Glacier changes in the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve of China during 2000-2018

doi:10.1007/s11442-022-1946-0

Abstract

Abstract:

The glaciers in the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve of China (SNRC) are a significant water resource for the Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong rivers. Based on Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)/ Operational Land Imager (OLI) images acquired in 2000, 2010, and 2018, the outlines of glaciers in the SNRC were obtained by combining band ratio method with manual interpretation. There were 1714 glaciers in the SNRC in 2018, with an area of 2331.15±54.84 km², an ice volume of 188.90±6.41 km³, and an average length of 1475.4±15 m. During 2000-2018, the corresponding values of glaciers decreased by 69, 271.95±132.06 km², 18.59±8.83 km³, and 84.75±34 m, respectively. Glaciers in the Yangtze River source area witnessed the largest area loss (-154.45 km²), whereas glaciers in the Mekong River source area experienced the fastest area loss (-2.02%·a^-1) and the maximum reduction of the average length (-125.82 m). Overall, the retreat of glaciers in the SNRC exhibited an accelerating trend. Especially, the loss rate of glacier area in the Yellow River source area in 2010-2018 was more than twice that in 2000-2010. The glacier change is primarily attributed to the significant rise in temperature during the ablation period. Some other factors including the size, orientation and terminus elevation of glaciers also contributed to the heterogeneity of glacier change.

Key words: glacier, climate change, nature reserve, Yangtze River, Yellow River, Mekong River

ZHANG Yuan, YAO Xiaojun, ZHOU Sugang, ZHANG Dahong. Glacier changes in the Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve of China during 2000-2018[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2022, 32(2): 259-279.

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Order	Value		Equation	Source
Order	c	γ	Equation	Source
1	0.0365	1.375	V=0.0365A^γ	Radić and Hock
2	0.0433	1.29	V=0.0433A^γ	Grinsted
3	0.04	1.35	V=0.04A^γ	Liu et al.

Name and code of basin	Name and code of sub-basin	Glacier number		Glacier area				Glacier average length
Name and code of basin	Name and code of sub-basin		(%)	(km²)	(%)	(km³)	(%)	(m)
The Yellow River Basin (5J)	Upper reach of the Yellow River (5K3)	94	5.48	96.9±3.08	4.16±5.62	7.21±0.33	3.79±5.15	1382.13±15
The Yangtze River Basin (5K)	Jinsha River (5K4)	875	51.05	1026.63±24.63	44.03±44.91	76.22±1.98	40.37±30.89	1374.99±15
	Minjiang River (5K6)	4	0.23	0.77±0.06	0.03±0.11	0.02±0.002	0.01±0.03	672±15
		879	51.28	1027.4±24.69	44.06±45.42	76.24±1.98	40.38±30.89	1371.8±15
The Mekong River Basin (5L)	Angqu River (5L3)	66	3.85	20.43±1.04	0.88±1.86	0.89±0.05	0.47±0.78	756.36±15
	Zhaqu River (5L4)	198	11.55	73.24±3.58	3.14±6.51	3.32±0.15	1.76±2.34	841.92±15
		264	15.40	93.67±4.62	4.02±8.37	4.21±0.20	2.23±3.12	820.53±15
The East Asia endorheic region (5Y)	Qaidam endorheic region (5Y5)	225	13.13	404.26±7.38	17.34±13.46	38.11±0.30	20.18±4.68	1843.2±15
The Tibetan Plateau endorheic region (5Z)	Ayako Kumku Lake and Hoh Xil Lake (5Z1)	115	6.71	255.01±4.24	10.94±7.73	20.75±0.51	10.99±7.96	1994.43±15
	Siling Co (5Z2)	137	7.99	454.34±5.43	19.49±9.9	42.35±0.69	22.43±10.76	2426.42±15
		252	14.70	709.35±9.67	30.42±17.63	63.1±1.20	33.42±18.72	2229.29±15