Climate change and glacier area variations in China during the past half century

Glacier variations in the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges in China affect the livelihood of over one billion people who depend on water from the Yellow, Yangtze, Brahmaputra, Ganges and Indus rivers originating in these areas. Based on the results of the present study and published literature, we found that the glaciers shrank 15.7% in area from 1963 to 2010 with an annual area change of -0.33%. The shrinkage generally decreased from peripheral mountain ranges to the interior of Tibet.The linear trends of annual air temperature and precipitation at 147 stations were 0.36°C(10a)~(-1) and 8.96 mm(10a)~(-1) respectively from 1961 to 2010. The shrinkage of glaciers was well correlated with the rising temperature and the spatial patterns of the shrinkage were influenced by other factors superimposed on the rising temperature such as glacier size, type, elevation, debris cover and precipitation.     

The Glacial（MIS 3-2） Outlet Glacier of the Marsyandi Nadi- icestream-network with its Ngadi Khola Tributary Glacier（Manaslu- and Lamjung Himalaya）：The Reconstructed Lowering of the Marsyandi Nadi Ice Stream Tongue down in to the Southern Himalaya Foreland

For the reconstruction of past climate variations,investigations on the history of glaciers are necessary.In the Himalaya,investigations like these have a rather short tradition in comparison with other mountains on earth.At the same time,this area on the southern margin of Tibet is of special interest because of the question as to the monsoon-influence that is connected with the climate-development.Anyhow,the climate of High Asia is of global importance.Here for the further and regionally intensifying answer to this question,a glacial glacier reconstruction is submitted from the CentralHimalaya,more exactly from the Manaslu-massif.Going on down-valley from the glacial-historical investigations of 1977 in the upper Marsyandi Khola(Nadi) and the partly already published results of field campaigns in the middle Marsyandi Khola and the Damodar- and Manaslu Himal in the years 1995,2000,2004 and 2007,new geomorphological and geological field- and laboratory data are introduced here from the Ngadi(Nadi) Khola and the lower Marsyandi Nadi from the inflow of the Ngadi(Nadi) Khola down to the southern mountain foreland.There has existed a connected ice-stream-network drained down to the south by a 2,100-2,200 m thick and 120 km long Marsyandi Nadi main valley glacier.At a height of the valley bottom of c.1,000 m a.s.l.the Ngadi Khola glacier joined the still c.1,300 m thick Marsyandi parent glacier from the Himalchuli-massif(Nadi(Ngadi) Chuli) – the south spur of the Manaslu Himal.From here the united glacier tongue flowed down about a further 44 km to the south up to c.400 m a.s.l.(27°57'38 "N/84°24'56" E) into the Himalaya fore-chains and thus reached one of or the lowest past ice margin position of the Himalayas.The glacial(LGP(Last glacial period),LGM(Last glacial maximum) Würm,Stage 0,MIS 3-2) climatic snowline(ELA = equilibrium line altitude) has run at 3,900 to 4,000 m a.s.l.and thus c.1,500 altitude meters below the current ELA(Stage XII) at 5,400-5,500 m a.s.l.The reconstructed,maximum lowering of the climatic snowline(ΔELA = depression of the equilibrium line altitude) about 1,500 m corresponds at a gradient of 0.6°C per 100 altitude meters to a High Glacial decrease in temperature of 9°C(0.6 × 15 = 9).At that time the Tibetan inland ice has caused a stable cold high,so that no summer monsoon can have existed there.Accordingly,during the LGP the precipitation was reduced,so that the cooling must have come to more than only 9°C.     

Regimes of Runoff Components on the Debris-covered Koxkar Glacier in Western China

By using a degree-day based distributed hydrological model, regimes of glacial runoff from the Koxkar glacier during 2007-2011 are simulated, and variations and characteristics of major hydrological components are discussed. The results show that the meltwater runoff contributes 67.4%, of the proglacial discharge, out of which snowmelt, clean ice melting, buried-ice ablation and ice-cliff backwasting account for 22.4%, 21.9%, 17.9% and 5.3% of the total melt runoff, respectively. Rainfall runoff is significant in mid-latitude glacierized mountain areas like Tianshan and Karakorum. In the Koxkar glacier catchment, about 11.5% of stream water is initiated from liquid precipitation. Spatial distributions for each glacial runoff component reveal the importance of climatic gradients, local topography and morphology on glacial runoff generation, and temporal variations of these components is closely related to the annual cycle of catchment meteorology and glacier storage. Four stages are recognized in the seasonal variations of glacier storage, reflecting changes in meltwater yields, meteorological conditions and drainage systems in the annual hydrological cycle.     

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℃.     

Reconstruction of the Ice Age glaciation in the southern slopes of Mt. Everest, Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Makalu (Himalaya) (Part 1)

In the Khumbu-and Khumbakarna Himalaya an ice stream network and valley glacier system has been reconstructed for the last glacial period (Würmian, Last Ice Age, Isotope stage 4–2, 60–18 Ka BP, Stage 0) with glaciogeomorphological and sedimentological methods. It was a part of the glacier system of the Himalaya and has communicated across transfluence passes with the neighbouring ice stream networks toward the W and E. The ice stream network has also received inflow from the N, from a Tibetan ice stream network, by the Kyetrak-Nangpa-Bote Koshi Drangka (Valley) in the W, by the W-Rongbuk glacier valley into the Ngozumpa Drangka (Valley), by the Central Rongbuk glacier valley into the Khumbu Drangka (Valley) and by the antecedent Arun Nadi transverse-valley in the E of the investigation area. The ice thickness of the valley glacier sections, the surface of which was situated above the snow-line, amounted to 1000–1450 m. The most extended parent valley glaciers have been measured approx. 70 km in length (Dudh Koshi glacier), 67 km (Barun-Arun glacier) and 80 km (Arun glacier). The tongue end of the Arun glacier has flowed down to c. 500 m and that of the Dudh Koshi glacier to c. 900 m asl. At heights of the catchment areas of 8481 (or 8475) m (Makalu), i.e., 8848 (or 8872) m (Mt. Everest, Sagarmatha, Chogolungma) this is a vertical distance of the Ice Age glaciation of c. 8000 m. The steep faces towering up to 2000 m above the névé areas of the 6000–7000 m-high surfaces of the ice stream network were located 2000–5000 m above the ELA. Accordingly, their temperatures were so low, that their rock surfaces were free of flank ice and ice balconies. From the maximum past glacier extension up to the current glacier margins, 13 (altogether 14) glacier stages have been differentiated and in part 14C-dated. They were four glacier stages of the late glacial period, three of the neoglacial period and six of the historical period. By means of 130 medium-sized valley glaciers the corresponding ELA-depressions have been calculated in comparison with the current courses of the orographic snow-line. The number of the glacier stages since the maximum glaciation approx. agrees with that e.g. in the Alps and the Rocky Mountains since the last glacial period. Accordingly, it is interpreted as an indication of the Würmian age (last glacial period) of the lowest ice margin positions. The current climatic, average glacier snow-line in the research area runs about 5500 m asl. The snow-line depression (ELA) of the last glacial period (Würm) calculated by four methods has run about 3870 m asl, so that an ELA-depression of c. 1630 m has been determined. This corresponds to a lowering of the annual temperature by c. 8, i.e., 10°C according to the specific humid conditions at that time.     

STREAMFLOW CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EASTERN QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU

The eastern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau is the headwater area for many large Asian rivers. Permafrost occurs above 4,200 m a.s.l. and glaciers occupy the summits and high valleys of the east-west trending mountain chains. Annual runoff generally increases with precipitation which is augmented southward by the rise in topography. Rainfall, snow melt, glacier melt and groundwater are the primary sources of stream flow, and the presence of permafrost enhances the flashiness of runoff response to rainfall and snowmelt events. Peak flows are concentrated between June and September. And winter is low flow season. Three types of runoff patterns may be distinguished according to their primary sources of water supply: snowmelt and rainfall, glacier melt and snowmelt, and groundwater. Large rivers generally drain more than one environments and their runoff regime reflects an integration of the various flow patterns on the plateau.     

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.     

青藏高原湖泊面积动态监测

高原湖泊的动态变化对区域水循环具有重要影响。受全球气候变化的影响,青藏高原湖泊自20世纪90年代开始呈现剧烈扩张趋势。为揭示近年来青藏高原湖泊面积的时空变化规律,本文提出了一种改进的半自动湖泊提取算法,结合环境减灾卫星（HJ-1A/1B）和Landsat系列卫星影像数据,对青藏高原内流流域中面积大于50 km²的127个湖泊进行了连续6年的动态监测,并分析了该区域2009-2014年湖泊面积时空变化特征。研究结果表明,该区域湖泊整体呈现显著扩张趋势,年均变化速率为231.89 km²yr^-1（0.87 %yr^-1）,6年间湖泊面积扩张速率有所减缓。其中,扩张湖泊有104个,收缩湖泊有23个,变化速率分别为271.08 km²yr^-1（1.02 % yr^-1）和-39.19 km²yr^-1（-0.15 %yr^-1）。不同区域湖泊面积变化具有明显差异,主要表现为东部及北部大部分区域湖泊扩张,南部地区大部分湖泊面积稳定,萎缩湖泊主要分布于研究区四周。最后,本文通过分析冰川融水补给对湖泊面积变化的影响,发现存在冰川融水补给的湖泊面积变化率远大于不存在冰川融水补给的湖泊。由此可见,近年来冰川融水的增加是促进青藏高原内流流域湖泊扩张的主要因素之一。     

A METHOD TO ESTIMATE PALEOTEMPERATURE FROM ENVIRONMENTAL PROXIES IN LAKE SEDIMENTS——A STUDY ON ZOIGE BASIN IN EASTERN TIBETAN PLATEAU, CHINA

Seeking for an effective method to probe further the relation among Tibetan Plateau, climatic events, and natural environmental changes in the Zoige Basin, we proposed a physical model for the reconstruction of climate and environment and a preliminary application was conducted on the 45 m (about 200 ka BP), upper part of Core RM (310 m long) drilled in the Zoige Basin (33°57’N, 102°21’E), on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that: a) in the Zoige region, the maximum temperature in the period equivalent to Stage 7 in the deep-sea stable oxygen record was 2.7°C higher than that at present; b) Stage 6 temperature was 4.3°C lower than that at present; c) Stage 5 peak temperature was 5.2°C higher that that at present; d) Stage 4 average temperature should have been 2–3°C lower than that at present; and e) Stage 3 temperature differences within the period were more than 4°C. It was found that during Stage 6 (140–160 ka BP) the environment in the Zoige Basin was extraordinary, representing a transition period from warm-dry and cold-wet to warm-wet and cold-dry environmental conditions due to the uplift that occurred on the Tibetan Plateau at this period. Project 49803001 supported by NSFC and also funded by National and CAS Tibet Research Project (G1998040800).     

Thinning and shrinkage of Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Western Qilian Mountains, China, from 1957 to 2007

Landsat images, real-time kinematic GPS measurements, and topographic maps were used to determine changes in ice elevation, volume, and areal extent of the Laohugou No. 12 glacier (Qilian Mountains, China) between 1957 and 2007. The glacier experienced significant thinning and areal shrinkage in the ablation zone, but slight thickening in part of the accumulation zone. Elevation decreased by 18.6±5.4 m between 1957 and 2007 in the regions covered by the GPS measurements. The total volume loss for the entire glacier was estimated to be 0.218 km3 using a third-order polynomial fit method. The area diminished by 0.28 km2 between 1957 and 1994, 0.26 km2 between 1994 and 2000, and 0.28 km2 between 2000 and 2007, suggesting that the rate of loss in glacial coverage has increased since the mid-1990s. Significant increases in annual mean air temperature may have contributed to shrinkage and thinning of the glacier.     

A model simulating the processes in responses of glacier and runoff to climatic change

This paper presents a dynamic glacier model that simulates the processes in response of Glacier No. 1 in headwaters of the ürümqi River to various future climatic scenarios. The results indicate that the Glacier No. 1 will continue retreating if current climatic conditions prevail, until it reaches an equilibrium state of 1600 m in length after 700 to 800 years. If air temperature raise 1°C, the glacier would become a hanging glacier with a length of 300 m after 700 to 800 years. Due to its retreat, cooling function of the glacier would be weakened, resulting in the air temperature in glaciated area higher than that in ice-free areas. The results also indicate that the current glacier melt runoff is in higher value period in comparison with the runoff in the equilibrium state under the current climatic condition. If the air temperature continues increasing, however, the runoff would still increase to a new peak and then decrease rapidly. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Identification of ice elevation change of the Shuiguan River No. 4 glacier in the Qilian Mountains,China

GPS measurement,an effective method for surveying glacier surface topography,has been applied in some glaciers for many years.The Shuiguan River No.4 glacier,a small glacier with its area of 1.84 km2 in 1972,located in the east of the Qilian Mountains,China,was selected to study its ice elevation change using GPS measurement in 2007.This study was conducted on the ablation area with GPS-measured area 0.5 km2.The ice elevation change of the glacier was obtained by comparing the DEM obtained by a 1:50 000 topographic map made in 1972 with the DEM by GPS-measured data acquired in 2007.The differences of the two DEMs showed the thinning condition of the glacier was apparent.The mean thinning was 15±8 m with the mean thinning rate of 0.42±0.22 m a-1 for 1972-2007 in the measurement area,which equaled 0.38±0.20 m yr-1 in water equivalent(w.e.).The prominent thinning occurred on the south part of the glacier,which was the area near the glacier terminus with the maximum thinning of 41±8 m.Assuming the thinning value of 15±8 m for the glacier area below 4640 m a.s.l.,the wasting ice mass was calculated to be 6.4±3.2×10-3 km3 for 1972-2007,corresponding to 5.7±2.8×10-3 km3 w.e.,which meant that the montane runoff released by the glacier was at least 5.7±2.8×106 m3 between 1972-2007.     

Seasonal variations of organic carbon and nitrogen in the upper basins of Yangtze and Yellow Rivers

The profound impacts exerted by climate warming on the Tibetan Plateau have been documented extensively, but the biogeochemical responses remain poorly understood. This study was aimed at seasonal variations of total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic nitrogen (TON) in stream water at two gauging sections (TTH, ZMD) in the upper basin of Yangtze River (UBYA) and at four gauging sections (HHY, JM, JG, TNH) in the upper basin of Yellow River (UBYE) in 2013. Results showed that concentrations of TON exhibit higher values in spring and winter and lower values in summer. TOC exhibits higher concentrations in spring or early summer and lower concentrations in autumn or winter. Seasonal variations of TOC and TON fluxes are dominated by water flux. In total, the UBYE and UBYA delivers 55,435 tons C of organic carbon and 9,872 tons N of organic nitrogen to downstream ecosystems in 2013. Although the combined flux of TOC from UBYA and UBYE is far lower than those from large rivers, their combined yields is higher than, or comparable with, those from some large rivers (e.g. Nile, Orange, Columbia), implying that organic carbon from the Tibetan Plateau may exert a potentially influence on regional and/or global carbon cycles in future warming climate.     

AN ANALYSIS OF WATER RESOURCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RIVERS IN THE NORTHERN SLOPE OF THE KUNLUN MOUNTAINS

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GLACIER MELTWATER RUNOFF IN CHINA AND ITS NOURISHMENT TO RIVER

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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.     

基于SAR干涉数据的东帕米尔高原冰川变化

冰川变化监测对生态灾害预防、区域水资源调控、气候变化研究等意义重大。利用冰川在雷达干涉影像上表现出失相干这一特性,选用1998年ERS 1/2与2018年 Sentinel-1A重轨单视复数SAR数据,通过相干系数取阈值的方法获取东帕米尔高原两个时期的冰川边界,以Landsat TM/OLI影像和全球陆地冰川空间监测计划发布的数据验证本文冰川边界提取的精度,从而分析冰川变化。结果表明：① 拟合研究区相干系数图上相干系数γ与对应像元个数的曲线关系,冰川区像元个数会在低相干区域积累形成一个小的波峰。曲线一阶导数变缓的点（冰川区向非冰川区过渡的转折点）即为所选阈值点,利用SAR相干系数取阈值法提取的冰川边界与光学遥感影像结合RGI6.0数据提取的验证冰川边界具有较好的一致性,SAR干涉相干系数提取冰川边界的方法是可行而有效的,ERS 1/2与Sentinel-1A提取的冰川总面积精度均在90%以上,而且SAR数据能够有效提取光学遥感影像难以识别的冰川表碛覆盖;② 1998年和2018年东帕米尔高原冰川总面积减少了318.59 km2,年平均变化速率为-15.93 km2/a,冰川退缩面积占冰川总面积的23%;③ 对大、中型规模冰川来说,表碛覆盖型冰川退缩较其他冰川明显;从坡向上来看,20年各个坡向冰川均有所退缩,其中东南坡冰川退缩最多,西坡冰川退缩最少;从海拔上来看,1998年冰川集中分布在4519~5421 m海拔区间内,2018年集中分布在4682~5320 m海拔区间内;在3325~5710 m海拔区间内冰川退缩明显,4915 m海拔附近达到退缩极大值。     

Relict glacial landscape in the Sierra Baguales Mountain Range(50°-51° S): evidence of glaciation dynamics and types in the eastern foothills of the southern Patagonian Andes

The glacial morphology of southern South American presents invaluable evidence to reconstruct former glacier behaviour and its relation to climate and environmental changes. However, there are still spatial and temporal gaps in the reconstruction of the Holocene Patagonian glacial landscape. Here we present the first geomorphological record for the Sierra Baguales Mountain Range(SBMR), forming the eastern foothills of the Southern Patagonian Andes 200 km from the Pacific coast. This area is topographically isolated from the Southern Patagonian Ice Field(SPIF), and is affected by the Westerly Winds. The study area shows evidence of ice sheet and alpine glaciations related to Andean uplift,which caused a marked climatic contrast between its western and eastern flanks since the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM). The regional rock mass strength and precipitation gradient acted as a controlling factor in the glacial cirque distribution and sizes, as well as in the development of glaciation types. We report new radiocarbon dates associated with warm/dry to cold/wet climatic changes during the middle Holocene, when former small alpine glaciers were located in the uppermost section of the SBMR basins, and eventually converged to form a small ice field or a composite valley glacier at lower elevations.This can be explained by an estimated regional temperature drop of 3.8°C±0.8°C, based on a 585±26m Equilibrium Line Altitude(ELA) descent, inferred by geomorphological evidence and the Accumulation Area Ratio(AAR), in addition to a free-air adiabatic lapse rate. Subsequently, the glaciers receded due to climatic factors including a rise in temperature, as well as non-climatic factors, mainly the glacier bedrock topography.     

青藏高原冰川变化遥感监测研究综述

在全球变暖影响下,青藏高原冰川消融造成的冰川径流增大、冰湖溃决等问题威胁着山区及其周边居民的生命财产安全,对青藏高原冰川变化的研究日益紧迫。本文综述了国内外山地冰川变化遥感监测手段的发展、冰川面积及冰面高程变化的遥感监测研究现状、存在问题与发展趋势,并总结了中国青藏高原冰川变化遥感监测研究的主要成果。此外,本文基于2003-2009年ICESat/GLAS数据,计算了青藏高原各山区冰面高程变化及其冰川消融量。结果显示：青藏高原冰川面积持续减少,青藏高原冰面高程的平均变化为-0.24±0.03 m/a,冰川融水量为-14.86±11.88 km³/a,冰川变化呈现从青藏高原东、南外缘山区往内陆与西、北部山区减慢的时空特征。     

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.