon and nitrogen abundance, ratio, and isotopic composition of sedimentary organic matter) from lakes occupying presently glaciated catchments against similar profiles from lakes located in catchments lacking glaciers. The siliciclastic content of sediments in the ‘glacial lakes’ significantly decreases towards the present, whereas ‘non-glacial lakes’ generally show weak trends in their siliciclastic content over time, demonstrating that changes in the siliciclastic content of glacial lake sediments primarily record fluctuations in glacier extent. Radiometric dating of our sediment cores indicates that prior to their late 19th-century recession Rwenzori glaciers stood at expanded ‘Little Ice Age’ positions for several centuries under a regionally dry climate regime, and that recession was underway by 1870 AD, during a regionally wet episode. These findings suggest that the influence of late 19th century reductions in precipitation in triggering Rwenzori glacier recession is weaker than previously thought. Our organic geochemical data indicate that glacier retreat has significantly affected carbon cycling in Afroalpine lakes, but trends in aquatic ecosystem functioning are variable among lakes and require more detailed analysis.     

Glacier Distribution in the Alps: Statistical Modelling of Altitude and Aspect

Mass balance of glaciers in mountain areas varies not only with altitude and regional position but also with aspect, gradient, glacier size, glacier type and detailed topographic position. These factors are combined here in models of how glacier altitude varies, tested with data for the Alps edited from the World Glacier Inventory. An overall northward tendency in glacier numbers (toward 005 ± 4°) and lower altitudes (013 ± 5°) is maintained across a range of glacier sizes, types, altitudes and the major divisions of the Alps. Variation with aspect of glacier altitude (and, by implication, of glacier balance) in the Alps is essentially unimodal, and north‐facing glaciers average 220 m lower in middle altitude than south‐facing: 148 m in the Western Alps, 232 m in the West‐central, 252 m in the East‐central, and 268 m in the Eastern Alps. For smaller subdivisions, confidence intervals on estimates are broader and many differences lack statistical significance. Contrasts are greater in the higher massifs, with greater relief, and lower in cloudy, windward areas. There are small windrelated tendencies east of north along the northern and western fringes, but trends across space are weak: position is thus treated by subdivision into districts and groups. Mid‐altitude averages 2891 m overall and varies from 2552 to 3127 m for 27 glacier districts, and from 2124 to 3209 m for 103 glacier groups. Glacier mid‐altitude varies also with glacier form, nourishment, height range and area, which account for over two‐thirds of variance in combined models.     

近40a阿尔金山冰川与气候变化关系研究

以Landsat MSS/TM/ETM⁺/OLI 遥感影像和数字高程模型为数据源,在遥感和地理信息技术支持下,分析了阿尔金山地区1973、1999、2010、2015 四期冰川变化特征。研究表明：（1）1973-2015 年,冰川总面积共退缩了58.78 km²,年均退缩率为0.40%·a^-1,东段退缩速率最快,其次是西段,中段最慢,且冰川退缩速率呈现出先变快后变慢的变化趋势。（2）各个坡向都出现不同程度的退缩,偏南坡比偏北坡冰川退缩严重。（3）冰川面积退缩速率与规模等级呈现反相关关系,小规模冰川退缩速率快。（4）冰川分布随海拔变化呈正态分布,海拔越低退缩速率越快。统计分析气象数据表明,气候变暖是冰川退缩的主要原因,同时地形与冰川规模也影响冰川变化。     

Reconstruction and Regional Significance of the Coire Breac Palaeoglacier,Glen Esk,Eastern Grampian Highlands,Scotland

We present a glaciological and climatic reconstruction of a former glacier in Coire Breac, an isolated cirque within the Eastern Grampian plateau of Scotland, 5 km from the Highland edge. Published glacier reconstructions of presumed Younger Dryas‐age glaciers in this area show that equilibrium line altitudes decreased steeply towards the east coast, implying a arctic maritime glacial environment. Extrapolation of the ELA trend surface implies that glaciers should have existed in suitable locations on the plateau, a landscape little modified by glaciation. In Coire Breac, a 0.35 km² cirque glacier existed with an equilibrium line altitude of 487 ± 15 m above present sea level. The equilibrium line altitude matches closely the extrapolated regional equilibrium line altitude trend surface for Younger Dryas Stadial glaciers. The mean glacier thickness of 24 m gives an ice volume of 7.8 × 10⁶ m³, and a maximum basal shear stress of c. 100 kPa^?1. Ablation gradient was c. –0.0055 m m^?1, with a mean July temperature at the equilibrium line altitude of c. 5.1°C. The reconstruction implies an arctic maritime climate of low precipitation with local accumulation enhanced by blown snow, which may explain the absence of other contemporary glaciers nearby. Reconstructed ice flow lines show zones of flow concentration around the lower ice margin which help to explain the distribution of depositional facies associated with a former debris cover which may have delayed eventual glacier retreat. No moraines in the area have been dated, so palaeoclimatic interpretations remain provisional, and a pre‐Lateglacial Interstadial age cannot be ruled out.     

LINEAR MODELLING OF GLACIER LENGTH FLUCTUATIONS

In this contribution a linear first‐order differential equation is used to model glacier length fluctuations. This equation has two parameters describing the physical characteristics of a glacier: the climate sensitivity, expressing how the equilibrium glacier length depends on the climatic state, and the response time, indicating how fast a glacier approaches a new equilibrium state after a stepwise change in the climatic forcing. A prerequisite for the application of a linear model to a particular glacier is that length fluctuations over the period of interest are significantly smaller than the average length. The linear model is used to define and illustrate some concepts relevant to the study of glacier fluctuations. It is shown that glaciers are never in equilibrium with climate, and that a constant time lag between forcing and response cannot be expected. Next the linear glacier model is applied to real glaciers, showing how information on response times and a reconstruction of the climatic forcing can be extracted from length records. In the first application, two adjacent glaciers in the Oetztal Alps (Austria) are considered: Hintereisferner and Kesselwandferner. By optimizing the response times with a control method, reconstructed equilibrium‐line histories for these glaciers are almost identical. The corresponding response times are 31 years for Hintereisferner, and only 2.1 years for Kesselwandferner. In the second application, four glacier length records from the Oberengadin (Switzerland) are used to reconstruct equilibrium‐line histories. These appear to be mutually consistent, and the mean rise of the equilibrium line over the period 1894–2007 appears to be 1.4 m yr^?1. An equilibrium‐line history derived from data of a nearby climate station yields about the same trend over this period, but shows significant differences on the decadal time scale.     

Digital Terrain Modelling of the Surface and Bed Topography of the Glacier Austre Okstindbreen, Okstindan, Norway

Twentieth-century changes in Norwegian glaciers have been pronounced, but the different geometries and dynamics of the glaciers have caused different responses to similar climatic changes. Close to the Arctic Circle, all the glaciers of Svartisen, the largest ice-covered area of northern Scandinavia, have retreated since the beginning of the century. However, several of the smaller glaciers which end at relatively high altitude have experienced both periods of advance and periods of retreat since the mid-1960s. The mass balance of Engabreen, the largest of the West Svartisen glaciers, was positive in 21 of the 27 years to 1995–96. The sizes of most of the glaciers of the Okstindan area, 60 km south-east of Svartisen, have also decreased throughout the twentieth century, but Corneliussens Bre, a small glacier at the eastern side of the massif, has been advancing since 1970. The areas supplying some of the southern glaciers of Okstindan have been reduced as a result of changes in ice thickness at high altitude. Studies of glacier change are aided by the use of digital terrain models (DTMs). Triangular irregular network DTMs of the surface and bed topography of the largest of the Okstindan glaciers, Austre Okstindbreen, have been used in studies of mass-balance variations and changing surface flow patterns between 1976 and 1995.