Glacier changes in the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range of Tibetan Plateau from 1975 to 2013

Maritime-type glaciers in the eastern Nyainqêntanglha Range, located in the southeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, are an important water source for downstream residents and ecological systems. To better understand the variability of glaciers in this region, we used the band ratio threshold(TM3/TM5 for the Landsat TM /ETM+ and TM4/TM6 for Landsat OLI) to extract glacier outlines in ~1999 and ~2013. After that, we also generated a series of glacier boundaries and monitored glacier variations in the past 40 years with the help of the Chinese Glacier Inventory data(1975) and Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI data. The total glacier area decreased by 37.69 ± 2.84% from 1975 to 2013. The annual percentage area change(APAC) was ~1.32% a-1 and ~1.29% a-1 in the periods 1975-1999 and 1999-2013, respectively. According to the lag theory, the reaction time is probably about 10 years and we discuss the variations of temperature and precipitation between 1965 and 2011. Temperature and precipitation increased between 1965 and 2011 at a rate of 0.34°C /10 a and 15.4 mm/10 a, respectively. Extensive meteorological data show that the glacier shrinkage rate over the period may be mainly due to increasing air temperature, while the increasing precipitation partly made up for the mass loss of glacier ice resulting from increasing temperature may also lead to the low APAC between 1999 and 2013. The lag theory suggests that glacier shrinkage may accelerate in the next 10 years. Small glaciers were more sensitive to climate change, and there was a normal distribution between glacier area and elevation. Glaciers shrank in all aspects, and south aspects diminished faster than others.     

Modeling the Roles of Precipitation Increasing in Glacier Systems Responding to Climate Warming —— Taking Xinjiang Glaciated Region as Example

The studies on prediction of climate in Xinjiang almost show that the precipitation would increase in the coming 50 years, although there were surely some uncertainties in precipitation predictions. On the basis of the structure of glacier system and nature of equilibrium line altitude at steady state （ELAo）, a functional model of the glacier system responding to climate changes was established, and it simultaneously involved the rising of summer mean temperature and increasing of mean precipitation. The results from the functional model under the climatic scenarios with temperature increasing rates of 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 K/year indicated that the precipitation increasing would play an evident role in glacier system responding to climate change： if temperature become 1 ℃ higher, the precipitation would be increased by 10%, which can slow down the glaciers retreating rate in the area by 4 %, accelerate runoff increasing rate by 8 % and depress the ELAo rising gradient by 24 m in northern Xinjiang glacier system where semi-continental glaciers dominate, while it has corresponding values of only 1%, 5 % and 18m respectively in southern Xinjiang glacier system, where extremely continental glaciers dominate.     

Streamflow response to shrinking glaciers under changing climate in the Lidder Valley,Kashmir Himalayas

The study investigated the streamflow response to the shrinking cryosphere under changing climate in the Lidder valley, Upper Indus Basin(UIB), Kashmir Himalayas. We used a combination of multitemporal satellite data and topographic maps to evaluate the changes in area, length and volume of the glaciers from 1962 to 2013. A total of 37 glaciers from the Lidder valley, with an area of 39.76 km~2 in 1962 were selected for research in this study. It was observed that the glaciers in the valley have lost ~28.89 ±0.1% of the area and ~19.65 ±0.069% of the volume during the last 51 years, with variable interdecadal recession rates. Geomorphic and climatic influences on the shrinking glacier resources were studied. 30-years temperature records(1980-2010) in the study area showed a significant increasing trend in all the seasons. However, the total annual precipitation during the same period showed a nonsignificant decreasing trend except during the late summer months(July, August and September), when the increasing trend is significant. The depletion of glaciers has led to the significant depletion of the streamflows under the changing climate in the valley. Summer streamflows(1971-2012) have increased significantly till mid-nineties but decreased significantly thereafter, suggesting that the tipping point of streamflow peak, due to the enhanced glacier-melt contribution under increasing global temperatures, may have been already reached in the basin. The observed glacier recession and climate change patterns, if continued in future, would further deplete the streamflows with serious implications on water supplies for different uses in the region.     

Glacier changes since the early 1960s,eastern Pamir,China

Glaciers in the eastern Pamir are important for water resources and the social and economic development of the region.In the last 50 years,these glaciers have shrunk and lost ice mass due to climate change.In order to understand recent glacier dynamics in the region,a new inventory was compiled from Landsat TM/ETM+ images acquired in2009,free of clouds and with minimal snow cover on the glacierized mountains.The first glacier inventory of the area was also updated by digitizing glacier outlines from topographical maps that had been modified and verified using aerial photographs.Total glacier area decreased by 10.8%±1.1%,mainly attributed to an increase in air temperature,although precipitation,glacier size and topographic features also combined to affect the general shrinkage of the glaciers.The 19.3–21.4 km~3 estimated glacier mass loss has contributed to an increase in river runoff and water resources.     

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.     

GLACIER MELTWATER RUNOFF IN CHINA AND ITS NOURISHMENT TO RIVER

ＧＬＡＣＩＥＲＭＥＬＴＷＡＴＥＲＲＵＮＯＦＦＩＮＣＨＩＮＡＡＮＤＩＴＳＮＯＵＲＩＳＨＭＥＮＴＴＯＲＩＶＥＲ￥ＹａｎｇＺｈｅｎｎｉａｎｇ（杨针娘）（ＬａｎｚｈｏｕＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅｏｆＧｌａｃｉｏｌｏｇｙａｎｄＧｅｏｃｒｙｏｌｏｇｙ，ｔｈｅＣｈｉｎｅｓ...     

State and fate of the remaining tropical mountain glaciers in australasia using satellite imagery

Tropical glaciers are extremely sensitive to a warming climate. In this paper, the evolution of the remaining tropical glaciers in Australasia(Irian Jaya, Indonesia) during the period 1988-2015 was quantified. Landsat series images, a digital elevation model from SRTM, and previously published data were used. Estimated total glacier area in 1988, 1993, 1997 and 2004 was 3.85 km2±0.13 km2, 3.01 km2±0.08 km2, 2.49 km2±0.07 km2 and 1.725 km2 ±0.042 km2, respectively. Only 0.58 km2±0.016 km2 glacierized area remained in 2015 in Puncak Jaya, which is about 84.9% loss in just 27 years. If this rate continued, the remaining tropical glaciers in Australasia would disappear in the 2020 s. Timeseries analysis of climate variables showed significant positive trends in air temperature(0.009°C per year) and relative humidity(0.43% per year) but no considerable tendency was observed for precipitation. Warming climate together with mining activities would accelerate loss of glacier coverage in this region.     

Glacier change in the western Nyainqentanglha Range,Tibetan Plateau using historical maps and Landsat imagery: 1970-2014

Glaciers in the western Nyainqentanglha Range are an important source of water for social and economic development. Changes in their area were derived from two Chinese glacier inventories; one from the 1970 1:50,000 scale Chinese Topographic Maps series and the other from Landsat TM/ETM+ images acquired in 2009. Analyses also included boundaries from 2000 and 2014 Landsat TM/ETM+ images. A continuing and accelerating shrinkage of glaciers occurred here from 1970 to 2014, with glacier area decreasing by 244.38 ± 29.48 km~2(27.4% ± 3.3%)or 0.62% ± 0.08% a~(–1). While this is consistent with a changing climate, local topographic parameters, such as altitude, slope, aspect and debris cover, are also important influences. Recession is manifested by a rise in the elevation of the glacier terminus. The shrinkage of glaciers with NE, N and NW orientations exceeded that of other aspects, and glaciers with SE and S orientations experienced less shrinkage. Changes in the average positive difference of glaciation(PDG) show that the western Nyainqentanglha Range has unfavorable conditions for glacier maintenance which is being exacerbated by a warming climate since 1970.     

Ice surface-elevation change and velocity of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 in the Tomor region, Tianshan Mountains, central Asia

Glaciers in the Tomor region of Tianshan Mountains preserve vital water resources.However,these glaciers suffer from strong mass losses in the recent years because of global warming.From 2008 to 2009,a large-scale scientific expedition has been carried out in this region.As an individual reference glacier,the tongue area of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 was measured by the high precise Real Time Kinematic-Global Position System (RTK-GPS).In this paper,changes of the tongue area of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 has been studied based on topographic map,remote sensing image and the survey during 2008-2009 field campaign.Results indicated that the ice surface-elevation of the tongue area changed-0.22±0.14 m a-1 from 1964 to 2008.The estimated loss in ice volume was 0.014±0.009 km3,which represented a ～20 % decrease from the 1964 volume and was equivalent to average annual mass balance of-0.20±0.12 m water equivalent for the tongue area during 1964-2008.Terminus retreated by 1852 m,approximately 41 m a-1,with the area reduction of 1.533 km2 (0.034 km2 a-1) from 1964 to 2009.Furthermore,the annual velocity reached to ～70 m a-1.Comparing with the other monitored glaciers in the eastern Tianshan Mountains,Qingbingtan glacier No.72 experienced more intensive in shrinkage,which resulted from the combined effects of climate change and glacier dynamic,providing evidence of the response to climatic warming.     

An investigation on changes in glacier mass balance and hypsometry for a small mountainous glacier in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Mass balance is a key indicator of the sensitivity of glaciers to climate change. Field measurement is one of the most important ways to study the mass balance of glaciers. Based on observations of mass balance in the ablation zone of Shuiguan Glacier No.4, Qilian Mountains, China, combined with the balance ratio between accumulation and ablation, we established a linear relation between mass balance and altitude. The results show that the mean annual mass balance of this glacier was ~510 mm w.e. from 2010 to 2013. The uncertainty in the balance ratio value does not lead to a significant difference in the mass balance. The equilibrium-line altitude rose by 180 m from 1972 to 2013, while the accumulation–area ratio decreased from 0.68 to 0.25. These variations may be caused by changes in air temperature. Meanwhile, the glacier is at present not in a steady state, and it may continue to shrink by a further ~900 m, even without further climate warming. In the western Lenglongling Mountains, assuming that the glaciers are in a steady state and the Equilibrium-line altitudes(ELAs)remain similar, there will be only 46 glaciers left, covering a total area of 19.2 km~2, in other words, only 22.3% of the glaciers area in 1972.     

Glacier variations and rising temperature in the Mt. Kenya since the Last Glacial Maximum

High-resolution imagery can be used to reconstruct former glacier boundaries through the identification of glacial erosional and sedimentary geomorphology. We employed moraine mapping and the accumulation–area ratio method(AAR), in conjunction with Landsat, Google Earth, and SRTM imagery, to reconstruct glacier boundaries and equilibrium-line altitudes(ELAs) for Mt. Kenya in the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM), the Little Ice Age(LIA), and at present. Our results show that the areas of Lewis Glacier and the Tyndall-I glacier system were 0.678 km~2 and 0.390 km~2, respectively, during the maximum of LIA. Those mean that the both glaciers have shrunken by 87.0% and 88.7%, respectively since the LIA. Area change ratios for each glacier were significantly larger in the period of 2000 through 2015 than the former periods, indicating that glacier recession has accelerated. Continuous ice loss in this region has been driven by rising temperature and fluctuating precipitation. Linear regression data for Lewis glacier show that mass balance sensitivity to dry season temperature was –315 mm w.e./℃, whereas the sensitivity to dry season precipitation was 5.2 mm w.e./mm. Our data also show that the ELA on the western slope of Mt. Kenya rose by 716-816 m from the LGM to the modern era, corresponding to that temperature rose by 5.2℃-6.5℃.     

Distribution of borehole temperature at four high-altitude alpine glaciers in Central Asia

The distribution of borehole temperature at four high-altitude alpine glaciers was investigated. The result shows that the temperature ranges from -13.4℃ to -1.84℃, indicating the glaciers are cold throughout the boreholes. The negative gradient （i.e., the temperature decreasing with the increasing of depth） due to the advection of ice and climate warming, and the negative gradient moving downwards relates to climate warming, are probably responsible for the observed minimum temperature moving to lower depth in boreholes of the Gyabrag glacier and Miaoergou glacier compared to the previously investigated continental ice core borehole temperature in West China. The borehole temperature at 10m depth ranges from -8.0℃ in the Gyabrag glacier in the central Himalayas to -12.9℃ in the Tsabagarav glacier in the Altai range. The borehole temperature at 10 m depth is 3-4 degrees higher than the calculated mean annual air temperature on the surface of the glaciers and the higher 10 m depth temperature is mainly caused by the production of latent heat due to melt-water percolation and refreezing. The basal temperature is far below the melting point, indicating that the glaciers are frozen to bedrock. The very low temperature gradients near the bedrock suggest that the influence of geothermal flux and ice flow on basal temperature is very weak. The low temperature and small velocity of ice flow of glaciers are beneficial for preservation of the chemical and isotopic information in ice cores.     

Impacts of Climatic Factors on Runoff Coefficients in Source Regions of the Huanghe River

Runoff coefficients of the source regions of the Huanghe River in 1956–2000 were analyzed in this paper. In the 1990s runoff of Tangnaihai Hydrologic Station of the Huanghe River experienced a serious decrease, which had at- tracted considerable attention. Climate changes have important impact on the water resources availability. From the view of water cycling, runoff coefficients are important indexes of water resources in a particular catchment. Kalinin baseflow separation technique was improved based on the characteristics of precipitation and streamflow. After the separation of runoff coefficient (R/P), baseflow coefficient (Br/P) and direct runoff coefficient (Dr/P) were estimated. Statistic analyses were applied to assessing the impact of precipitation and temperature on runoff coefficients (including Dr/P, Br/P and R/P). The results show that in the source regions of the Huanghe River, mean annual baseflow coefficient was higher than mean annual direct runoff coefficient. Annual runoff coefficients were in direct proportion to annual pre- cipitation and in inverse proportion to annual mean temperature. The decrease of runoff coefficients in the 1990s was closely related to the decrease in precipitation and increase in temperature in the same period. Over different sub-basins of the source regions of the Huanghe River, runoff coefficients responded differently to precipitation and temperature. In the area above Jimai Hydrologic Station where annual mean temperature is –3.9oC, temperature is the main factor in- fluencing the runoff coefficients. Runoff coefficients were in inverse relation to temperature, and precipitation had nearly no impact on runoff coefficients. In subbasin between Jimai and Maqu Hydrologic Station Dr/P was mainly affected by precipitation while R/P and Br/P were both significantly influenced by precipitation and temperature. In the area be-tween Maqu and Tangnaihai hydrologic stations all the three runoff coefficients increased with the rising of annual precipitation, while direct runoff coefficient was inversely proportional to temperature. In the source regions of the Huanghe River with the increase of average annual temperature, the impacts of temperature on runoff coefficients be-come insignificant.     

Isotopic and chemical analyses of a temperate firn core from a Chinese alpine glacier and its regional climatic significance

Mt. Yulong is the southernmost currently glacier-covered area in Eurasia, including China. There are 19 sub-tropical temperate glaciers on the mountain, controlled by the south-western monsoon climate. In the summer of 1999, a firn core, 10. 10 m long, extending down to glacier ice, was recovered in the accumulation area of the largest glacier, Baishui No. 1. Periodic variations of climatic signals above 7. 8 m depth were apparent, and net accumulation of four years was identified by the annual oscillations of isotopic and ionic composition. The boundaries of annual accumulation were confirmed by higher values of electrical conductivity and pH, and by dirty refreezing ice layers at the levels of summer surfaces. Calculated mean annual net accumulation from 1994/1995 to 1997/1998 was about 900 mm water equivalent. The amplitude of isotopic variations in the profile decreased with increasing depth, and isotopic homogenization occurred below 7. 8 m as a result of meltwater percolation. Variations of δ18O above 7. 8 m showed an approximate correlation with the winter climatic trend at Li Jiang Station, 25 km away. Concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ were much higher than those of Na+ and K+ , indicating that the air masses for precipitation were mainly from a continental source, and that the core material accumulated during the winter period. The close correspondence of C1- and Na+ indicated their common origin. Very low concentrations of SO2-4 and NO3- suggest that pollution caused by human activities is quite low in the area. The mean annual net accumulation in the core and the estimated ablation indicate that the average annual precipitation above the glacier's equilibrium line is 2400 - 3150 mm, but this needs to be confirmed by long term observation of mass balance.     

四川巴中地区38年来气候变化特征分析

利用1971—2008年巴中地区4个站点的地面常规观测资料和滑动平均、MK法及MHF小波分析等统计诊断方法,分析了该地区降水和温度的年际、年代际的气候变化特征。结果表明：巴中地区的年均气温总体上表现出暖→冷→暖3个阶段,并呈现出8年的准周期变化特征;冬春气温的年代际变化显示出暖→冷→暖3个阶段性特征,而夏秋气温的年代际变化则显示出暖→冷→暖→冷4个阶段性特征。巴中地区的年降水量呈现出减少的趋势,递减率为13．813mm／10年;春季降水量低于全国的春季平均水平,夏、秋季平均降水量均高于全国的平均水平,且占到全年降水量的80％以上。巴中地区的年降水量存在较为显著的2年和6年的准周期变化,降水量增加和减少的突变较多显示出其复杂性。春、夏、秋三季的降水量有随温度升高而下降的趋势,而冬季的降水量有随温度的升高先增多后减少的趋势。巴中气候特征的分析对巴中农业区划和生产安排有其重要意义。     

Response of biomass spatial pattern of alpine vegetation to climate change in permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Alpine ecosystems in permafrost region are extremely sensitive to climate changes.To determine spatial pattern variations in alpine meadow and alpine steppe biomass dynamics in the permafrost region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,calibrated with historical datasets of above-ground biomass production within the permafrost region's two main ecosystems,an ecosystem-biomass model was developed by employing empirical spatialdistribution models of the study region's precipitation,air temperature and soil temperature.This model was then successfully used to simulate the spatio-temporal variations in annual alpine ecosystem biomass production under climate change.For a 0.44°C decade-1 rise in air temperature,the model predicted that the biomasses of alpine meadow and alpine steppe remained roughly the same if annual precipitation increased by 8 mm per decade-1,but the biomasses were decreased by 2.7% and 2.4%,respectively if precipitation was constant.For a 2.2°C decade-1 rise in air temperature coupled with a 12 mm decade-1 rise in precipitation,the model predicted that the biomass of alpine meadow was unchanged or slightly increased,while that of alpine steppe was increased by 5.2%.However,in the absence of any rise in precipitation,the model predicted 6.8% and 4.6% declines in alpine meadow and alpine steppe biomasses,respectively.The response of alpine steppe biomass to the rising air temperatures and precipitation was significantly lesser and greater,respectively than that of alpine meadow biomass.A better understanding of the difference in alpine ecosystem biomass production under climate change is greatly significant with respect to the influence of climate change on the carbon and water cycles in the permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

四川巴中地区38年来气候变化特征分析

利用1971—2008年巴中地区4个站点的地面常规观测资料和滑动平均、MK法及MHF小波分析等统计诊断方法,分析了该地区降水和温度的年际、年代际的气候变化特征。结果表明：巴中地区的年均气温总体上表现出暖→冷→暖3个阶段,并呈现出8年的准周期变化特征;冬春气温的年代际变化显示出暖→冷→暖3个阶段性特征,而夏秋气温的年代际变化则显示出暖→冷→暖→冷4个阶段性特征。巴中地区的年降水量呈现出减少的趋势,递减率为13．813mm／10年;春季降水量低于全国的春季平均水平,夏、秋季平均降水量均高于全国的平均水平,且占到全年降水量的80％以上。巴中地区的年降水量存在较为显著的2年和6年的准周期变化,降水量增加和减少的突变较多显示出其复杂性。春、夏、秋三季的降水量有随温度升高而下降的趋势,而冬季的降水量有随温度的升高先增多后减少的趋势。巴中气候特征的分析对巴中农业区划和生产安排有其重要意义。     

Magnitude and forming factors of mass elevation effect on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Mass elevation effect(MEE) refers to the thermal effect of huge mountains or plateaus, which causes the tendency for temperature-related montane landscape limits to occur at higher elevations in the inner massifs than on their outer margins. MEE has been widely identified in all large mountains, but how it could be measured and what its main forming-factors are still remain open. This paper, supposing that the local mountain base elevation(MBE) is the main factor of MEE, takes the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) as the study area, defines MEE as the temperature difference(ΔT) between the inner and outer parts of mountain massifs, identifies the main forming factors, and analyzes their contributions to MEE. A total of 73 mountain bases were identified, ranging from 708 m to 5081 m and increasing from the edges to the central parts of the plateau. Climate data(1981–2010) from 134 meteorological stations were used to acquire ΔT by comparing near-surface air temperature on the main plateau with the free-air temperature at the same altitude and similar latitude outside of the plateau. The ΔT for the warmest month is averagely 6.15℃, over 12℃ at Lhatse and Baxoi. A multivariate linear regression model was developed to simulate MEE based on three variables(latitude, annual mean precipitation and MBE), which are all significantly correlated to ΔT. The model could explain 67.3% of MEE variation, and the contribution rates of three independent variables to MEE are 35.29%, 22.69% and 42.02%, respectively. This confirms that MBE is the main factor of MEE. The intensive MEE of the QTP pushes the 10℃ isotherm of the warmest month mean temperature 1300–2000 m higher in the main plateau than in the outer regions, leading the occurrence of the highest timberline(4900 m) and the highest snowline(6200 m) of the Northern Hemisphere in the southeast and southwest of the plateau, respectively.     

Retrieval and analysis of coal fire temperature in Wuda coalfield,Inner Mongolia,China

Coal fire burning around the world is an environmental catastrophe characterized by the emission of noxious gases, particulate matter, and condensation by-products. In this study, coal fire temperature is retrieved based on Landsat 5 TM images and Generalized Single-Channel Algorithm (GSCA), in Wuda coalfield, Inner Mongolia, China. Then coal fire zones are extracted by Jenks′ natural breaks and threshold methods based on temperature images. Changes of coal fire zones are analyzed from 1989 to 2008. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The coal fire temperature retrieval method based on Landsat 5 TM and the GSCA model is effective and feasible, because the temperature error is relatively small (from –2.9℃ to +2.6℃) between the measured temperature and the retrieved temperature. 2) The accuracy is relatively high to extract coal fire zones through the Jenks′ natural breaks and threshold methods, because 83.56% of surveyed area is located in the coal fire zones extracted in 2005. 3) The coal fire area increased 9.81 × 10 5 m 2 from 1989 to 2005, and the annual growth is about 6.1 × 10 4 m 2 , with an annual increasing rate of 2.48%. The area of coal fire decreased by 8.1 × 10 5 m 2 from 2005 to 2008.     

Comparison of the spatio-temporal dynamics of vegetation between the Changbai Mountains of eastern Eurasia and the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America

The Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains have similar spatial contexts. The elevation, latitude, and moisture gradients of both mountain ranges offer regional insight for investigating the vegetation dynamics in eastern Eurasia and eastern North America. We determined and compared the spatial patterns and temporal trends in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains using time series data from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies 3rd generation dataset from 1982 to 2013. The spatial pattern of NDVI in the Changbai Mountains exhibited fragmentation, whereas NDVI in the Appalachian Mountains decreased from south to north. The vegetation dynamics in the Changbai Mountains had an insignificant trend at the regional scale, whereas the dynamics in the Appalachian Mountains had a significant increasing trend. NDVI increased in 55% of the area of the Changbai Mountains and in 95% of the area of the Appalachian Mountains. The peak NDVI occurred one month later in the Changbai Mountains than in the Appalachian Mountains. The results revealed a significant increase in NDVI in autumn in both mountain ranges. The climatic trend in the Changbai Mountains included warming and decreased precipitation, and whereas that in the Appalachian Mountains included significant warming and increased precipitation. Positive and negative correlations existed between NDVI and temperature and precipitation, respectively, in both mountain ranges. Particularly, the spring temperature and NDVI exhibited a significant positive correlation in both mountain ranges. The results of this study suggest that human actives caused the differences in the spatial patterns of NDVI and that various characteristics of climate change and intensity of human actives dominated the differences in the NDVI trends between the Changbai Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. Additionally, the vegetation dynamics of both mountain ranges were not identical to those in previous broader-scale studies.