Monitoring glacier and supra-glacier lakes from space in Mt. Qomolangma region of the Himalayas on the Tibetan Plateau in China

Because of the large number and remoteness, satellite data, including microwave data and optical imagery, have commonly been used in alpine glaciers surveys. Using remote sensing and Geographical Information System （GIS） techniques, the paper presents the results of a multitemporal satellite glacier extent mapping and glacier changes by glacier sizes in the Mt. Qomolangma region at the northern slopes of the middle Himalayas over the Tibetan Plateau. Glaciers in this region have both retreated and advanced in the past 35 years, with retreat dominating. The glacier retreat area was 3.23 km2 （or o.75 km^2 yr^-1 during 1974 and 1976, 8.68 km^2 （or 0.36 km^2 yr^-1 during 1976 and 1992, 1.44 km^2 （or 0.12 km^2 yr^-1） during 1992-2ooo. 1.14 km^2 （or 0.22 km^2 yr^-1 during 2000-2003, and 0.52 km^2 （or 0.07 km^2 yr^-1 during 2003-2008, respectively. While supra-glacier lakes on the debris-terminus of the Rongbuk Glacier were enlarged dramatically at the same time, from 0.05 km^2 in 1974 increased to 0.71 km^2 in 2008, which was more than 13 times larger in the last 35 years. In addition, glacier changes also showed spatial differences, for example, glacier retreat rate was the fastest at glacier termini between 5400 and 5700 m a.s.l than at other elevations. The result also shows that glaciers in the middle Himalayas retreat almost at a same pace with those in the western Himalayas.     

Meteorological Features at 6523 m of Mt.Qomolangma （Everest） between 1 May and 22 July 2005

Introduction Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) (27°54'N, 86°54'E) (Hereafter Mt. Qomolangma) lies between China and Nepal (Figure 1), and is the highest peak in the world, 8844.43 m asl (As promulgated by News Of-fice of the Chinese State Council in October 2005…     

珠穆朗玛峰国家自然保护区沼泽湿地提取及其退化风险评价

以珠穆朗玛峰国家自然保护区为研究区域,选取2009年23幅MODIS NDVI影像,采用傅里叶变换的HA-NTS算法去除云干扰,并重构NDVI时间序列图像.(1)根据研究区沼泽湿地与其他地物类型物候特征的差异,利用光谱角制图方法(SAM)获取了研究区2009年沼泽湿地的分布图.研究区沼泽湿地共有2 481.13km2,...     

CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COASTAL SEA OFF TIANHENG ISLAND

Chemical characteristics of the coastal sea off Tianheng Island were investigated from May 1990 toFebruary 1991 in this study which included distribution pattern,seasonal variability and the controlling fac-tors of oxygen,pH,nutrients.The rich nutrient salt content is suited for phytoplankton growth andmariculture.The coastal sea waters is of good quality based on the national standard of seawater qual-ity in terms of pH,oxygen,and nutrients,the main controlling factors for which in the investigated seaarea are hydrographic(salinity,temperature,river runoff,etc.),biological(photosynthesis of plankton),andanthrogenic(fertilizing in the nearby land and sea).     

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.     

Chemical characteristics and environmental significance of fresh snow deposition on Urumqi Glacier No. 1 of Tianshan Mountains, China

Ice and snow chemistry of alpine glaciers is crucial for the research of regional atmospheric environment change. Fresh snow samples were weekly collected from Urumqi Glacier No.1 in the Tianshan Mountains, Xin- jiang, China, and the chemical characteristics and seasonal variations of major ions, mineral dust, δ18O and trace metals were measured. Results show that the concentrations of major ions in the snow are Ca2+ SO42- NH4+ NO3- Cl- Na+ Mg2+ K+, in which Ca2+ is the dominant cation, and SO42-is the dominant anion. All major ions have close positive correlations with each other except NO3-. δ18O shows positive correlation with air temperature change during the study period. Mineral dust particle and major ionic concentrations in fresh snow have obvious seasonal change, with high concentration in spring but low concentration in summer and autumn, which indicates that the chemical mass input from Asian dust activity to snow is very significant. Temporal changes of trace metals in fresh snow, e.g., Cd, Pb, Zn, Al, Fe, have shown that human-induced pollution of central Asian region also has large contribution to the snow chemistry on alpine glaciers of the Tianshan Mountains.     

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.     

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.     

Mass balance sensitivity to climate change: A case study of glacier No. 1 at urumqi riverhead, Tianshan Mountains, China

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Chemical characteristics of aerosols in the Kuroshio area

Aerosol samples were collected with a Sierrer Model 235 cascade impactor in the marine atmosphere over the Kuroshio area in consecutive four seasons from 1987 to 1988. Na, Cl, Al, V, and water soluble and acid soluble Mn, Fe, Pb, Cu, V, Cd were determined by neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry, respectively. Seawater source chemical species in the aerosols appeared in high content in large over 3.6 μm diameter particles, and crustal source vanadium appeared in 3.6 μm diameter particles, but pollution source vanadium appeared in less than 0.52 μm diameter particles. Trace metals in the aerosols mostly had the highest concentration of water soluble metals on fine particles, and acid soluble metals on large particles. The concentrations of trace metals in the aerosols were higher in autumn and winter, lower in spring and summer. Funds from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Predicting potential distribution of Tibetan spruce (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Picea smithiana</Emphasis>) in Qomolangma (Mount Everest) National Nature Preserve using maximum entropy niche-based model

Tibetan spruce (Picea smithiana) is an endemic species of the Himalayas,and it distributes only in a re-stricted area with very low number.To address the lack of detailed distributional information,we used maximum en-tropy (Maxent) niche-based model to predict the species' potential distribution from limited occurrence-only records.The location data of P.smithiana,relative bioclimatic variables,vegetation data,digital elevation model (DEM),and the derived data were analyzed in Maxent.The receiver operating ...     

Suspended sediment dynamics in the meltwater of Chhota Shigri glacier,Chandra basin,Lahaul-Spiti valley,India

Present study shows suspended sediment dynamics in the meltwater of Chhota Shigri glacier, Himachal Pradesh, India for different melt seasons during the period 2011-2014. Maximum suspended sediment concentration in the meltwater was found during the month of July 2011, 2012 and 2014 constituting to 55.2%, 48.3% and 46.9%, respectively. Whereas in 2013, maximum suspended sediment concentration was observed in August accounting for 46.1% of the total. On the other hand, maximum suspended sediment load was monitored in the month of July 2011, 2012 and 2014 constituting 59.5%, 63% and 55.7% of the total, respectively. Whereas in 2013, maximum suspended sediment load was observed in the month of August accounting for 49.8% of the total suspended sediment load. Annual distribution of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and suspended sediment load (SSL) in the Chhota Shigri glacier shows higher value of SSC and SSL during the study period 2012 and 2013, which may be due to the presence of high glacial runoff and negative mass balance of the studied area during these time periods. Marked diurnal variation has been observed in the SSC of meltwater. Strong correlation was observed between SSC and SSL with discharge. On the other hand, SSC and SSL also showed strong exponential correlation with air temperature of the studied area. Sediment yield from the catchment of Chhota Shigri glacier is high during the peak melt season (July and August) and low during the late melt season (September and October). The average value of erosion rate for Chhota Shigri glacier basin during the study period 2011-2014 was calculated to be 1.1 mm/yr, which is lower than the average erosion rate of other Himalayan glaciers such as Rakiot, Chorabari and Gangotri glaciers, which may be caused by its geological setting containing high erosion resistant rocks such as granite, granite gneiss and porphyritic granite.     

MIGRATION CHARACTERISTICS OF MICROELEMENTS IN PROCESS OF LANDSCAPE GEOCHEMISTRY IN MT.NAMJAGBARWA AREA

To provide scientific basis for appraising natural resources in Mt. Namjagbarwa area, the migration characteristics of geochemical microelements, such as Zn, V, Ti, Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, Co, Be and Ba, in the landscape zones of alpine scrub and meadow, the mountainous dark coniferous forest, the mountainous mixed broadleaf and coniferous forest, the mountainous quasi-subtropical semi-evergreen broadleaf forest, the mountainous subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest, and the valley quasi-tropical monsoon rainforest have been described in the paper.     

准噶尔盆地小拐地区佳木河组储层特征及主控因素

小拐地区佳木河组属低孔、低渗储层,为明确该区储层的主控因素,根据岩心观测、薄片鉴定、分析化验等结果,研究其沉积特征、储集空间、物性特征、成岩作用等.结果表明:小拐地区佳木河组为一套巨厚陆上冲积扇—扇三角洲复合沉积,岩石颗粒组分复杂、成熟度低,储层主要储集空间包括界面孔、微裂缝、溶蚀孔、构造裂缝等;储层受裂缝—孔隙双重介质影响,非均质性强.该区构造裂缝较为发育,以构造成因的直立剪切裂缝为主,对储层改造具有重要作用,裂缝发育情况与油气显示及产能密切相关;该区储层发育的主控因素包括岩性岩相、构造运动、成岩作用等.该区岩性岩相是控制储层发育的根本条件,构造运动产生的主控断裂有利于油气运移与聚集、强化储层裂缝发育,成岩作用中的溶蚀作用有效改善区内储层储渗性能.     

Chemical characteristics of water environment in limnic wetlands in the western Songnen Plain, China

Duetoregionalhydrogeologicandclimaticconditions,inthewesternSongnenPlain,themostdistinctcharacteristicofwaterenvironmentinlimnicwetlandsisthatmanywaterbodieshavehighsaltcontentsandpHvalues,andsomelimnicwetlandsbelongtosaltmarshes.Thelimnicwetlandsofthisregionarespecialnaturecomplex.Itisimportantfortheutilizationofwetlandresourcesandtheintegrateddevelopmentofsaline-alkalinesoiltostudychemicalcharacteristicsofwaterenvironmentinthisregion.1NATURALENVIRONMENTCHARACTERISTICSOFTHEWE…     

Hydrological characteristics of the Rongbuk Glacier catchment in Mt. Qomolangma region in the central Himalayas,China

From 8 April to 11 October in 2005, hydrological observation of the Rongbuk Glacier catchment was carried out in the Mt. Qomolangma (Everest) region in the central Himalayas, China. The results demonstrated that due to its large area with glacier lakes at the tongue of the Rongbuk Glacier, a large amount of stream flow was found at night, which indicates the strong storage characteristic of the Rongbuk Glacier catchment. There was a time lag ranging from 8 to 14 hours between daily discharge peaks and maximum melting (maximum temperature). As melting went on the time lag got shorter. A high correlation was found between the hydrological process and daily temperature during the ablation period. The runoff from April to October was about 80% of the total in the observation period. Compared with the discharge data in 1959, the runoff in 2005 was much more, and the runoff in June, July and August increased by 69%, 35% and 14%, respectively. The rising of temperature is a major factor causing the increase in runoff. The discharges from precipitation and snow and ice melting are separated. The discharge induced by precipitation accounts for about 20% of the total runoff, while snow and ice melting for about 80%.     

Comparison of stem taper models for the four tropical tree species in Mount Makiling,Philippines

This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of six stem taper models on four tropical tree species, namely Celtis luzonica (Magabuyo), Diplodiscus paniculatus (Balobo), Parashorea malaanonan (Bagtikan), and Swietenia macrophylla (Mahogany) in Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR), Philippines using fit statistics and lack-of-fit statistics. Four statistical criteria were used in this study, including the standard error of estimate (SEE), coefficient of determination (R ²), mean bias \(( \bar E )\), and absolute mean difference (AMD). For the lack-offit statistics, SEE, \(\bar E\) and AMD were determined in different relative height classes. The results indicated that the Kozako2 stem taper model offered the best fit for the four tropical species in most statistics. The Kozako2 model also consistently provided the best performance in the lack-of-fit statistics with the best SEE, \(\bar E\) and AMD in most of the relative height classes. These stem taper equations could help forest managers and researchers better estimate the diameter of the outside bark with any given height, merchantable stem volumes and total stem volumes of standing trees belonging to the four species of the tropical forest in MMFR.     

Hydrochemical characteristics and solute dynamics of meltwater runoff of Urumqi Glacier No.1, eastern Tianshan, northwest China

Hydrochemical characteristics and solute dynamics of bulk meltwater draining from Urumqi Glacier No.1 were investigated in years 2006 and 2007.The glacial meltwater was slightly alkaline with the mean pH of 7.64 and 7.61 in 2006 and 2007,respectively.In the meltwater,the dominant anions were the bicarbonate and sulphate,and the dominant cation was calcium.The concentration of major cations were varied as c(Ca2+) > c(Mg2+) > c(K+) > c(Na+),while the order for the cations was c(HCO3) > c(SO42) > c(NO3) > c(Cl).The total dissolved solids(TDS) in meltwater had inverse relationships with the diurnal discharge.The major ion composition of meltwater was mainly controlled by rock weathering as inferred from the Gibbs model.Furthermore,the ion ratios and Piper diagram indicated that the main processes controlling the meltwater chemistry were carbonate weathering,pyrite weathering and feldspar weathering in rocks,and Ca2+ and HCO3 were the dominant ions during the carbonate weathering process.Solute flux calculation at Glacier No.1 station suggested that chemical denudation rates were 11.46 and 13.90 ton.km 2.yr 1 in 2006 and 2007,respectively.     

火山碎屑岩储层特征及敏感性——以塔木察格盆地塔南凹陷为例

为了研究火山碎屑岩的储层特征及储层敏感性机理,以塔木察格盆地塔南凹陷铜钵庙组)南屯组火山碎屑岩为对象,运用普通薄片、铸体薄片和扫描电镜等技术,结合储层敏感性实验资料,根据《储层敏感性流动实验评价方法》(SY/T5358-2002),分析火山碎屑岩储层特征及其水敏、盐敏、速敏、碱敏、酸敏的特征和形成机理.结果表明:岩石类型包括凝灰岩、沉凝灰岩和凝灰质砂(砾)岩,主要敏感性黏土矿物有蒙脱石、伊利石、高岭石、绿泥石和伊/蒙混层,属于中低孔特低渗型储层;水敏性强弱与岩石类型关系密切,凝灰质砂(砾)岩水敏为中等偏强)强,凝灰岩和沉凝灰岩水敏为中等偏弱)中等偏强;盐敏程度绝大多数为中等偏强,临界盐度为5.126g/L;速敏为中等偏弱)弱速敏;碱敏为中等偏弱)中等偏强碱敏,临界碱度为7.43;酸敏程度范围较广;水敏程度与黏土矿物总量呈正相关;酸敏程度主要受绿泥石含量影响,酸敏指数与绿泥石含量呈正相关.该研究可为火山碎屑岩油气勘探提供借鉴.     

Physico-chemical characteristics and environmental significance of snow deposition on Haxilegen glacier No.51 in Tian Shan, China

Snow chemistry on the glaciers of alpine regions is a good indicator of atmospheric environmental change.We examine snow chemistry in three snowpits at different altitudes on the Haxilegen Glacier No.51,in the Kuitun River source,Tian Shan,China,during July-September 2004 to 2007.We use correlation analysis,factor analysis and sea-salt tracing methods to examine the characteristics and sources of major ions and mineral dust particles in the snow.Results show that mineral dust particles and major ions in the snow pits vary seasonally.During the Asian dust period in springtime,the concentration of mineral dust particles and major ions deposited in snow is high,while the concentration is relatively low during the non-dust period of summer and autumn.This may be caused by dust storm activity in central Asia.The order of major ionic concentrations in the snow packs was determined to be Ca2+ > SO42-> NH4+ > NO3-> Cl-> Na+ > Mg2+ > K+.Ca2+ was the dominant cation;SO42- was the dominant anion.We find,with the exception of NO3-,that the variabilities of ionic concentrations are highly correlated.Results show that the glacier region was significantly affected by dust activity and anthropogenic source.The major ions,especially Na+,originate from dust sources of central Asia and from the Ocean,transported by the westerly winds.