Abstract
Due to the scarcity of field observations and geodetic measurements in catchments in the Karakoram Mountains in Western China, obtaining precipitation data for the high mountains involves large uncertainties and difficulties. In this study, we used a functional relationship between the annual glacier accumulation and summer temperature at the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) to derive precipitation lapse rates (PLAPSs) in a data-scarce watershed. These data were used in a modified Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model with a glacier module to simulate glacio-hydrological processes in the Yarkant River basin in the Karakoram. The PLAPS based on the widely-used grid datasets considerably underestimated precipitation, yielding an unreasonable watershed water balance and inaccurate glacier changes. However, the ELA-based PLAPS improved the simulation significantly. In the Yarkant River basin, the annual precipitation reached a peak of 800–1000 mm at approximately 5300 m a.s.l. The model simulations indicated that the contributions of glacier melt and ice melt to total runoff were 52% and 31%, respectively. Moreover, a significant precipitation increase and a non-significant temperature increase during the melt season may be the major reasons for the decreased ice melt and slower glacier shrinkage on the northern slope of the Karakoram during the period of 1968–2007.
Highlights
The Karakoram Mountains are natural water towers for arid regions in Pakistan and WesternChina
The analysis shows analysis shows that runoff, glacier melt and ice melt during the summer were significantly and that runoff, glacier melt and ice melt during the summer were significantly and positively correlated positively correlated with summer temperature
We used the relationship between glacier mass accumulation and summer temperature at the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) to rationalize the altitudinal precipitation profiles in data-scarce glacierized watershed simulations
Summary
In recent years, this region has been of interest to researchers due to its significance and the “Karakoram anomaly” [1]. This region has been of interest to researchers due to its significance and the “Karakoram anomaly” [1] This phenomenon deserves further investigation to clarify the relation between climate forcing and glacier responses in the region [2]. Some hydrological models have been upgraded with glacial process modules and are widely used in snow- and glacier-dominated regions [5,6,7,8].
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