ESTABLISHING LICHENOMETRIC AGES FOR NINETEENTH- AND TWENTIETH-CENTURY GLACIER FLUCTUATIONS ON SOUTH GEORGIA (SOUTH ATLANTIC)

Glaciers in small mountain cirques on South Georgia respond rapidly and sensitively to changes in South Atlantic climate. The timing and rate of their deglaciation can be used to examine the impact that nineteenth- and twentieth-century climate change has had on the glacial dynamics and terrestrial ecosystems of South Georgia. As part of a reconnaissance study in Prince Olav Harbour (POH), South Georgia, we measured the size of lichens ( Rhizocarpon Ram. em Th. Fr. subgenus. Rhizocarpon group) on ice-free moraine ridges around two small mountain cirques. Our aims were twofold: first, to provide age estimates for lichen colonization, and hence, deglaciation of the moraine ridges, and second, to examine the potential of applying lichenometry more widely to provide deglacial age constraints on South Georgia. In the absence of lichen age-size (dating) curves for South Georgia, we use long-term Rhizocarpon lichen growth-rates from recent studies on sub-Antarctic Islands and the western Antarctic Peninsula to calculate likely age estimates. These data suggest ice retreat from the two outermost moraines occurred between the end of the 'Little Ice Age' (post c. 1870) and the early twentieth century on South Georgia. Lichen colonization of the innermost moraines is probably related to glacier retreat during the second half of the twentieth century, which has been linked to a well-defined warming trend since c. 1950. Patterns of possible nineteenth- and twentieth-century glacial retreat identified in POH need to be tested further by establishing species- and site-specific lichen age-size (dating) curves for South Georgia, and by applying lichenometry to other mountain cirques across South Georgia.     

Flow prediction in high altitude ungauged catchments: A case study in the Italian Alps (Pantano Basin,Adamello Group)

We develop a simple model to evaluate the daily flow discharges in the ablation season for the 11 km² Pantano basin in the Retiche Italian Alps, based upon the data gathered during a three years field campaign. The Pantano basin embeds the Venerocolo debris covered and the Avio debris free glaciers, covering 2.14 km² in the Adamello Group, where the widest Italian glacier Adamello is located. First, degree-day models based upon air temperature are tuned to calculate snow and ice melt at daily scale. Glaciers’ meteorological data are collected from an automatic weather station (AWS), operating on the glacier during summer 2007. The melt factors in the debris covered areas of the glacier are estimated against debris thickness, using a data driven parameterization. The flow discharge from the catchment is estimated using semi distributed flow routing for the ablation seasons of four years, from 2006 to 2009. The predicted discharges are compared to those derived from inverse reservoir's routing at the Benedetto lake, catching the basin outflow. The proposed approach is valuable as a tool to investigate the hydrology of poorly gauged glacierized areas, including those with debris covered ice, widely diffused and yet poorly understood. Pending accurate parameterization the approach is usable for water resources evaluation and for long term assessment of the climate change impact on the glacierized areas within the Alps.     

Properties of natural supraglacial debris in relation to modelling sub‐debris ice ablation

As debris‐covered glaciers become a more prominent feature of a shrinking mountain cryosphere, there is increasing need to successfully model the surface energy and mass balance of debris‐covered glaciers, yet measurements of the processes operating in natural supraglacial debris covers are sparse. We report measurements of vertical temperature profiles in debris on the Ngozumpa glacier in Nepal, that show: (i) conductive processes dominate during the ablation season in matrix‐supported diamict; (ii) ventilation may be possible in coarse surface layers; (iii) phase changes associated with seasonal change have a marked effect on the effective thermal diffusivity of the debris. Effective thermal conductivity determined from vertical temperature profiles in the debris is generally ~30% higher in summer than in winter, but values depend on the volume and phase of water in the debris. Surface albedo can vary widely over small spatial scales, as does the debris thickness. Measurements indicate that debris thickness is best represented as a probability density function with the peak debris thickness increasing down‐glacier. The findings from Ngozumpa glacier indicate that the probability distribution of debris thickness changes from positively skewed in the upper glacier towards a more normal distribution nearer the terminus. Although many of these effects remain to be quantified, our observations highlight aspects of spatial and temporal variability in supraglacial debris that may require consideration in annual or multi‐annual distributed modelling of debris‐covered glacier surface energy and mass balance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence of groundwater flow on Antizana ice-covered volcano,Ecuador / Mise en évidence d'écoulements souterrains sur le volcan englacé Antizana,Equateur

Abstract

Hydrological and glaciological data were gathered in the watershed (1.37 km²) of the Antizana Glacier 15 (0.7 km²) in the periods 1997–2002 and 1995–2005, respectively. In addition, tracer experiments were carried out to analyse the flow through permeable morainic deposits located between the glacier snout and the runoff gauging station. Over 11 years, the mean specific net balance of the glacier was negative (–627 mm w.e.), despite the occurrence of positive values in the La Niña years (1999–2000). From the glacier net mass balance between 1997 and 2002, it was found that the mean flow originating from ice melt was significantly higher than the mean discharge measured at the hydrological station. Analyses of tracer experiments and of the different components of the hydrological balance suggest groundwater flow that originates below the glacier accounts for the remaining water. This result is important for regional analyses of available water resources and for the relationship between hydro-cryospheric processes and volcanic activity.     

Paleolimnological records of recent glacier recession in the Rwenzori Mountains,Uganda-D. R. Congo

The status of tropical glaciers is enormously important to our understanding of past, present, and future climate change, yet lack of continuous quantitative records of alpine glacier extent on the highest mountains of tropical East Africa prior to the 20th century has left the timing and drivers of recent glacier recession in the region equivocal. Here we investigate recent changes (the last 150–700 years) in lacustrine sedimentation, glacier extent, and biogeochemical processes in the Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda- Democratic Republic of Congo) by comparing sedimentological (organic and siliciclastic component determined by loss-on-ignition; LOI) and organic geochemical profiles (carbon and nitrogen abundance, ratio, and isotopic composition of sedimentary organic matter) from lakes occupying presently glaciated catchments against similar profiles from lakes located in catchments lacking glaciers. The siliciclastic content of sediments in the ‘glacial lakes’ significantly decreases towards the present, whereas ‘non-glacial lakes’ generally show weak trends in their siliciclastic content over time, demonstrating that changes in the siliciclastic content of glacial lake sediments primarily record fluctuations in glacier extent. Radiometric dating of our sediment cores indicates that prior to their late 19th-century recession Rwenzori glaciers stood at expanded ‘Little Ice Age’ positions for several centuries under a regionally dry climate regime, and that recession was underway by 1870 AD, during a regionally wet episode. These findings suggest that the influence of late 19th century reductions in precipitation in triggering Rwenzori glacier recession is weaker than previously thought. Our organic geochemical data indicate that glacier retreat has significantly affected carbon cycling in Afroalpine lakes, but trends in aquatic ecosystem functioning are variable among lakes and require more detailed analysis.     

乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川表层雪的化学特征——以低分子有机酸和无机阴离子为例

表层雪是联系大气成分与冰芯记录的重要纽带,是研究成冰作用过程中化学组成变化的起点.为配合天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川成冰作用过程中化学组成变化的研究,对1号冰川积累区(海拔4130 m)一个完整年度的表层雪样品进行了低分子有机酸和无机阴离子含量的分析.结果显示:表层雪中低分子有机酸主要有HCOO^-、CH₃COO^-、C₂H₅COO^-和(COO)₂^2-,无机阴离子主要有F^-、Cl^-、NO₂^-、NO₃^-、SO₄^2-和PO₄^3-.除(COO)₂^2-外,大部分高浓度的有机酸和无机阴离子因受到周围环境和盛行风的影响呈现出明显的季节变化特征,即夏半年离子浓度变化剧烈,最大值和最小值同时出现在夏半年,冬半年的浓度则相对小而稳定;而(COO)₂^2-和低浓度的无机阴离子随季节变化的特征不明显,在全年均显示出波动性.在外界条件不变的情况下,表层雪可以长时间(至少半年时间)保存其中高含量的化学组成不被改变.     

2008—2018年中国冰川变化分析

调查冰川资源的分布与变化,对区域乃至全球的自然环境与经济社会发展都具有十分重要的意义.基于315景Landsat 8 OLI遥感影像,结合中国第二次冰川编目数据与Google Earth软件,通过人工目视解译等方法调查了2018年中国冰川的分布与变化.结果表明:中国现存冰川53238条,总面积为(47174.21±19...     

青藏高原冰川对气候变化的响应及趋势预测

青藏高原是世界上中低纬度地区最大的现代冰川分布区,这里冰川末端在近百年来总的进退变化趋势是退缩,但在本世纪初至20～30年代和70～80年代间多数冰川曾出现过稳定甚至前进。对比近百年来气候变化,冰川变化虽然滞后于温度变化,但它们之间存在着很好的对应关系,多数冰川对温度变化滞后时间在10～20年间。根据80年代以来平均物质净平衡值,大致将青藏高原划分为:内部为平衡或正平衡区;向外为负平衡区;边缘为强负平衡区。以冰川对气候响应滞后关系预测,在今后10～20年间,青藏高原边缘冰川末端仍继续处于后退,而高原内部冰川末端位置变化不大。     

中国冰川积累与水汽来源补给分析

利用冰川编目数据和NCEP/NCAR再分析资料, 对中国及周边地区水汽通量、中国冰川地理分布情况、大气环流途径和降水分布进行分析, 发现中国冰川水汽来源复杂, 不同地区各季节存在不同的大气环流控制. 这说明不同地理位置的冰川所指示的气候信息是不同的, 大约以30° N和100° E为界, 中国西北部主要受西风环流影响, 冰川发育的水汽主要源于西风环流. 以横断山脉为界, 横断山脉以西, 即30° N以南和100° E以西的区域, 主要受印度季风控制, 冰川发育水汽主要源于印度洋、阿拉伯海和孟加拉湾; 横断山脉以东区域, 受东亚季风控制, 冰川发育水汽主要来源于太平洋和南海; 横断山脉、念青唐古拉和青藏高原东部地区受印度季风和东亚季风共同控制, 冰川发育水汽主要来源于孟加拉湾和南海. 不同地区冰芯积累量的变化与该地区夏季季风环流指数的变化具有较好的一致性.     

Potentially modified hydropower production under climate change in the Italian Alps

We present an assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on hydropower production within a paradigmatic, very highly exploited cryospheric area of upper Valtellina valley in the Italian Alps. Based on dependable and unique hydrological measures from our high‐altitude hydrometric network Idrostelvio during 2006–2015, we set up the Poly‐Hydro model to mimic the cryospheric processes driving hydrological flow formation in this high‐altitude area. We then set up an optimization tool, which we call Poly‐Power, to maximize the revenue of the plant manager under given hydrological regimes, namely, by proper operation of the hydroelectric production scheme (reservoirs, pipelines, and power plants) of the area. We then pursue hydrological projections until 2100, feeding Poly‐Hydro with the downscaled outputs of three general circulation models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report, under the scenarios Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6, RCP 4.5, and RCP 8.5. We assess hydrological flows in two reference decades, that is, at half century (2040–2049), and end of century (2090–2099). We then feed the so obtained hydrological scenarios as inputs to Poly‐Power, and we project future production of hydroelectric power, with and without reoperation of the system. The average annual stream flows for hydropower production decreases along the century under our scenarios (?21 to +7%, on average ? 5% at half century; ?17 to ?2%, average ? 8%, end of century), with ice cover melting unable to offset such decrease. Reduction in snowfall and increase in liquid rainfall are the main factors affecting the modified hydrological regime. Energy production (and revenues) at half century may increase under our scenarios (?9 to +15%, +3% on average). At the end of century in spite of a projected increase on average (?7 to +6%, +1% on average), under the warmest scenario RCP 8.5 decrease of energy production is consistently projected (?4% on average). Our results provide an array of potential scenarios of modified hydropower production under future climate change and may be used for brain storming of adaptation strategies.