Recent marginal changes of the Mittivakkat Glacier,Southeast Greenland and the discovery of remains of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and peaty material

Geografisk Tidsskrift, Danish Journal of Geography 108(1):137–142, 2008

During field observations in August 2005 antler remains of a reindeer were found at a recently deglaciated site at about 500 m asl., and bones from a polar bear were found at about 300 m asl. along the margin of Mittivakkat Glacier, Southeast Greenland. Radio carbon dating determined the age of the samples to 720 ¹⁴C years and 350 ¹⁴C years, respectively. In August 2006 old surface vegetation covering peaty material became exposed due to ice recession close to the site where the antler was found. The radio carbon age of small roots from the material was determined to 1530 ¹⁴C years, and is in agreement with dating of woody remains of Salix glauca found close by, at the top of a nearby nunatak in 1999. The antler indicates that reindeer lived in the area when the glacier began to advance from a position where it was close to or smaller than today. The vegetation surface and peaty material indicate that the climate was warmer before the onset of the Little Ice Age in Southeast Greenland than today.     

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.     

喜马拉雅山中东段蒙达扛日冰川水文与物质平衡观测研究

2007年7—9月,在喜马拉雅山中东段蒙达扛日冰川进行了水文和物质平衡的同步观测.结果表明：观测期间,蒙达扛日冰川表现为物质负平衡,冰川消融集中在7月和8月中上旬.观测的70 d内,花杆区冰川物质平衡量为-435～-711 mm,日平均值为-6.2～-10.2 mm.d-1,冰川的总物质平衡量为-355 mm.蒙达扛日...     

东昆仑山玉珠峰冰川雪坑中痕量元素的组成特征

为了认识玉珠峰冰川区域大气中痕量元素的组成和来源,利用高分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱仪对2009年10月采自玉珠峰冰川海拔5800m的一个75cm雪坑中15种可溶性痕量元素（A1、Fe、Ba、Cd、Co、Cr、Cu、Li、Ni、Zn、Pb、Sb、Sr、U和V）的浓度进行了测试．结果表明：痕量元素的浓度变化很大,从最小值1．...     

天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川径流对气候变化的响应分析

利用天山乌鲁木齐河源1号冰川1959-2006年的气象、冰川物质平衡和1980-2006年的水文资料,分析了其冰川径流的变化.结果表明:由于1996年以来的显著升温,导致了1号冰川水文点径流主要受夏季气温变化的控制,冰川物质损失对径流的补给作用已超过了降水的作用.1996-2006年与1980-1995年相比,夏季气温...     

Deposition Process of Dust Microparticles from Aerosol to Snow-Firn Pack on Glacier No. 1 in Eastern Tianshan Mountains, China

Samples were continuously collected from aerosol, fresh snow, and snow pits on Glacier No. 1 at Urumqi River source in eastern Tianshan (天山) Mountains. The deposition processes and the characteristics of mineral dust microparticles from aerosol to fresh snow, and then evolution to the snow pit were determined. Total dust microparticle concentration in the surface snow and aerosol showed a similar temporal variation trend, which was strongly associated with regional and local at-mospheric circulation in the ...     

In Situ Determination of First‐Row Transition Metal,Ga and Ge Abundances in Geological Materials via Medium‐Resolution LA‐ICP‐MS

An in situ, medium‐resolution LA‐ICP‐MS method was developed to measure the abundances of the first‐row transition metals, Ga and Ge in a suite of geological materials, namely the MPI‐DING reference glasses. The analytical protocol established here hinged on maximising the ablation rate of the ultraviolet (UV) laser system and the sensitivity of the ICP‐MS, as well minimising the production of diatomic oxides and argides, which serve as the dominant sources of isobaric interferences. Non‐spectral matrix effects were accounted for by using multiple external calibrators, including NIST SRM 610 and the USGS basaltic glasses BHVO‐2G, BIR‐1G and BCR‐2G, and utilising ⁴³Ca as an internal standard. Analyses of the MPI‐DING reference glasses, which represent geological matrices ranging from basaltic to rhyolitic in composition, included measurements of concentrations as low as < 10⁰ μg g^?1 and as high as > 10⁴ μg g^?1. The new data reported here were found to statistically correlate with the ‘preferred’ reference values for these materials at the 95% confidence level, though with significantly better precision, typically on the order of ≤ 3% (2s_m). This analytical method may be extended to any matrix‐matched geological sample, particularly oceanic basalts, silicate minerals and meteoritic materials.     

A Comparative Study of Five Reference Materials and the Lombard Meteorite for the Determination of the Platinum‐Group Elements and Gold by LA‐ICP‐MS

A range of independently characterised reference materials (RMs) for LA‐ICP‐MS, used for the determination of the platinum‐group elements (PGE) and Au in a sulfide matrix, were analysed and compared: 8b, PGE‐A, NiS‐3, Po727‐T1, Po724‐T and the Lombard meteorite. The newly developed RM NiS‐3 was used as the RM for the calibration of all LA‐ICP‐MS analyses and the measured concentrations of the other RMs compared against their published concentrations. This data were also used to assess the consistency of concentrations calibrated against the different RMs. It was found that Po727‐T1 and 8b produced results that were comparable, within uncertainty, for all elements. Po727‐T1 also produced consistent results with NiS‐3 for all elements. All other RMs showed differences for some elements, especially Ru in Po724‐T, and Os, Ir and Au in PGE‐A. The homogeneity of the PGE and Au in each RM was assessed, by comparing the precision of multiple LA‐ICP‐MS spot analyses with the average uncertainty of the signal. Po724‐T, Po727‐T1 and the Lombard meteorite were found to be homogeneous for all elements, but 8b, PGE‐A and NiS‐3 were heterogeneous for some elements. This is the first direct comparison between a range of independently characterised PGE and Au LA‐ICP‐MS RMs.     

The processes and characteristics of mass balance on the Urumqi Glacier No. 1 during 1958–2009

As a solid reservoir, a glacier can regulate regional water resources. The annual net mass balance directly reflects the fluctuation of the glacier and climate variability. Based on 51 years of mass balance observation data, the mass balance of Tianshan Mountains Urumqi Glacier No. 1 experienced a nine times positive balance fluctuation and nine times negative balance fluctuation. There were 35 and 16 negative and positive balance years, respectively. From 1996/97 to 2008/09, 12 consecutive negative balance years were observed at Tianshan Mountains Urumqi Glacier No. 1. These results demonstrate that the Urumqi Glacier No. 1 is experiencing a strong negative balance, and the strongest negative balance, -931 mm w.e. (mm water equivalent), during the observation period occurred in 2008. In addition, the cumulative mass balance reached 13,709 mm w.e. in 2008. However, in 2009, the mass balance was positive at 63 mm w.e. The equilibrium-line altitude changes with the fluctuation in the mass balance, and the effective mass balance gradient is 7.4 mm/m. In this paper, the headwaters of the Urumqi River were analyzed using meteorological data from 1958 to 2009, including the average seasonal temperature and precipitation. The results showed that the main factor associated with the mass balance variation of Glacier No. 1 is the fluctuation in the summer air temperature, followed by changes in the precipitation.     

天山奎屯河哈希勒根51号冰川变化监测结果分析

哈希勒根51号冰川位于新疆奎屯市以南的天山依连哈比尔尕山北坡,即奎屯河上游支流哈希勒根河源区。1999年8月,在该冰川上布设了用于冰川变化观测研究的测杆18根;同时,在冰川外围测定了2个基本控制点和3个冰川末端变化观测控制点,运用GPS和全站仪等观测技术及测杆实测等方法,对该冰川进行了末端和运动速度变化的首次观测。嗣后,每年的8月底～9月初进行了重复观测;并在2000年和2006年对该冰川进行了测量制图。通过实测资料分析并对比20世纪60年代冰川状况,结果表明:42年来冰川末端累计退缩了84.51 m,其中,1964-1999年间退缩了49.00 m,年平均退缩量为1.40 m/a;1999-2006年间退缩了35.51 m,年平均退缩量5.07m/a。冰川面积减少了0.123 km~2或8.3%,其中,1964-2000年间减少了0.083 km~2;2000-2006年间减少了0.040 km~2。明显地反映出冰川末端退缩加剧和冰川面积减少增大的趋势。冰川年平均运动速度在1.53～3.05 m/a之间,并有逐年减小的趋势。