Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Variations in equilibrium line altitude of the Qiyi Glacier, Qilian Mountains, over the past 50 years

  • Article
  • Geography
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Based on observations of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of the Qiyi Glacier in the Qilian Mountain, we established a statistical model between ELA and its major influencing factors, warm season air temperature (air temperature averages for September, July and August) and cold season precipitation (total precipitation in the period January through March). Warm season air temperature was the leading climatic factor influencing ELA variations. The glacier ELA ascends (descends) 172 m when warm season air temperature increases (decreases) by 1°C, and ascends (descends) 62 m when cold season precipitation decreases (increases) by 10%. In the period 1958–2008, the glacier ELA showed a general increasing trend, ascending 230 m and reaching its highest altitude in 2006 at 5131 m a.s.l., close to the glacier summit. If future climate is similar to that in the period 2001–2008, the Qiyi Glacier will not stabilize until it retreats by 2.08 km.

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. Poter S C. Equilibrium-line altitudes of late Quaternary glaciers in Southern Alps, New Zealand. Quat Res, 1975, 5: 27–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Nesje A. Younger Dryas and Holocene glacier fluctuations and equilibrium-line altitude variations in the Jostedalsbre region, western Norway. Clim Dyn, 1992, 6: 221–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Rodbell D T. Late Pleistocene equilibrium-line reconstructions in the northern Peruvian Andes. Boreas, 1992, 21: 43–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Ballantyne C. The Loch Lomond readvance on the Isle of Mull, Scotland: Glacier reconstruction and palaoclimatic implications. J Quat Sci, 2002, 17: 759–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Kovanen D J, Slaymaker O. Fluctuations of the Deming Glacier and theoretical equilibrium line altitudes during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene on Mount Baker, Washington, USA. Boreas, 2005, 34: 157–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kayastha R B, Harrrison S P. Changes of the equilibrium-line altitude since the Little Ice Age in the Nepalese Himalaya. Ann Glaciol, 2008, 48: 93–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang Z S. Change of snowline at the source area of the Urumqi River, Tianshan Mountains (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 1981, 3(Suppl): 106–112

    Google Scholar 

  8. Feng Z D. Last Glacial snowlines in the Tibetan Plateau: An argument against an extensive coalescing icesheet. GeoJournal, 1998, 44: 355–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Shi Y F, Zheng B X, Su Z. Glaciations, glacial-interglacial cycles and environmental changes in the Quaternary (in Chinese). In:Shi Y F, ed. Glaciers and Their Environments in China. Beijing: Science Press, 2000. 320–355

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ju Y J, Liu G N, Zhang X Y, et al. High mountain glaciers’ ELA and climate (in Chinese). Prog Geogr, 2004, 23: 43–49

    Google Scholar 

  11. Klok E J, Oerlemans J. Climate reconstructions derived from global glacier length records. Arct Antarct Alp Res, 2004, 36: 575–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Wang N L, Liu S Y. Summer temperature rise quantified from the change of the Glacier No.1 at the source of Urumqi River in the 20th century (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 1997, 19: 207–213

    Google Scholar 

  13. Li Z Q, Han T D, Jing Z F, et al. A summary of 40-year observed variation facts of climate and glacier No.1 at headwater of Urumqi River, Tianshan, China (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2003, 25: 117–123

    Google Scholar 

  14. Wang N L, Jing Z F, Jiao K Q, et al. Variations of the Glacier No. 1 at the source of the Urumqi River, Tien Shan Mts., China, during the past 40 years. Data Glaciol Stud, 2007, 102: 48–53

    Google Scholar 

  15. Ye B, Yang D, Jiao K, et al. The Urumqi River source Glacier No. 1, Tianshan, China: Changes over the past 45 years. Geophys Res Lett, 2005, 32: L21504, doi: 10.1029/2005GL024178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Pu J C, Yao T D, Yang M X, et al. Rapid decrease of mass balance observed in the Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier, in the central Tibetan Plateau. Hydrol Process, 2008, 22: 2953–2958

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Wang N L, Yao T D. Study of the steady-state response of a glacier to climatic change. Cryosphere, 1996, 2: 67–74

    Google Scholar 

  18. Snow and Ice Research Team of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Expedition Report of the Existing Glaciers in the Qilian Mountain (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1958. 52–56

    Google Scholar 

  19. Pu J C, Yao T D, Duan K Q, et al. Mass balance of the Qiyi Glacier in the Qilian Mountain: A new observation (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2005, 27: 199–204

    Google Scholar 

  20. Wang Z T, Liu C H, You G X, et al. Glacier Inventory of China, I, Qilian Mountain (in Chinese). Lanzhou: Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Geocryology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1981. 1–249

    Google Scholar 

  21. Wang N L, He J Q, Jiang X, et al. Study on the Zone of Maximum Precipitation in the North Slope of the Central Qilian Mountain (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2009, 31: 395–403

    Google Scholar 

  22. Wang Z X, Xie Z C, Wu G H. Mass balance of glaciers in Qilian Mountain (in Chinese). In: Memoirs of Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Cryopedology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vol.5. Beijing: Science Press, 1985. 41–53

    Google Scholar 

  23. Liu C H, Xie Z C, Yang H A, et al. Observation, interpolation and trend study of glacial mass balance on the Qiyi Glacier in Qilian Mountain (in Chinese). In: Memoirs of Lanzhou Institute of Glaciology and Cryopedology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vol.7. Beijing: Science Press, 1992. 21–33

    Google Scholar 

  24. Kuhn M. The response of the equilibrium line altitude to climate fluctuations: Theory and observations. In: Oerlemans J, ed. Glacier Fluctuations and Climate Change. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1989. 407–417

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kaser G. Glacier-climate interaction at low-latitudes. J Glaciol, 2001, 47: 195–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Liestol O. Storbreen Glacier in Jotunheimen, Norway. Norsk Polarinstitutt Skrifter, 1967, 141: 1–63

    Google Scholar 

  27. Ohmura A, Kasser P, Funk M. Climate at the equilibrium line of glaciers. J Glaciol, 1992, 38: 397–411

    Google Scholar 

  28. Greene A M, Seager R, Broecker W S. Tropical snowline depression at the last glacial maximum: Comparison with proxy records using a single-cell tropical climate model. J Geophys Res, 2002, 107: 4061, doi:10.1029/2001JD000670

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Yamaguchi S, Naruse R, Shiraiwa T. Climate reconstruction since the Little Ice Age by modelling Koryto Glacier, Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. J Glaciol, 2008, 54: 125–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Wang N L, Yao T D, Pu J C. Climate sensitivity of the Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier in the Tanggula Pass. Cryosphere, 1996, 2: 63–66

    Google Scholar 

  31. Wang N L. Grey relational analysis of the leading climatic factor influencing the changes of the equilibrium line (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 1995, 17: 8–15

    Google Scholar 

  32. Rupper S, Roe G. Glacier changes and regional climate: A mass and energy balance approach. J Clim, 2008, 21: 5384–5401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Kang E S, Ohmura A. A parameterized energy balance model of glacier melting on the Tianshan Mountains (in Chinese). Acta Geogr Sin, 1994, 49: 467–476

    Google Scholar 

  34. Chen L, Duan K Q, Wang N L, et al. Characteristics of the surface energy balance of the Qiyi Glacier in Qilian Mountain in melting season (in Chinese). J Glaciol Geocryol, 2007, 29: 882–888

    Google Scholar 

  35. Lie Ø, Dahl S O, Nesje A. A theoretical approach to glacier equilibrium-line altitudes using meteorological data and glacier mass-balance records from southern Norway. Holocene, 2003, 13: 365–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Wang N L, Zhou Y B. A new approach of analyzing the influence of climate change on the ELA: Application of grey theory in glaciology (in Chinese). In: Proceedings of the Fifth Chinese Conference on Glaciology and Geocryology, Vol.1. Lanzhou: Gansu Culture Press, 1996. 205–212

    Google Scholar 

  37. Bassford R P, Siegert M J, Dowdeswell J A. Quantifying the mass balance of Ice Caps on Severnaya Zemlya, Russian High Arctic. III: Sensitivity of Ice Caps in Severnaya Zemlya to future climate change. Arct Antarct Alp Res, 2006, 38: 21–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Mackintosh A N, Dugmore A J, Hubbard A L. Holocene climatic changes in Iceland: Evidence from modelling glacier length fluctuations at Solheimajokull. Quat Int, 2002, 91: 39–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Gerbaux M, Genthon C, Etchevers P, et al. Surface mass balance of glaciers in the French Alps: Distributed modeling and sensitivity to climate change. J Glaciol, 2005, 51: 561–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Dyurgerov M B. Mountain glaciers at the end of the twentieth century: Global analysis in relation to climate and water cycle. Polar Geogr, 2001, 25: 241–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    NingLian Wang, JianQiao He, JianChen Pu, Xi Jiang & ZheFan Jing

Authors
  1. NingLian Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. JianQiao He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. JianChen Pu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Xi Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. ZheFan Jing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to NingLian Wang.

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, N., He, J., Pu, J. et al. Variations in equilibrium line altitude of the Qiyi Glacier, Qilian Mountains, over the past 50 years. Chin. Sci. Bull. 55, 3810–3817 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-010-4167-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-010-4167-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation