Changes in the global cryosphere and their impacts: A review and new perspective

As one of the five components of Earth's climatic system, the cryosphere has been undergoing rapid shrinking due to global warming. Studies on the formation, evolution, distribution and dynamics of cryospheric components and their interactions with the human system are of increasing importance to society. In recent decades, the mass loss of glaciers, including the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, has accelerated. The extent of sea ice and snow cover has been shrinking, and permafrost has been degrading. The main sustainable development goals in cryospheric regions have been impacted. The shrinking of the cryosphere results in sea-level rise, which is currently affecting, or is soon expected to affect, 17 coastal megacities and some small island countries. In East Asia, South Asia and North America, climate anomalies are closely related to the extent of Arctic sea ice and snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere. Increasing freshwater melting from the ice sheets and sea ice may be one reason for the slowdown in Atlantic meridional overturning circulation in the Arctic and Southern Oceans. The foundations of ports and infrastructure in the circum-Arctic permafrost regions suffer from the consequences of permafrost degradation. In high plateaus and mountainous regions, the cryosphere's shrinking has led to fluctuations in river runoff, caused water shortages and increased flooding risks in certain areas. These changes in cryospheric components have shown significant heterogeneity at different temporal and spatial scales. Our results suggest that the quantitative evaluation of future changes in the cryosphere still needs to be improved by enhancing existing observations and model simulations. Theoretical and methodological innovations are required to strengthen social economies' resilience to the impact of cryospheric change.     

中国冰冻圈文化服务专题区划研究

本文以中国冰冻圈服务综合区划、自然和人文地理区划等理论、方法为基础,综合中国冰冻圈主要组成要素（冰川、冻土、积雪）及其社会文化要素（民族、历史、聚落、旅游文化和行政区划）,采用相似性与差异性、综合性与主导性、等级性与逻辑性和空间连续与行政边界相结合的方法,提出了“文化服务+文化产业+经济开发”导向的中国冰冻圈文化服务专题区划方案。根据空间聚类方法和专家判断,将其划分为青藏高原冰川—冻土—积雪文化区、西北冰川—积雪文化区、东北冻土—积雪文化区、北方积雪文化区和南方积雪文化区5个一级区划大区,依据文化与地域要素异质性原则,再细分为12个二级区划亚类和51个三级区划基本类型。专题区划方案与中国冰冻圈空间分布、中国自然地理综合区划、中国人文地理综合区划等的吻合度较高,体现了冰冻圈组成要素与冰冻圈区域文化要素的依存关系及区域空间异质性规律。本文深化了对中国冰冻圈文化服务及其空间异质性的认知,可为冰冻圈文化保护、传承、发扬,以及不同区域冰冻圈文化、旅游产业的开发及相关产业的运营、管理提供科学依据。     

冰冻圈服务综合区划理论与方法

冰冻圈是全球气候系统的主要圈层之一,既具有不可替代的气候效应,又维系着寒旱地区社会经济和自然生态系统良好运行,而中国是中低纬度地区冰川、积雪、冻土发育程度最高的国家。长期以来,针对冰冻圈“致害性”的研究众多,而聚焦冰冻圈服务的“致利性”研究则相对滞后,在此背景下着眼于人类福祉的冰冻圈服务识别与综合区划研究成为冰冻圈科学、人地系统可持续发展等的关键科学问题之一,也是目前迫切需要开展的研究方向。首先,确定以地域分异规律理论、人地关系地域系统理论、集合论和信息编码论等跨学科理论为研究基础;尔后,构建面向综合区划研究的冰冻圈服务分类体系,先以供需均衡模型为核心进行单项服务重要性空间识别,再以服务最大化模型为指导,通过区位熵算法判定冰冻圈主导服务的空间分布;最后,以三维魔方展开法为核心制定冰冻圈服务综合区划方案,将研究区划分多重空间层级、彼此独立完整、相互联系密切的冰冻圈服务单元。综上,形成综合自然供给和人文需求因素且适应地区特色的冰冻圈服务空间识别与综合区划技术体系和方法流程,为冰冻圈服务供给与社会经济发展需要架起一座桥梁,是满足国家重大战略需求和合理利用冰冻圈服务的必由之路。     

A review of the interaction between the cryosphere and atmosphere

The interaction between the cryosphere and atmosphere is an essential and extremely sensitive mutual action process on the earth. Due to global warming and the cryospheric melting, more and more attention has been paid to the interaction process between the cryosphere and atmosphere, especially the feedback of the cryosphere change to the atmosphere. A comprehensive review of the studies on the interaction between the cryosphere and atmosphere is conducted from two aspects: (1) effects of climate change on the cryosphere or responses of the cryosphere to climate change; and (2) feedback of the cryosphere change to the climate. The response of the cryosphere to climate change is lagging. Such a lagging and cumulative effect of temperature rise within the cryosphere have resulted in a rapid change in the cryosphere in the 21st century, and its impacts have become more significant. The feedback from cryosphere change on the climate are omnifarious. Among them, the effects of sea ice loss and snow cover change, especially the Arctic sea ice loss and the Northern Hemisphere snow cover change, are the most prominent. The Arctic amplification (AA) associated with sea ice feedback is disturbing , and the feedback generated by the effect of temperature rise on snow properties in the Northern Hemisphere is also of great concern. There are growing evidence of the impact of the Arctic cryosphere melting on mid-latitude weather and climate. Weakened storm troughs, steered jet stream and amplified planetary waves associated with energy propagation become the key to explaining the links between Arctic cryosphere change and atmospheric circulation. There is still a great deal of uncertainty about how cryosphere change affects the weather and climate through different atmospheric circulation processes at different spatial and temporal scales due to observation and simulation problems.     

"美丽冰冻圈"融入区域发展的途径与模式

在探讨“美丽冰冻圈”内涵的基础上,从自然属性与社会经济两个层面、致利与致害两条线,分析了“美丽冰冻圈”与区域可持续发展的关系,“美丽冰冻圈”、区域社会经济发展、人类福祉构成冰冻圈—人类社会经济复合命运共同体。基于中国冰冻圈要素及其变化影响的区域差异性,选取祁连山—河西地区、青藏高原三江源地区、横断山大香格里拉地区,分别代表冰冻圈水资源影响区、冰冻圈灾害影响区、冰冻圈旅游经济区,围绕冰冻圈水资源服务与绿洲经济、雪灾害风险与畜牧业经济、冰雪旅游与区域经济等核心问题,从冰冻圈资源服务与灾害风险视角,详细阐述了冰冻圈融入不同区域发展的途径与模式。在干旱半干旱内陆地区,冰冻圈主要以水源涵养、水量供给与径流调节服务,融入绿洲社会经济发展,是一种冰冻圈水资源支撑型区域发展模式;在青藏高原高寒区,冰冻圈生态环境决定了畜牧业经济的脆弱性,冰冻圈灾害负向影响畜牧业经济,是一种冰冻圈生态支撑+灾害影响型区域发展模式;在冰冻圈旅游经济区,直接依托冰雪资源发展冰雪旅游业,是一种基于冰冻圈资源的旅游经济驱动型区域发展模式。     

Current developments of research on permafrost engineering and cold region environment: a report of the 8th International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering

The Eighth International Symposium on Permafrost Engineering was held in Xi’an,China,October 2009.The major topics discussed in the symposium included:permafrost engineering (involving design,construction and evaluation);mitigation of frost hazards in the regions affected by seasonally frozen ground;properties of frozen soils,model development and their applications;frost hazards and periglacial environments in mountain and plateau regions;climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes;and permafrost hydrology,cold regions water resources and land uses.The papers submitted to the symposium and lectures during the meeting represented some new developments of research on cold region engineering and environment.Here we summarized the works of the symposium in topics including:Permafrost engineering;General geocryology;Properties of frozen soils:model development and their applications;And climatic,environmental and cryospheric changes.During the symposium,the attendees pointed out that future studies should pay more attention to theoretical study and engineering mechanism study,and also on interaction between climate change and cold region environments and their engineering affects.     

中国西部冰冻圈地区大气降水化学的研究进展

大气降水化学是大气化学的重要组成部分,是评估人类活动对大气环境影响的可靠指标,而且保存在高海拔地区雪冰中的化学成分对研究局地和全球气候环境变化以及环境演变过程具有重要意义.中国西部冰冻圈地区的大气降水化学研究始于19世纪70年代末,目前已取得一些重要进展,特别是结合积雪和冰芯化学的研究获得了大量的降水化学资料.回顾了中...     

气候变化对冰冻圈国家领土博弈的地缘影响

冰冻圈变化的自然过程影响着国家领土博弈地缘关系的建构。基于人地关系思想,以变化-影响-适应为主线建立气候变化影响下冰冻圈国家领土博弈的研究框架,分析自然因素对冰冻圈地缘结构的塑造和对冰冻圈国家身份-利益的建构,以及极地海权、陆权和其他地区领土博弈所形成的双多边地缘关系。研究结果：① 冰冻圈领土博弈地缘结构初步形成。理念层面,自然要素成为气候政治的力量之一,冰冻圈领土博弈体现出传统地缘逻辑;空间层面,气候变化释放极地、高山等新运筹空间,北极、南极成为大国博弈焦点;物质层面,极地海权和陆权利益是大国博弈的主要目标。② 冰冻圈国家身份-利益影响其冰冻圈地缘政治行为,其身份认同的客观基础之一是在冰冻圈分布结构的相对位置。③ 冰冻圈国家领土博弈地缘关系有“趋利”“避害”两类。“利”指为赢得极地海权、陆权,气候变化下西方大国和地区大国开始争夺南北极200海里外大陆架权属,加强极地实质性“硬、软存在”战略布局,美国和丹麦强化格陵兰岛北极战略支点作用;“害”指冰冻圈灾害引起的跨境气候移民等国家利益受损问题。     

青藏高原黑碳气溶胶外源传输及气候效应模拟研究进展与展望

青藏高原毗邻全球大气污染物排放增长最快速的地区,受西风和南亚季风的影响,中亚、南亚等高原周边排放的污染物通过大气环流传输,进入高原并对其气候环境产生重要影响。观测事实表明：近几十年青藏高原东部和南部雪冰中黑碳含量呈显著上升趋势,这可能导致冰川加速融化和积雪持续时间缩短,最终影响青藏高原的水循环过程。前人对青藏高原黑碳的外源输送,特别是南亚大气污染物的贡献及其对高原气候、冰冻圈变化的影响,还没有较清晰和统一的认识。青藏高原污染物定点监测网络的发展及高分辨率区域气候—大气化学模式的应用,为定量评估高原污染物外源输送及气候效应提供了契机。本文在国家自然科学基金青年科学基金项目“南亚黑碳气溶胶跨境传输及其对青藏高原气候影响的数值模拟研究”的资助下,在以下三个方面取得了进展：①系统性论证了高分辨率区域气候—大气化学模式在高原的适用性,模拟了青藏高原及周边区域黑碳时空分布、传输和沉降过程;②揭示了污染物扩散的机制,评估了大气黑碳的气候及雪冰效应,并对比了自然源粉尘和人为源黑碳对青藏高原气候的影响;③定量估算了不同区域排放对高原黑碳外源输送的贡献率,其中来自南亚的黑碳对青藏高原外源输送的贡献率最高,在非季风期为61.3%,季风期为19.4%。本文揭示了外源输送黑碳对青藏高原气候的影响,为提高一带一路核心区冰冻圈与水资源的管理及预测能力,制定应对环境变化策略及国家气候外交谈判提供科学依据。     

冰冻圈水资源服务功能区划研究综述

冰冻圈作为气候系统五大圈层之一,是我国干旱区和寒区重要的水源地和固态水库,对生态、水、环境及气候等均具有重要影响。长期以来对冰冻圈产品及社会经济服务功能研究不足,遑论从地域主体功能角度对冰冻圈水资源服务功能进行区划。水资源服务作为冰冻圈资源的重要功能,是进行冰冻圈服务功能及其区划研究的重要突破口。基于冰冻圈科学、人文地理学、生态学等多学科交叉的理论和方法,重点从冰冻圈水资源分布与监测、地域功能区划、水资源服务功能分类和评估等三个方面进行了研究综述,并提出了生态系统服务功能与三生空间研究相结合的冰冻圈水资源服务功能分类体系和基于冰冻圈水资源特性、供给能力、社会经济发展水资源需求和利用效率的冰冻圈水资源服务功能评估指标体系。最后基于研究综述、已构建的冰冻圈水资源服务功能分类和评估体系,综合已有的自然地理综合区划、地域功能区划等区划实践,并探讨了未来可行的冰冻圈水资源服务功能研究方案设想,为进行全国乃至全球的冰冻圈水资源服务功能区划工作提供了理论与实践基础。     

“第三极环境(TPE)”国际计划——应对区域未来环境生态重大挑战问题的国际计划①

以青藏高原为核心的世界第三极地区,是全球最独特的地质—地理—资源—生态耦合系统之一,对中国、北半球乃至全球环境变化具有重要的影响。同时,第三极地区对全球环境变化及周边人类活动的影响亦有敏感响应,同南极和北极一样受到科技界的高度重视。2009年,“第三极环境(Third Pole Environment,TPE)”国际计划正式启动。该计划以“水—冰—气—生—人类活动”之间的相互作用为主题,旨在解决第三极地区过去环境变化的时空特征、冰圈与水圈相互作用及其灾害过程、生态系统对环境变化的影响和响应、人类活动对该地区环境变化的影响及该地区环境变化的适应对策等科学问题,以揭示第三极地区环境变化过程与机制及其对全球环境变化的影响和响应规律,从而为提高这一地区人类对自然的适应能力和实现人与自然和谐相处服务。该计划自启动以来,以TPE科学委员会及TPE项目办公室为依托,,有效执行各种实施方案,已经在第三极冰川变化、季风与西风相互作用、台站建设、数据共享及人才培养等方面取得了很大的进展。今后,将进一步扩展研究领域和研究地区,与未来地球计划(Future Earth)相对接,为第三极地区生态环境改善和社会经济发展作出更大贡献。     

冰冻圈旅游经济区发展水平及影响因素分析

大香格里拉地区是我国典型的冰冻圈旅游区,冰冻圈资源丰富,且旅游开发较好。以大香格里拉地区为例,运用熵值法、综合指数评价模型与地理探测器相结合的分析方法,对2008—2017年大香格里拉旅游经济区的发展水平及主要影响因素进行了分析,并提出相应政策建议。结果表明：（1）2008—2017年发展水平明显提高,但受冰冻圈资源变化影响较大;（2）该地区以中等偏下发展水平为主,各地区发展不平衡,发展水平差异呈现先扩大后缩小的趋势;（3）冰川面积、冰川面积覆盖率、人均全社会消费品零售总额、旅行社数量和城镇化率是影响大香格里拉地区发展水平的关键因子,经济和社会发展水平的迅速提升,在一定程度上抵消了冰冻圈资源萎缩的负面影响。基于此,应严格遵循生态保护红线,从实际出发,支持各地区发挥比较优势,利用当前冰冻圈资源优势,重点培育冰雪旅游产业,以促进大香格里拉地区发展进程。     

Manifestations and mechanisms of mountain glacier-related hazards

Mountain glacier-related hazards occur worldwide in response to increasing glacier instability and human activity intensity in modern glacierized regions. These hazards are characterized by their spatial aggregation and temporal repeatability. Comprehensive knowledge about mountain glacier-related hazards is critical for hazard assessment, mitigation, and prevention in the mountain cryosphere and downstream regions. This article systematically schematizes various mountain glacier-related hazards and analyzes their inherent associations with glacier changes. Besides, the processes, manifestations, and mechanisms of each of the glacier-related hazards are summarized. In the future, more extensive and detailed systematic surveys, for example, considering integrated ground-air-space patterns, should be undertaken for typical glacierized regions to enhance existing knowledge of such hazards. The use of coupled numerical models based on multi-source data is challenging but will be essential to improve our understanding of the complex chain of processes involved in thermal-hydrogeomorphic glacier-related hazards in the mountain cryosphere.     

岩溶地区人类活动的水文效应研究现状及展望

在全球气候变化背景下,加之岩溶生态系统的脆弱性及敏感性,地表水与地下水交换迅速,岩溶水动力系统对人类活动及其造成的生态环境变化反馈敏感。岩溶地区人类活动导致的植被退化、石漠化等环境问题已对岩溶地区的水文水循环过程造成了严重影响,水资源问题已成为岩溶地区发展的重要限制因素。本文在对岩溶生态系统及水文环境特性分析的基础上,从土地利用变化的水文效应,人类活动对降水—径流的影响、岩溶水资源的开发利用、岩溶地下水污染及水文模型在岩溶地区的应用等方面,概述了岩溶地区人类活动水文效应的相关研究现状与不足,总结了未来岩溶地区人类活动水文效应的5个研究趋势,并探讨了研究中的重点及难点问题。     

青藏高原:地球动力学与环境演变研究进展

1 Introduction The TP is a spectacular field laboratory for analyzing fundamental processes of geodynamics and environmental change as well as their interrelationships (Kutzbach et al., 1993). Being the largest and highest continental plateau with a mean …     

MODIS observed snow cover variations in the Aksu River Basin,Northwest China

A major proportion of discharge in the Aksu River is contributed from snow-and glacier-melt water.It is therefore essential to understand the cryospheric dynamics in this area for water resource management.The MODIS MOD10A2 remotesensing database from March 2000 to December 2012 was selected to analyze snow cover changes.Snow cover varied significantly on a temporal and spatial scale for the basin.The difference of the maximum and minimum Snow Cover Fraction(SCF)in winter exceeded 70%.On average for annual cycle,the characteristic of SCF is that it reached the highest value of 53.2%in January and lowest value of 14.7%in July and the distributions of SCF along with elevation is an obvious difference between the range of 3,000 m below and 3,000 m above.The fluctuation of annual average snow cover is strong which shows that the spring snow cover was on the trend of increasing because of decreasing temperatures for the period of 2000-2012.However,temperature in April increased significantly which lead to more snowmelt and a decrease of snow cover.Thus,more attention is needed for flooding in this region due to strong melting of snow.     

Tibetan Plateau: Geodynamics and Environmental Evolution--The cooperative projects based upon the memorandum of CAS and DFG

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a unique role in Earth System Sciences. It represents a key area to understand not only basic geodynamic processes linked with the formation and uplift of mountains and plateaus, but also the interaction between plateau uplift and environmental changes. Over the last 50 million years the formation of the TP has considerably influenced the global climate and monsoon system. Moreover, the TP proves to be extremely sensitive to present-day global change phenomena. Based upon the foundation of the new Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP) by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and through the Memorandum signed by the CAS and DFG (Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft), both CAS and DFG provide opportunities to intensify TP research and to develop coordinated research programs. “The Tibetan Plateau – Geodynamics and Environmental Evolution” consisting of one big projects funded by CAS and five projects funded by DFG that cover the pre- and early-collision history of the TP, the Palaeogene/Neogene uplift and climatic dynamics as well as the Late Quaternary and recent environmental and climatic changes on the TP. The projects are linked through several levels of interactions.     

Cryosphere evapotranspiration in the Tibetan Plateau: A review

Land surface actual evapotranspiration is an important process that influences the Earth's energy and water cycles and determines the water and heat transfer in the soil-vegetation-atmosphere system. Meanwhile, the cryosphere's hydrological process is receiving extensive attention, and its water problem needs to be understood from multiple perspectives. As the main part of the Chinese cryosphere, the Tibetan Plateau faces significant climate and environmental change. There are active interaction and pronounced feedback between the environment and ET_a in the cryosphere. This article mainly focuses on the research progress of ET_a in the Tibetan Plateau. It first reviews the ET_a process, characteristics, and impact factors of typical underlying surfaces in the Tibetan Plateau (alpine meadows, alpine steppes, alpine wetlands, alpine forests, lakes). Then it compares the temporal and spatial variations of ET_a at different scales. In addition, considering the current greening of cryosphere vegetation due to climate change, it discusses the relationship between vegetation greening and transpiration to help clarify how vegetation activities are related to the regional water cycle and surface energy budget.     

20世纪中国耕地格网化数据分区重建

针对中国国家尺度层面耕地历史数据集的缺乏,提出了分区建模的方案.首先,将中国定性划分为四大区域,即传统农区、东北地区、西北地区、青藏地区;在此基础上,分别量化地形、人口要素与耕地分布之间的关系,构建空间格网化模型.利用该方案,重建了中国1913、1933、1950、1970、1990 和2000 年6 个时间断面空间分辨率为10 km的格网化耕地数据.对比1990 年的重建结果与遥感解译结果,发现无论是县域尺度,还是栅格尺度,数据集的准确性都较高.对重建的耕地数据集进行分析发现,近百年来中国的耕地面积出现先增后减的趋势,拐点大体在20 世纪后期,不仅是耕地总量的先增后减,而且垦殖强度也是先增后减,但区域之间并不一致,其中变化较大的是东北和西北地区.     

青藏高原湖泊变化遥感监测及其对气候变化的响应研究进展

青藏高原位于中国西南部、亚洲中部,平均海拔高程大于4000 m,面积约300万km²,是“世界屋脊”,与周边地区一起常被称为地球的“第三极”。青藏高原分布着约1200个面积大于1 km²的湖泊,占中国湖泊数量与面积的一半;同时也是黄河、长江、恒河、印度河等大河的源头,被称为“亚洲水塔”。近几十年来,在全球变暖的背景下,青藏高原升温更加突出,其能量与水循环发生了显著变化,气候趋于暖湿化,冰川加速消融,湖面水位上升。湖泊是气候变化的重要指标,青藏高原湖泊分布密集、人为活动影响较小,多源遥感数据的广泛应用,为监测高原湖泊变化提供了难得的契机。本文依托国家自然科学基金青年项目“基于多源遥感的青藏高原内流区湖泊水量变化及水体相态转换研究(2000-2009年)”,主要研究进展为：初步查明了西藏高原的湖泊数量、面积及水位变化与时空格局,以及湖泊水量变化与水量平衡;探讨了湖泊变化对气候变化的响应。目前对青藏高原湖泊的变化及驱动因素虽有一些认识,但其定量的水量平衡及驱动机制还有待于进一步研究。这对了解世界第三极、一带一路国家和地区水资源状况与变化、生态文明和生态安全屏障建设具有重要的意义,同时也可为第三极国家公园的建立提供重要的科学基础。