Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Glacier runoff variation and its influence on river runoff during 1961–2006 in the Tarim River Basin, China

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Science China Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using monthly precipitation and temperature data from national meteorological stations, 90 m resolution DEM and a digital vector map of modern glaciers from the Chinese Glacier Inventory, the glacier mass balance and glacier runoff in the Tarim River Basin (TRB), China, were estimated based on a monthly degree-day model for 1961–2006. The results suggest that the modified monthly degree-day model can simulate the long-term changes in glacier mass balance and glacier runoff, which have been confirmed by short-term observation data and other results in literatures. The characteristics and trends of mass balance and glacier runoff variation were analyzed. It was found that the mean annual glacier mass balance during 1961–2006 was −139.2 mm per year and the cumulative mass balance over the 46 year period was −6.4 m in the TRB. The glacier mass balance displayed a clear decreasing trend over the entire TRB during 1961–2006. The average annual glacier runoff in the TRB was 144.16×108 m3 for 1961–2006. The results also show that glacier runoff has increased in the last 46 years, especially since the 1990s with 85.7% of the increased river flow being derived from the increased glacier runoff caused by loss of ice mass. Over the entire TRB, glacier runoff accounts for 41.5% of the total river flow during 1961–2006. The impact of glacier runoff on river flow has increased in the TRB as a result of glacier shrinkage.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Jansson P, Hock R, Schneider T. The concept of glacier storage: A review. J Hydrol, 2003, 282: 116–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Braithwaite R J, Zhang Y. Sensitivity of mass balance of five Swiss glaciers to temperature changes assessed by tuning a degree-day model. J Glaciol, 2000, 46: 7–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Laumann T, Reeh N. Sensitivity to climate change of the mass balance of glaciers in southern Norway. J Glaciol, 1993, 39: 635–665

    Google Scholar 

  4. Liu S Y, Ding Y J, Wang N L et al. Mass balance sensitivity to climate change of the Glacier No. 1 at the Urumqi River Head, Tianshan Mts. (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 1998, 20: 9–13

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ding Y J, Ye B S, Liu S Y. Impact of climate change on the alpine streamflow during the 40 a in the middle of the Qilian Mountains, Northwestern China (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2000, 22: 193–199

    Google Scholar 

  6. IPCC. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 356–360

    Google Scholar 

  7. Shi Y F, Shen Y P, Hu R J. Preliminary study on signal, impact and foreground of climatic shift from warm-dry to warm-humid in Northwest China (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2002, 24: 219–226

    Google Scholar 

  8. Yang Z N. Glacier Water Resources in China (in Chinese). Lanzhou: Gansu Science and Technology Press, 1991. 1–158

    Google Scholar 

  9. Shen Y P, Xie Z C, Ding L F, et al. Estimation of average mass balance for glaciers in a watershed and its application (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 1997, 19: 302–307

    Google Scholar 

  10. Shen Y P, Liu S Y, Ding Y J, et al. Glacier mass balance change in Tailan River watersheds on the south slope of the Tianshan Mountains and its impact on water resources (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2003, 25: 124–129

    Google Scholar 

  11. Liu S Y, Ding Y J, Zhang Y, et al. Impact of the glacial change on water resources in the Tarim River Basin (in Chinese). Acta Geol Sin, 2006, 61: 482–489

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hock R. Temperature index melt modeling in mountain areas. J Hydrol, 2003, 282: 104–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Singh P, Kumar N, Arora M. Degree-day factors for snow and ice for Dokriani Glacier, Garhwal Himalayas. J Hydrol, 2000, 235: 1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Chen Y N, Xu C C, Hao X M, et al. Fifty-year climate change and its effect on annual runoff in the Tarim River Basin, China. Quat Int, 2009, 208: 53–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Chen Y N, Cui W C, Li W H, et al. Utilization of water resources and ecological protection in the Tarim River (in Chinese). Acta Geol Sin, 2003, 58: 215–222

    Google Scholar 

  16. Shi Y F. Brief of Glacier Inventory of China (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai Popular Science Press, 2005. 61–64

    Google Scholar 

  17. Braithwaite R J. Positive degree-day factor for ablation on the Greenland ice sheet studied by energy-balance modeling. J Glaciol, 1995, 41: 153–160

    Google Scholar 

  18. Zhang Y, Liu S Y, Ding Y J. Observed degree-day factors and their spatial variation on glaciers in western China. Anal Glaciol, 2006, 61: 89–98

    Google Scholar 

  19. Braithwaite R J, Olesen O B. Seasonal variation of ice ablation at the margin of the Greenland ice sheet and its sensitivity to climate change, Qamanarssup sermia, West Greenland. J Glaciol, 1993, 39: 967–974

    Google Scholar 

  20. Liu S Y, Ding Y J, Ye B S, et a1. Study on the mass balance of the Glacier No.1 at the headwaters of the Urumqi River using degree-day method. Proceedings of the Fifth Chinese Conference on Glaciology and Geocryology (Volume.1). Lanzhou: Gansu Culture Press, 1996. 197–204

    Google Scholar 

  21. Li X, Cheng G D, Lu L. Comparison study of spatial interpolation methods of air temperature over Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (in Chinese). Plateau Meteorol, 2003, 22: 565–573

    Google Scholar 

  22. Yang Q, Shi Y G, Li Y. Analysis of areal precipitation and runoff in Kaidu River Catchment (in Chinese). Desert Oasis Meteorol, 2007, 1: 11–15

    Google Scholar 

  23. Xie W R, Ding L F, Liu C H et a1. Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Glacier Inventory of China III: Tianshan Mountains (Interior Drainage Area of Tarim Basin in southwest) (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1987. 7–29

    Google Scholar 

  24. Yang H A, An R Z. Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Glacier Inventory of China V: Karakorum Mountains (Drainage Basin of the Yarkant River) (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1987. 1–21

    Google Scholar 

  25. Zhang X S, Zhou Y C. Study on the Glacier Lake Outburst Floods of the Yarkant River, Karakorum Mountains (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1990. 1–24

    Google Scholar 

  26. Mansur S, Yusupjan R, Ablajan S. Analysis of water resources and its hydrological characteristics of Weigan River Basin (in Chinese). J Mount Sci, 2003, 21: 195–200

    Google Scholar 

  27. Jiang Y, Zhou C H, Cheng W M. Analysis on runoff supply and variation characteristics of Aksu Drainage Basin (in Chinese). J Nat Resour, 2005, 20: 27–33

    Google Scholar 

  28. Jiang Y, Zhou C H, Cheng W M. Research on the spatial variability of rainfall in Akesu River Basin (in Chinese). Geo-Inf Sci, 2006, 8: 131–138

    Google Scholar 

  29. Luo Z Q. The hydrological characteristic of Xingjiang Gez River. Hunan Water Resources (in Chinese), 1994, 6: 17–19

    Google Scholar 

  30. Yang H A, An R Z. Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Glacier Inventory of China VI: Kunlum Mountains (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1987. 1–21

    Google Scholar 

  31. Zhang Y, Liu S Y, Tonguing D H. Study of the positive degree-day factors on the Koxkar Baqi Glacier on the south slope of Tianshan Mountain (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2005, 27: 337–343

    Google Scholar 

  32. Kang E S, Cheng G D, Lan Y C, et al. A model for simulating the response of runoff from the mountainous watersheds of inland river basins in the arid area of northwest China to climatic change. Sci China Ser D-Earth Sci, 1999, 29(Suppl 1): 52–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Yang D Q, Jiang T, Zhang Y S, et al. Analysis and correction of errors in precipitation measurement at the head of Urumqi River, Tianshan (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 1988, 10: 384–400

    Google Scholar 

  34. Shen Y P, Wang S D. New progress in glacier and water resources changes in Tarim Basin, Xinjiang (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2002, 24: 819

    Google Scholar 

  35. Shangguan D H, Liu S Y, Ding Y J, et al. Glacier changes during the last forty years in the Tarim Interior River basin, northwest China. Prog Nat Sci, 2009, 19: 727–732

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Kang E S, Cheng G D, Dong Z C. Glacier-Snow water resources and mountain runoff in the arid area of Northwest China (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 2002. 14–54

    Google Scholar 

  37. Kang E S, Yang Z N, Lai Z M, et al. Runoff of snow and ice meltwater and mountainous rivers (in Chinese). In: Glaciers and Their Environments in China-The Present, Past and Future. Beijing: Science Press, 2000. 190–233

    Google Scholar 

  38. Xie Z C, Wang X, Kang E S, et al. Glacial runoff in China: An Evaluation and prediction for the future 50 Years (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2006, l28: 457–466

    Google Scholar 

  39. Wang X, Xie Z C, Ma Q H. The calculated ELA and its distribution characteristics of the glacier System in the Tarim River Basin (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2003, 25: 380–397

    Google Scholar 

  40. Shi Y F, Liu S Y, Shangguan D H, et al. Two peculiar phenomena of climatic and glacial variations in the Tibetan Plateau. Adv Clim Change Res, 2006, 2: 154–160

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ye B S, Yang D Q, Jiao K Q, et al. The Urumqi River source Glacier No.1, Tianshan, China: Changes over the past 45 years. Geophys Res Lett, 2005, 32: 1–4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Xie Z C, Su Z, Shen Y P, et al. Mass balance and water exchange of Hailuogou Glacier in Mount Gongga and their influence on glacial melt runoff (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2001, 23(1): 7–15

    Google Scholar 

  43. Pu J C, Yao T D, Zhang Y S. Study on the relationship mass balance and climatic factors on the XiaoDongkemadi Glacier. J Glaciol Geocryol, 1996, 18(Suppl 1): 59–62

    Google Scholar 

  44. Pu J C, Yao T D, Duan K Q, et al. Mass Balance of the Qiyi Glacier in the Qilia Mountains: A New Observation. J Glaciol Geocryol, 2005, 27: 199–204

    Google Scholar 

  45. Surface Water Resources of the Inland River Basins (in Chinese). Lanzhou: Lanzhou Investigation and Design institute of the Ministry of the Water Resources and Electric Power, 1986

  46. Xu H L, Ye M, Song Y D, et a1. The dynamic variation of water resources and its tendency in Tarim River basin (in Chinese). Acta Geol Sin, 2005, 60: 487–494

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences CAREERI, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Xin Gao, BaiSheng Ye & ChengJun Qiao

  2. Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Xin Gao, BaiSheng Ye, ShiQiang Zhang & ChengJun Qiao

  3. The Resource Environment and Urban and Rural Planning Department, Lanzhou Commercial College, Lanzhou, 730020, China

    XiaoWen Zhang

Authors
  1. Xin Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. BaiSheng Ye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. ShiQiang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. ChengJun Qiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. XiaoWen Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xin Gao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gao, X., Ye, B., Zhang, S. et al. Glacier runoff variation and its influence on river runoff during 1961–2006 in the Tarim River Basin, China. Sci. China Earth Sci. 53, 880–891 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-010-0073-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-010-0073-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation