Abstract
Abstract Field observations and repeated photogrammetry indicate that glaciers in the Urumqi River basin have experienced definite shrinkage since the end of 1950s and the beginning of 1960s. It was found that the decreases in length, area and ice volume of the glaciers show a close relationship with glacier dimensions, i.e. the larger the glacier, the bigger the retreat and vice versa. Analysis indicates that statistical relations can be established for absolute and relative changes in length, area and volume of glaciers with glacier length, which can be adapted to glaciers in other mountainous regions, if we conduct some supplementary measurements of glacier fluctuations. With this concept, an evaluation can be made of glacier fluctuations on a regional scale. Further calculation demonstrates that glacier shrinkage in the last 30 years corresponded to a warming of about 0.35 ± 0.27°C in the high mountain region of the Urumqi River. INTRODUCTION Analysis of records from ground-level meteorological stations in China shows that air temperature has been continuously rising since the 1970s (Fu & Wang, 1991; Lin
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
