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Comparative research on Chinese continental glacier and temperate glacier changes:Taking Urumqi glacier No.1 and Baishui glacier No.1 as example

Li Kai-ming1,  Chen Shi-feng1, Kang Lin-fen1, Li Zhong-qin1,2, Li Sheng-de1, Wen Qiang1   

  1. (1. School of Geography and Urban-rural Planning, Lanzhou City University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China;2. Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, CAS, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China)
  • Received:2017-02-27 Revised:2017-06-08 Online:2018-01-15 Published:2018-02-06

Abstract: There are great scientific significances and realistic values by comparative researching on continental glacier and temperate glacier change. As an indicator of climate change, studying different types of glaciers’ change has attracted researcher’s attention for a long time past. In this paper, taking Urumqi river glacier No.1 and Yulong mountain Baishui river glacier No.1 as example, continental glacier and temperate glacier changes are comparative studied under global warming since 1950s. The results show that mass loss, equilibrium-line altitude ascending, activity layer temperature rising, glacier depth thinning, flow velocity slowing, terminus retreating, area and volume reducing are the major trends of two type glacier change. The change rates of continental glacier increased or greater than temperate glacier, and the change gaps of two type glacier have been gradually reduced or stabilized. Further analysis shows that the main reason of the ablation and retreat of two type glacier is the rise of temperature, an important factor is the reducing of the ice-surface albedo, and the differences between two type glaciers is because of the climatic environment, the sensitivity of response to climate change, and the mechanism of accelerated ablation, and others.

Key words:  Glacier change, continental-glacier, temperate-glacier, mass balance, glacier depth, Urumqi river glacier No.1, Yulong mountain Baishui river glacier No.1