Cover Story

The photo on the cover is of the upper reaches of the Aktru River basin located in the south-eastern part of the Altai Republic of the Russian Federation close to the borders to Mongolia and China in the centre of the Eurasian Continent (50°06’03"N,87°40’14"E).The peak in the background is called’Black Mountain’(Karatash in Russian) and reaches an altitude of 3,534 m.a.s.l.This mountain separates the Maliy AktrLI glacier to the left and Bolshoy glaciers to the right.The Maliy glacier has experienced extremely rapid rates of glacier retreat since measurements began in the 1950s.     

Glacier extent changes and possible causes in the Hala Lake Basin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Glacier is a common sensitivity indicator of environmental and global climate change.Examining the relationship between glacier area and climate change will help reveal glacier change mechanisms and future trends. Glacier changes are also of great significance to the regulation of regional water resources. This study selected the Hala Lake Basin in the northeastern Qinhai-Tibet Plateau as a study area, and examined the relationships between the temporal and spatial change of glaciers in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and climate change based on remote sensing imagery,climatological data, and topographic data during the past 30 years. Results showed that glacier area in the Hala Lake basin fluctuated and decreased from106.24 km~2 in 1986 to 78.84 km~2 in 2015, with a decreasing rate of 0.94 km~2·yr~(-1). The number of glacier patches, mean patch area, and largest patch index all decreased from 1986 to 2015, while the splitting index increased from 1986 to 2015,indicating that the landscape fragmentation of glacier in the Hala Lake Basin was increasing significantly during the study period. Glacier area change was mainly concentrated in the slopes 25° with an altitude of 4500-5000 m, and the retreating rate of glacier of sunny slope was obviously higher than that of shady slope. Geometric center of glacier in the basin moved from southwest to northeast towards high altitude. Results of the response of glacier extent to climate change showed that temperature was the dominant factor affecting glacier area dynamic change in the Hala Lake Basin. It is predicted that in future several years, the glacier area will decrease and fragment continually as a result of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau.     

Cover Story

正The cover photo depicts the Kangriz glacier in western Himalayas.This photo was taken by Aparna Shukla in 2015.This glacier is known by various names:"Ganri glacier"(toposheet of 1906),"Kangriz glacier"(toposheet of 1962)and recently as"Parkachik glacier".The glacier lies in Greater Himalayan Range,extending for the latitude and longitude 33°58'to 34°05'N and 75°57'to 76°07'E,respectively.It forms the largest glacier(16.32 km long)in the Suru basin covering an area of～53     

Geomorphological processes and landforms of glacier forelands in the upper Aktru River basin(Gornyi Altai), Russia: evidence for rapid recent retreat and paraglacial adjustment

The glaciers in the Aktru River basin of Gornyi Altai, Russia currently represent some of the fastest receding glaciers in the world. Formation of the morainic complexes closest to the contemporary glaciers in the Aktru River basin took place during the 17^th-18^th centuries with recession commencing at the end of the 18 th century. Coupled with this glacial retreat, earth surface processes and vegetation succession are responding to shape the glacier forelands. This article presents the first geomorphological maps for the upper reaches of the Aktru River basin and focuses on the geomorphological landforms that occur in the rapidly changing glacier forelands. Geomorphological mapping is difficult in steep mountainous regions and, thus, mapping was completed using satellite imagery, field mapping and observations coupled with highresolution aerial photography obtained from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs). Critical steps of the procedure used to process UAV imagery and difficulties encountered in this mountainous terrain are noted. The acquired spatial data enable the mapping and classification of small-scale transient geomorphological features such as talus, glacial and glaciofluvial landforms. Their dynamics provide insights into supraglacial and subglacial processes of the glaciers of the Aktru River basin and subsequent paraglacial adjustment. The presented highresolution spatial data, which can also be obtained at high temporal resolutions in the future, can act as a reference frame for geomorphologists and ecologists studying the temporal evolution of glacier forelands of the Aktru River basin during paraglacial adjustment and subsequent colonisation and stabilisation by biota.     

Glacial Runoff Likely Reached Peak in the Mountainous Areas of the Shiyang River Basin,China

Glacier runoff in mountain areas of the Shiyang River Basin(SRB), Qilian Mountain, western China is important for the river and water supply downstream. Small glaciers with area of less than 1km2 are dominant(87%) in the SRB. A modified monthly degree-day model was applied to quantify the glacier mass balance, area, and changes in glacier runoff in the SRB during 1961–2050. The comparison between the simulated and observed snow line altitude, annual glacier runoff, and mass balance from1961 to 2008 suggests that the degree-day model may be used to analyze the long-term change of glacier mass balance and runoff in the SRB. The glacier accumulation shows a significant(p0.01) decreasing trend of-0.830 mm a-1. The mass balance also shows a significant(p0.01) decreasing trend of-5.521 mm a-1. The glacier total runoff has significantly(p0.05)increased by 0.079 × 105 m3 from 1961 to 2008. The monthly precipitation and air temperature are projected to significant(p0.005) increase during2015 to 2050 under three different scenarios. The ablation is projected to significant(p0.001) increase,while the accumulation has no significant(p=0.05)trend. The mass balance is projected to decrease, theglacier area is projected to decrease, and the glacier runoff depth is projected to increase. However, the glacier total runoff is projected to decrease. These results indicate that the glacier total runoff over glacier areas observed in 1970 reached its peak in the 2000 s. This will exacerbate the contradiction between water supply and downstream water demands in the SRB.     

Monitoring glaciers in the Chenab basin with SBAS InSAR technology

The Chenab basin is located in northwest India and eastern Pakistan. Glaciers in Chenab basin,as local freshwater resources, are very important to the regional ecological environment and development. At the same time, SBAS InSAR can monitor the deformation of the ground for a long time, the monitoring accuracy can reach mm level,and can obtain the time series change of deformation, whcih provides a new idea and method for glacier detection. In this study, the deformation from SBAS InSAR was comb...     

Characteristics of mountain glacier surge hazard: learning from a surge event in NE Pamir,China

Abnormal glacier movement is likely to result in canyon-type hazards chain, such as the barrier lake of Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon formed by glacier debris flow in October 2018 in China.Glacier hazard usually evolves from the glacier surge and may occur in a regular cycle. Understanding the characteristics and process of glacier surge is important for early hazard recognition and hazard assessment. Based on field investigations, remote sensing interpretations and SAR offset-tracking surveys, this study confirms a typical glacier surge in the northeast Pamir, and presents its characteristics and processes. "Black ice" mixed moraines choking uplift and overflowing lateral marine are the most important scenic characteristics, which were formed under the conditions of stagnant glacier downstream and abundant super-glacial moraine. Glacier movement event can be divided into a five-period cycle including quiescent, inoculation, initiation,fracture and decline. This surge event lasted for about 300 days, initiated in February 2015 developed extensive fracturing zone in spring and early summer at maximum velocity of 10±0.95 m/day, declined after August 2015 and recovered to quiescent status in October 2015 for the next inoculation. The average height of glacier "receiving" area increased by 20-40 m with 2.7-3.6×10~8 m~3 ice transferred from glacier "reservoir", and this volume accumulation again require 50-100 years for glacier mass balance which gives approximately 100 years frequency of the glacier surge. Nevertheless, long-period increase of precipitation and temperature were favorable for the occurrence, hydrological instability is the direct triggering mechanism, and while the Glacier Lake Outburst Flood(GLOF) hazards are unlikely to occur with this surge.     

Surface mass balance on Glacier No. 31 in the Suntar–Khayata Range,eastern Siberia,from 1951 to 2014

This study presents a 64-year(1951–2014) reconstruction of the surface mass balance of Glacier No. 31, located in the Suntar-Khayata Range of the eastern Siberia, where the ablation zone is characterized by the extensive dark ice surface. We use a temperature index-based glacier mass-balance model, which computes all major components of glacier mass budget and is forced by daily air temperature and precipitation from a nearby meteorological station. The glacier shows a mean annual mass balance of –0.35 m w.e.a~(–1) during the past 64 years, with an acceleration of –0.50 m w.e. a~(–1) during the recent years. A cumulative mass loss of the glacier is ~22.3 m w.e. over the study period, about 56% of which is observed during 1991–2014. In addition to the contribution of temperature rise and precipitation decrease to recent mass loss of the glacier, an experimental analysis, in which the cleanand dark ice surfaces are respectively assumed to cover the entire ablation zone, indicates that dark ice surface, caused by insoluble impurities consisting of mineral dusts, cryoconite granules, and ice algae, plays a crucial role in the changing mass balance through enhancing melt rates in the ablation zone of the glacier.     

Glacier change in the Tanggula Mountains,Tibetan Plateau,in 1969-2015

To improve our knowledge of glacier change in the Tanggula Mountains located in the northeast of the Tibetan Plateau, we delineated outlines of the glaciers in 1991 and 2015 using Landsat TM/OLI images and compared them with the reported glacier data in the First Chinese Glacier Inventory in 1969 and the Second Chinese Glacier Inventory in 2007. These comparisons showed that the glacier area and ice volume decreased by 524.8 km~2 and 37 km~3, respectively. The majority of the glacier area loss was concentrated in the area class of 1-5 km~2, between 5300 m and 5500 m in elevation, on north and east facing slopes and in the Dam Qu River basin. These glacier changes exhibited spatial and temporal differences. The glacier retreat rategradually increased from 1969 to 2015, and the rate in the east was higher than that in the west. From 1969 to 2015, the warming rate in the Tanggula Mountains was 0.38°C/10 a, while the annual precipitation only increased by 0.4%. The slight increase in the amount of precipitation made a limited contribution to glacier change, while the change in temperature led to noticeable shrinkage of the glaciers. Contrary to the retreat or stagnation of most glaciers in the study area,there were 10 glaciers that experienced clear advance in 1986-2015 with noticeable increases in both area and length. Whether or not these 10 glaciers are surge glaciers requires further study.     

Stream temperature dynamics in Nam Co basin,southern Tibetan Plateau

Stream temperatures are sensitive to climate change and runoff regime variations. A comprehensive understanding on the effects of glacial melting on the stream temperatures are important in the Tibetan Plateau, of which contains the largest ice volume outside Polar Regions. This study documented the high-resolution stream temperature thermal regimes from glacier-fed and non-glacial rivers at four sites, versus a high-resolution glacier mass balance monitoring at Zhadang glacier, during summer melt seasons from 2007-2009 in the Nam Co basin of southern Tibetan Plateau. The results showed mean summer stream temperature and magnitude of daily thermal variation were lower at all sites when compared with alpine glacierized environments at lower latitudes. Mean stream temperatures for glacier-fed rivers(4.0℃ to 6.5℃)were minimum and least variable near the glacier terminus with increasing toward downstream(+0.13℃ km~(–1) to +0.28℃ km~(–1)). Meanwhile, stream temperature in 2008 was similar to that in 2007 and2009. For the non-glacial rivers, mean stream temperatures was about 9.0℃ with significantly warmer in summer months in 2009 and 2007 than that in 2008. These differences indicated that stream temperature was strongly influenced by discharge and precipitation. Particularly, the glacier mass balance played a large role on the stream temperature directly when the glacier melt contributed more than 50% of the glacial river runoff. Our results demonstrated the stream thermal variability from southern Tibetan rivers and provided new insight into the influence of glacier mass balance on stream thermal variability in high-altitude river system.     

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.     

Assessment of glacier stored water in Karakoram Himalaya using satellite remote sensing and field investigation

Karakoram Himalaya(KH) has continental climatic conditions and possesses largest concentration of glaciers outside the polar regions. The melt water from these glaciers is a major contributor to the Indus river. In this study, various methods have been used to estimate the ice volume in the Karakoram Range of glaciers such as Coregistration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation(COSI-Corr) method and Area-Volume relations. Landsat 8 satellite data has been used to generate the ice displacement, velocity and thickness map. Our study for 558 Karakoram glaciers revealed that the average ice thickness in Karakoram is 90 m. Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR) survey has been conducted in one of the KH glacier i.e. Saser La glacier and the collected GPR data is used for the validation of satellite derived thickness map. GPR measured glacier thickness values are found comparable with satellite estimated values with RMSE of 4.3 m. The total ice volume of the Karakoram glaciers is estimated to be 1607±19 km3(1473±17 Gt), which is equivalent to 1473±17 km3 of water equivalent. Present study also covers the analysis of glacier surface displacement, velocity and ice thickness values with reference to glacier mean slope.     

Modeling ice thickness distribution and storage volume of glaciers in Chandra Basin,western Himalayas

This article reports modeled ice thickness distribution and total ice volume of the 65 selected glaciers(0.5 km~2) of Chandra basin,located in the Western Himalayas.This is a first-of-its-kind study that gives detailed insights about the current ice thickness distribution at an individual glacier level in the Western Himalayas.The estimates are obtained using an optimally parameterized Glab Top2_IITB [Glacier Bed Topography Indian Institute of Technology Bombay(IITB) version] model with highresolution Digital Elevation Model(DEM) as an input.The total estimated volume of all the 65 selected glaciers is about 55.32 km~3 covering a total area of about 591.03 km~2.Using hypsometric analysis,it is found that the maximum amount of ice volume,i.e.,about 12.79 km~3,is currently residing at the elevation range of 5200–5400 m a.s.l.Ice thickness estimates obtained in the current study are compared with the ensemble estimates obtained in the Global Glacier Thickness Initiative(G2TI) project for three large glaciers,namely,Bada Shigri,Samudra Tapu,and Gepang Gath glaciers.The obtained results indicate that the difference between both the studies is marginal in terms of mean ice thickness and maximum ice thickness estimates except Samudra Tapu glacier.Moreover,the uncertainty of the estimated glacier ice volume from this study is about ±15% whereas,from the G2TI project,it is about 25%.The main reasons for the difference could be the quality of the inputs used,model structure,model parameterization as well as the time stamp of the input used.The obtained results from this study indicate that the use of appropriate shape factor and better DEM would result in more reliable glacier ice thickness estimates even by using a simple slopedependent model like Glab Top2_IITB.     

Post-sedimentary Transformation of Lateral Moraines——the Tributary Tongue Basins of the Kvíárjokull（Iceland）

The Kvíárjokull,a southern outlet glacier of the Vatnajokull,is confined in the mountain foreland by lateral moraines measuring a height of up to 150 m. Each of the lateral moraines shows considerable breaches with deviations of the main moraine ridges. The paper discusses the possible origins of these modifications of the lateral moraines as result of： 1） ice overlappings during glacier advances and subsequent breaches of the lateral moraine,2） bifurcations of the Kvíárjokull glacier tongue triggered by the preglacial relief conditions and the prehistorical moraine landscape leading to afflux conditions,3） drainage of ice-marginal glacier lakes and 4. volcanic activities,such as lava flows and volcanic-induced jokulhlaups. A historic-genetic model of the formation of the lateral moraines is presented considering the breaches in the lateral moraines as result from glacier bifurcations and therefore as former tributary tongue basins. Such breaches in the lateral moraines are also common landscape features at glaciers outside of Iceland and are from wider importance for the paleoreconstruction of former glacier stages. The knowledge of their development is essential for an adequate relative age classification of individual moraine ridges. In regard to the origin of the debris supply areas of the large-sized Kvíárjokull moraines,the resedimentation of prehistoric till deposits by younger glacier advances plays a role in the formation of the lateral moraines apart from englacial and supraglacial sediment transfer processes.     

Recent Changes Occurred in the Terminus of the Debris-covered Bilafond Glacier in the Karakoram Himalayas Using Remotely Sensed Images and Digital Elevation Models (1978-2011)

Recent changes occurred in terminus of the debris-covered Bilafond Glacier in the Karakoram Range in the Himalayas, Northern Pakistan was investigated in this research. Landsat MSS, TM and ETM＋ images were used for this study. Digital elevation models derived from ASTER GDEM and SRTM were also utilized. Visible, infrared and thermal infrared channels were utilized in order to get accurate glacier change maps. Three methods were tried to map this debris-covered glacier in this research. The glacier has been mapped successfully and the changes in the glacier terminus from 1978 to 2011 have been calculated. Manual, semi-automatic and thermal methods were found to give similar results. It was found that the glacier has undergone serious ablation during this period despite of the fact that many of the larger glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram mountain regions in the Upper Indus Basin were reported to be expanding. The terminus has been moved back about 600 meters during this period and there was an abrupt change in the glacier terminus during 1990-2002. We propose that debris thickness is not the only factor that influences the glacier ablation but the altitude of the debris-covered glacier as well. Many glaciers in the Karakoram region reported to be expanding were having higher altitudes compared to the study area.     

Reconstruction of the Ice Age Glaciation in the Southern Slopes of Mt. Everest, Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Makalu （Himalaya） （Part 1）

1 Introduction, Methods of Evidence and Characteristics of the Investigation Areas The aim of this study was to find geomorph- ological and sedimentological indicators of a past glaciation. In addition to the reconstruction of the maximum extent of Ice Age glacier cover, field investigations combined with panorama photo- graphs and laboratory analyses of samples werefocused on the evidence of glacier trim-lines and -thicknesses. This is the regional continuation of a detailed and spatially …     

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.     

The glacier area changes in the Qangtang Plateau based on the multi-temporal grid method and its sensitivity to climate change

Glacier area changes in the Qangtang Plateau are analyzed during 1970-2000 using air photos,relevant photogrammetric maps and satellite images based on the multi-temporal grid method.The results indicate that the melting of glaciers accelerated,only a few of glaciers in an advancing state during 1970-2000 in the whole Qangtang Plateau.However,the glaciers seemed still more stable in the study area than in most areas of western China.We estimate that glacier retreat was likely due to air temperature warming during 1970-2000 in the Qangtang Plateau.Furthermore,the functional model of glacier system is applied to study climate sensitivity of glacier area changes,which indicates that glacier lifespan mainly depends on the heating rate,secondly the precipitation,and precipitation increasing can slow down glacier retreat and make glacier lifespan prolonged.     

Development and Conservation of Glacier Tourist Resources —— A Case Study of Bogda Glacier Park

1 Introduction As a special kind of tourism, glacier tourism is popular to tourists all over the world owing to its meeting tourists’ needs for seeking after freshness, difference, surprise and risk. Differing from conventional tourism, glacier tour- ism has its special characters while there is little literature on it. It is of great significance to study its characters and seek after the harmonious development in exploitation and protection of glacier tourism resources. Glacier tourism refe…     

Comparison of Kuqa foreland basin with Persian Gulf Basin in salt tectonics

Compared Kuqa foreland basin with Persian Gulf Basin in development of salt layers, salt tectonics, and the relation between salt tectonics and hydrocarbon, it is concluded that the salt diapirs are relative to hydrocarbon. Searching salt diapirs and related traps in Kuqa foreland basin is important. The forming mechanism of salt tectonic in Kuqa foreland basin is different from that of Hormuz Series, but similar to that of Lower Fars Series/Gachsaran Formation. Inspired by the role of salt tectonics of Lower Fars Series/Gachsaran Formation in hydrocarbon accumulation, the authors considered that the exploration below salt layer should be enforced, and the traps below salt layer in the southern part of the Kuqa foreland basin would be found where salt layer is thicker. On the contrary, the traps should be found both above and below the salt layer in front of the northern mountain where salt layer is thin. The Triassic and Jurassic source rocks are rich in this area with great exploration prospective.