Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020
Glaciers play a crucial role in the Asian Water Tower, underscoring the necessity of accurately assessing their mass balance and ice volume to evaluate their significance as sustainable freshwater resources. In this study, we analyzed ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements from a 2020 survey of...
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002214302400100X/type/journal_article |
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| author | An’an Chen Ninglian Wang Zhen Li Yuwei Wu Xi Jiang Zhongming Guo Xuejiao Wu Xuewen Yang |
| author_facet | An’an Chen Ninglian Wang Zhen Li Yuwei Wu Xi Jiang Zhongming Guo Xuejiao Wu Xuewen Yang |
| author_sort | An’an Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glaciers play a crucial role in the Asian Water Tower, underscoring the necessity of accurately assessing their mass balance and ice volume to evaluate their significance as sustainable freshwater resources. In this study, we analyzed ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements from a 2020 survey of the Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier (XDG) to determine ice thickness, and we extended the glacier’s volume-change record to 2020 by employing multi-source remote-sensing data. Our findings show that the GPR-derived mean ice thickness of XDG in 2020 was 54.78 ± 3.69 m, corresponding to an ice volume of 0.0811 ± 0.0056 km3. From 1969 to 2020, the geodetic mass balance was −0.19 ± 0.02 m w.e. a−1, and the glacier experienced area and ice volume losses of 16.38 ± 4.66% and 31.01 ± 4.59%, respectively. The long-term mass-balance reconstruction reveals weak fluctuations occurred from 1967 to 1993 and that overall mass losses have occurred since 1994. This ongoing shrinkage and ice loss are mainly associated with the temperature increases in the warm season since the 1960s. If the climate trend across the central Tibetan Plateau follows to the SSP585 scenario, then XDG is at risk of disappearing by the end of the century. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f78ff7f39daa43b8840d875d93282d84 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
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| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj-art-f78ff7f39daa43b8840d875d93282d842025-01-22T02:02:03ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522025-01-017110.1017/jog.2024.100Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020An’an Chen0Ninglian Wang1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3612-1141Zhen Li2Yuwei Wu3Xi Jiang4Zhongming Guo5Xuejiao Wu6Xuewen Yang7Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an, China Qiyi Glacier Station, Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an, China Qiyi Glacier Station, Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, China Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, ChinaKey Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institue of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an, China Qiyi Glacier Station, Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, ChinaJoint Center for Data Assimilation Research and Applications, Nanjing University of Information Sciences and Technology(NUIST), Nanjing, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an, China Qiyi Glacier Station, Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an, China Qiyi Glacier Station, Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, ChinaShaanxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface System and Environmental Carrying Capacity, Xi’an, China Qiyi Glacier Station, Institute of Earth Surface System and Hazards, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, ChinaGlaciers play a crucial role in the Asian Water Tower, underscoring the necessity of accurately assessing their mass balance and ice volume to evaluate their significance as sustainable freshwater resources. In this study, we analyzed ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements from a 2020 survey of the Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier (XDG) to determine ice thickness, and we extended the glacier’s volume-change record to 2020 by employing multi-source remote-sensing data. Our findings show that the GPR-derived mean ice thickness of XDG in 2020 was 54.78 ± 3.69 m, corresponding to an ice volume of 0.0811 ± 0.0056 km3. From 1969 to 2020, the geodetic mass balance was −0.19 ± 0.02 m w.e. a−1, and the glacier experienced area and ice volume losses of 16.38 ± 4.66% and 31.01 ± 4.59%, respectively. The long-term mass-balance reconstruction reveals weak fluctuations occurred from 1967 to 1993 and that overall mass losses have occurred since 1994. This ongoing shrinkage and ice loss are mainly associated with the temperature increases in the warm season since the 1960s. If the climate trend across the central Tibetan Plateau follows to the SSP585 scenario, then XDG is at risk of disappearing by the end of the century.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002214302400100X/type/journal_articlemass balanceground penetrating radarremote sensingXiaodongkemadi glacier |
| spellingShingle | An’an Chen Ninglian Wang Zhen Li Yuwei Wu Xi Jiang Zhongming Guo Xuejiao Wu Xuewen Yang Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020 Journal of Glaciology mass balance ground penetrating radar remote sensing Xiaodongkemadi glacier |
| title | Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020 |
| title_full | Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020 |
| title_fullStr | Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020 |
| title_short | Temporal variations in the ice volume of Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, central Tibetan Plateau, from 1969 to 2020 |
| title_sort | temporal variations in the ice volume of xiao dongkemadi glacier central tibetan plateau from 1969 to 2020 |
| topic | mass balance ground penetrating radar remote sensing Xiaodongkemadi glacier |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S002214302400100X/type/journal_article |
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