Annual Mass Balance of Blue Glacier, USA: 1955–97

Mass changes of Blue Glacier, USA are calculated from topographic maps made from vertical aerial photography in late summer of 1939, 1952, 1957, and 1987, along with laser altimetry flown in June 1996. Changes in elevation between maps were adjusted for seasonal variations in the snow cover, and to account for the ablation between the date of photography and 1 October. Topography obtained from the laser altimetry was adjusted for snow thickness and glacier motion to estimate topography of 1 October 1995. The mass of Blue Glacier has changed less than 7 m (water equivalent) during this 56 year period which is minor compared with other glaciers in the region and elsewhere in the world. Glacier-average annual mass balances, beginning in 1956, have been calculated either from stake measurements and probing of late-season snow, or from a regression analysis using late-season measurements of the equilibrium line altitude. A comparison with the changes derived from surface maps shows values obtained from field measurements are too positive by about 0.4 m a^?1 , indicating that considerable caution is needed when interpreting time series of mass balance. Two alternative time series of mass balance consistent with the long-term mass changes are created by making simple adjustments: (1) a single constant is subtracted from each value so that the series is consistent with the 1957–95 mass change; (2) one constant is subtracted from each value over 1957–87 and another is subtracted from each value over 1987-95 so that the series is consistent with both the 1957–87 and 1987–95 mass changes. The mass balance of Blue Glacier was generally positive until the mid-1970s and negative since. The fluctuations of mass balance closely resemble those of snowfall on the glacier as estimated from the joint distribution of temperature and precipitation. The climate in western Washington was cooler and wetter during the decade before the mid-1970s, but the trend since has been towards warmer and drier conditions.     

The Verification and Significance of Three Approaches to Longitudinal Stresses in High–resolution Models of Glacier Flow

With the purpose of improving the ice physics underpinning time–dependent glacier flowline models, three independent approaches for solving longitudinal stresses in glaciers are discussed and verified by application to Haut Glacier d'Arolla. To highlight any shortcomings, the reduced and much utilised driving stress approximation is also applied and compared. Modelled velocity patterns using the three full stress schemes exhibit consistency with one another and good coincidence with observed velocities for the 1991 summer melt season. Furthermore, these stress patterns indicate that longitudinal stresses are significant and of a similar order of magnitude as the basal shear stress components. However, the driving stress approximation yields erratic fluctuations in the stress and velocity fields which are neither realistic in terms of mass continuity nor agree with observations. Basal decoupling experiments indicate a complex relationship between basal velocity and englacial stresses with considerable dampening of any basal perturbation occurring as it is dissipated towards the surface and transferred throughout the ice mass. The driving stress approximation fails to account at all for any such coupling. Experiments to identify the length scale over which longitudinal effects operate indicate that they are significant even up to 10 ice thicknesses. The implication here is that longitudinal stresses play a significant role in determining glacier dynamics on length scales up to at least 2 km and that the predictive power of models of glacier flow based purely on the driving stress approximation is therefore subject to significant limitations. Inclusion of longitudinal stresses overcomes one of the main limitations imposed on such models and, given the potential ease of incorporation of the schemes described here, this deficiency may readily be resolved.     

青藏高原纳木错流域扎当冰川度日因子特征及其应用

根据青藏高原念青唐古拉峰北坡纳木错流域扎当冰川2007和2008年消融期的物质平衡和气象观测资料,计算了冰川冰和雪的度日因子值,分析了冰川度日因子的时空变化及影响因素.结果表明:扎当冰川雪的度日因子值为5.3mm·d-1·℃-1;不同海拔冰的度日因子在4.0～14.0mm·d-1·℃-1之间,平均为9.2mm·d-1·℃-1.扎当冰川冰的度日因子值随着海拔的升高有所下降,但季节变化规律不明显.利用度日模型对扎当冰川物质平衡进行了模拟,得到2006/2007年度和2007/2008年度该冰川的物质平衡值分别为-534mmw.e.和247mmw.e.,其中2007/2008年度的模拟值接近观测值.     

青藏高原东南部贡嘎山海螺沟冰川冰下沉积物形成与变形

冰岩界面的冰川动力学是冰川系统的重要组成部分, 海螺沟冰川地处温暖湿润的海洋环境, 冰川运动速度较快, 冰川底部接近压融点, 是研究冰下过程的较理想地点. 在海螺沟冰川大型磨光面上浅显侵蚀坑内发现了碎屑物质. 对碎屑物质理化特征研究表明: 粒度特征、地球化学与石英砂SEM 分析表明沉积在冰岩界面上的物质来自于冰川底部的底碛层, 而不是冰上环境的产物. 偏光显微镜下观察到的冰下沉积物呈现出一系列塑性变形(微旋转、褶皱)和脆性变形(线性结构、支撑结构、断层)微观结构和构造. 两种变形结构的存在是碎屑物质在形成过程中其含水量波动情况的反映. 冰下碎屑物质是冰下融出、滞碛作用的共同产物. 在整个冰下碎屑物质形成与变形过程中, 由于冰下水系季节性变化带来的冰岩界面上冰川融水含量的波动起了决定性作用.     

云量对祁连山老虎沟12号冰川表面能量平衡的影响

为探讨云量对冰川表面能量平衡(SEB)的影响,利用架设在老虎沟12号冰川(简称12号冰川)消融区(4 550m a. s. l.)的自动气象站资料,结合能量平衡模型计算各能量分量并分析其季节变化,通过云量参数化方案获取云量因子并量化其对冰川表面能量收支的影响。结果表明:净短波辐射为冰川表面主要的能量来源(92%),净长波辐射为主要能量支出(61%),二者均受云量影响,但云的短波辐射效应更强(-37W·m^-2)。云量通过影响辐射收支和湍流通量进而影响冰川表面能量收支,随云量的增加,冰川表面获得的能量减少,冰川消融速率降低。与其他区域的冰川表面能量收支对比,除地理位置、反照率、气温等因素外,海拔和云量的影响也非常显著。     

天山南坡科其卡尔巴契冰川度日因子变化特征研究

度日模型是估算冰川消融的一种简单而有效的方法.根据科其卡尔巴契冰川2003年的观测资料,分析了该冰川度日因子的空间变化规律及其影响因素.研究表明:各高度上的度日因子,介于2.0～9.7mm·℃^-1·d^-1之间变化,平均值为5.7mm·℃^-1·d^-1,与青藏高原各冰川及其它地区冰川相比较小;随着海拔的增高,度日因子随之递增;随平均气温的升高而随之递减.由于冰面状况复杂,度日因子变化幅度较大,裸冰区的度日因子明显大于表碛覆盖区.人为测量误差、反照率、地形等对度日因子的影响也不容忽视.     

Mapping of moraine dammed glacial lakes and assessment of their areal changes in the central and eastern Himalayas using satellite data

The relatively rapid recession of glaciers in the Himalayas and formation of moraine dammed glacial lakes(MDGLs) in the recent past have increased the risk of glacier lake outburst floods(GLOF) in the countries of Nepal and Bhutan and in the mountainous territory of Sikkim in India. As a product of climate change and global warming, such a risk has not only raised the level of threats to the habitation and infrastructure of the region, but has also contributed to the worsening of the balance of the unique ecosystem that exists in this domain that sustains several of the highest mountain peaks of the world. This study attempts to present an up to date mapping of the MDGLs in the central and eastern Himalayan regions using remote sensing data, with an objective to analyse their surface area variations with time from 1990 through 2015, disaggregated over six episodes. The study also includes the evaluation for susceptibility of MDGLs to GLOF with the least criteria decision analysis(LCDA). Forty two major MDGLs, each having a lake surface area greater than 0.2 km2, that were identified in the Himalayan ranges of Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim, have been categorized according to their surface area expansion rates in space and time. The lakes have been identified as located within the elevation range of 3800 m and6800 m above mean sea level(a msl). With a total surface area of 37.9 km2, these MDGLs as a whole were observed to have expanded by an astonishing 43.6% in area over the 25 year period of this study. A factor is introduced to numerically sort the lakes in terms of their relative yearly expansion rates, based on their interpretation of their surface area extents from satellite imageries. Verification of predicted GLOF events in the past using this factor with the limited field data as reported in literature indicates that the present analysis may be considered a sufficiently reliable and rapid technique for assessing the potential bursting susceptibility of the MDGLs. The analysis also indicates that, as of now, there are eight MDGLs in the region which appear to be in highly vulnerable states and have high chances in causing potential GLOF events anytime in the recent future.     

中国冰川温度研究40年回顾与建议

Many temperature measurements have been made on 29 glaciers in China since 1959. The regional thermal features of glaciers are now revealed. It is distinguished that there are three categories of temperature distribution in China, i.e., cold, temperate and polythermal. Temperate glaciers are located in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The heat conduction in the surface layer and the heat transfer within a glacier can be quantitatively described. Two-dimensional temperature distributions are gained for the Glacier No.1 at the headwaters of the Urumqi River in the Tianshan Mountains and for the Chongce Ice Cap in the West Kunlun Mountains. Geothermal flux is derived from measurements down to or closed to the bottom. The Tibetan Plateau is an area with high geothermal flux. The author suggests to measure more ice temperature by using the boreholes for extracting ice core, however, there is no need to repeatedly measure the temperature within the near-surface layer.     

无人机在冰川变化监测中的应用——以唐古拉山小冬克玛底冰川为例

近年来,无人机技术发展迅速。无人机的灵活、便携、超高分辨率等特性使其在冰川变化监测上具有很好的发展前景。论文以青藏高原腹地的唐古拉山小冬克玛底冰川为例,首次在海拔5400 m以上的地区开展了无人机航测,通过非冰川区的基岩对2019年7月20日、2019年9月27日和2020年7月16日3期航测产品进行相对校正,分析了小冬克玛底冰川在物质平衡年和消融期内的变化情况,并进一步讨论了无人机在冰川区观测时所遇到的问题及其优势,以期为后续研究提供参考。结果表明:利用无人机技术能够实现冰川在消融期内的末端、面积以及高程变化监测,并对冰川的细部特征进行分析,适合于小区域单条冰川的变化监测。     

祁连山老虎沟冰川积累区风速、风向变化特征研究

基于2008年11月-2009年10月祁连山老虎沟12号冰川积累区的风速、风向观测资料, 分析了年内季节和日变化特征. 结果表明: 全年日平均风速波动较大, 介于1～8.8 m·s^-1. 日均值以冬季最大, 春, 秋季次之, 夏季最小, 分别为5.1 m·s^-1, 3.4 m·s^-1, 3.7 m·s^-1, 2.6 m·s^-1, 表现出典型的"高山型"风速特征. 秋, 冬季节, 无论昼夜, 以偏南风为主, 风速始终保持在较为稳定的高值状态, 属于典型的冰川风; 春, 夏季节, 冰川风场依旧强劲, 而且伴有山谷风出现. 受山系-河谷地形及雪冰下垫面的共同作用, 春, 夏, 秋三季表现出一定的偏东风, 柴达木低压可能对此也有贡献.