OSL dating of glacial deposits during the Last Glacial in the Terskey-Alatoo Range, Kyrgyz Republic

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was applied to glacial and loess deposits in the north flank of the Terskey-Alatoo Range, Kyrgyz Republic, to elucidate the glacier chronology of the central Asian mountains during the Last Glacial. Moraines in five parts of study area were classified into four stages (Terskey Stages I–IV) based on their geographical position and elevation, and their moraine rock weathering. According to this classification, the oldest moraines (Terskey Stage I) were at 2100–2250 m a.s.l. and the second-oldest moraines (Terskey Stage II) were at 2400–2700 m a.s.l. Quartz samples from moraines of these two stages were used for OSL dating. The OSL ages of the quartz samples indicate that glacier expansion in the Terskey Stage II occurred between 21 and 29 ka BP.     

小冬克玛底和海螺沟冰川的物质平衡(英)

Studying the mass balance on the Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier and Hailuogou Glacier shows that the mass balance variation of continent type glacier in the interior of the plateau is in the same phase with that of the marine type glacier in the southeast margin of the plateau. However, the mass balance in the continent type glacier is always positive, and the marine type glacier is in large negative mass balance. The continent type glacier is slow to climate change and the marine glacier is sensitive to climate change.     

东南极Lambert冰川流域表面雪层中稳定同位素分布及近几十年来的气候变化(英)

The Lambert Glacier basin is one of particular regions in East Antarctica, because of its distinctive topography. During the repeat inland traverses carried out in recent several years, surface 2 m snow samples and shallow (10～27 m deep) cores were collected at several ten stations and at near ten stations, respectively. The stable isotopic ratios of these samples and cores were measured in order to investigate the relation of isotopes with temperature and to study the climatic change in recent decades over this area. The correlation between isotopic ratios and mean annual temperature gives that δ-temperature gradient is relatively close to that along a traverse route between Vostok and Mirnyy stations. The inconsistency of δ18O profiles of these cores makes it difficult to distinguish an overall trend of climatic change in past decades. After incorporating the result of snow accumulation variability and temperature record over 30 years at the coast station, it is believed that climate was in a little cooling and drying from 1950s to 1980s and has been in a warming period since then.     

天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川物质平衡对气候变化的敏感性研究

应用度日物质平衡模式对天山乌鲁木齐河源１号冰川物质平衡及平衡线高度对气候变化的敏感性进行了研究．结果表明,位于大陆性气候区且具有暖季补给特征的乌鲁木齐河源１号冰川物质平衡对气候变化的敏感性要小于海洋性冰川,升温１℃或增加２０％的降水可引起平衡线上升８１ｍ或下降３１ｍ．此外,气温与降水在物质平衡形成过程中的作用是不同的,气温引起物质平衡剖面以旋转方式变化,而降水可导致其平移方式的响应．若未来升温２℃时,即使降水增加３０％,１号冰川向负平衡变化仍然不能得到遏制．     

高分一号山地冰川运动速度提取与分析

近年来国产遥感卫星数据增多,但在山地冰川运动速度监测研究中,国产卫星遥感数据的使用却很少。基于此现状,本研究利用"高分一号"卫星数据(GF-1)对藏东南雅弄冰川运动速度进行了提取。通过与同分辨率、同时段的Landsat 8数据进行对比,以及利用非冰川稳定区域的残余位移和冰川主冰流线剖面运动速度两方面,评估了GF-1数据提取的冰川运动速度的精度。结果表明:GF-1数据在非冰川稳定区域的平均偏移量为7.48 m·a~(-1),虽较Landsat 8数据的高(平均偏移量4.58 m·a~(-1)),但小于冰川平均运动速度的5%;GF-1数据与Landsat 8数据在2015年—2016年时段内的冰川主冰流线运动速度变化趋势一致,两者的偏差均方根为7.41 m,小于冰川平均运动速度的5%。研究结果证明了国产高分一号卫星遥感数据在青藏高原山地冰川运动速度监测应用中的可行性。     

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.     

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.     

Estimation of snow ablation under a dust layer covering a wide range of albedo

Ablation processes of snow under a thin dust cover are complicated compared with those under a thick cover, mainly owing to the effects of aggregation (redistribution) of dust particles on the conditions of surface melting. Aggregation of dust particles causes the snow surface to brighten after the initial dust configuration, thus affecting the relationship between initial dust concentration and surface albedo. In order to estimate snow ablation rate under a thin dust cover, we used a composite energy balance model in which the surface albedo is taken as a measured input variable. The estimated results of snow ablation agreed reasonably well with the observation, considering the measurement errors inherited in the snow depressions. Comparison of the two cases, that is, one considering the aggregation of dust particles (observation: albedo variable) and the other without aggregation (assumption: albedo constant), showed that the ablation rates were noticeably lower on the former case. This suggests that the aggregation of dust particles induces a reduction of snow ablation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sources of Inaccuracy in Boron Isotope Measurement Using LA-MC-ICP-MS

Laser ablation multi-collector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) has become a valuable tool for the in situ measurement of the boron isotope composition of geological samples at high (tens to hundreds of μm) spatial resolution. That said, this application suffers from significant analytical challenges. We focus in this study on the underlying processes of two of the main causes for inaccuracies using this technique. We provide empirical evidence that not only Ca ions (Sadekov et al. 2019, Standish et al. 2019, Evans et al. 2021) but also Ar ions, that are reflected within the flight tube of the mass spectrometer, are the source for previously reported issues with spectral baselines. We also address the impact of plasma conditions on the instrumental mass fractionation as a source for matrix- and mass-load-related analytical biases. Comparing experimental data with the results of a dedicated release and diffusion model (RDM) we estimate that a close to complete (~ 97%) release of boron from the sample aerosol is needed to allow for consistently accurate LA boron isotope measurement results without the need for corrections.     

Paleo-glacial reconstruction of the Thajwas glacier in the Kashmir Himalaya using 10Be cosmogenic radionuclide dating

Quantitative glacial chronologies of past glaciations are sparse in the Himalaya, and mostly absent in the Kashmir Himalaya. We used cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure dating, and geomorphological mapping to reconstruct glacial advances of the Thajwas Glacier (TG) in the Great Himalayan Range of the Kashmir Himalaya. From ¹⁰Be exposure dating of ten moraine boulders, four glacial stages with ages ～20.77 ± 2.28 ka, ～11.46 ± 1.69 ka, ～9.12 ± 1.39 ka and ～4.19 ± 0.78 ka, were identified. The reconstructed cosmogenic radionuclide ages confirmed the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM), Younger Dryas, Early Holocene, and Neoglaciation episodes. As per area and volume change analyses, the TG has lost 51.1 km² of its area and a volume of 2.64 km³ during the last 20.77 ± 2.28 ka. Overall, the results suggested that the TG has lost 64% of area and 73% of volume from the Last glacial maximum to Neoglaciation and about 85.74% and 87.67% of area and volume, respectively, from Neoglaciation to the present day. The equilibrium line altitude of the TG fluctuated from 4238 m a.s.l present to 3365 m a.s.l during the gLGM (20.77 ± 2.28 ka). The significant cooling induced by a drop in mean ambient temperature resulted in a positive mass balance of the TG during the gLGM. Subsequently the melting accelerated due to the continuing rise of the global ambient temperature. Paleo-glacial history reconstruction of the Kashmir Himalaya, with its specific geomorphic and climatic setting, would help close the information gap about the chronology of past regional glacial episodes.