Recent glacier and glacial lake changes and their interactions in the Bugyai Kangri, southeast Tibet

Qiao Liu,Wanqin Guo,Yong Nie,Shiyin Liu,Junli Xu

doi:10.3189/2016aog71a415

Qiao Liu, Wanqin Guo + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3189/2016aog71a415

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Abstract

AbstractGlaciers in the Bugyai Kangri are located in a transition zone from southeast Tibet, where monsoonal temperate glaciers dominate, to inner Tibet, where continental glaciers dominate. Here we analyze glacier and glacial lake changes in this region using multi-year inventories based on Landsat images from 1981–2013. Results show that the total area of 141 glaciers in the region decreased by 30.44 ±0.89 km2 from 198.35 ±9.54 km2 (1980s) to 167.93 ±4.52 km2 (2010s). The annual area shrinkage rate (–0.48% a–1) is lower than that reported for southeastern Tibet but higher than that of inner Tibet. Both the number and total area of glacial lakes increased between 1981 and 2013. Among all lakes, proglacial lakes contribute most (~81 %) to the expansion. The total area of ten proglacial lakes increased by 150.3 ± 13.17% and of these ten lakes the four that expanded most sharply showed increased calving at their upper margins, resulting in more rapid retreat of lake-terminating glaciers than land-terminating glaciers. Owing to rapid calving, several lakes may undergo further growth in the near future, increasing the potential risk of glacial lake outburst floods.

Highlights

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced significant warming during past decades compared with other mountain regions around the world (Kang and others, 2010)
This study aims to: (1) document a detailed inventory of glacier and glacial lake changes in the Bugyai Kangri (BK) to fill the gaps in our current limited knowledge; (2) determine whether glacier shrinkage rates in this transition region during recent decades are in line with previous conclusions about the gradient of glacier changes from the southeastern to the inner TP (Yao and others, 2012); and (3) discuss the interactions between glacier retreat and lake expansion, since several glacial lakes in this region have formed and expanded considerably in recent years
We have presented changes during the past three decades in glaciers and glacial lakes in the BK massif in a transition zone between the southeast and inner TP

Summary

Introduction

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced significant warming during past decades compared with other mountain regions around the world (Kang and others, 2010). We focus on glacier and glacial lake changes in the Bugyai Kangri (BK) massif, a region in the southeastern TP with few previous reports. The study area is located in a transition zone from the monsoonal temperatetype glaciers in the southeastern TP to the continental type in the inner TP. This study aims to: (1) document a detailed inventory of glacier and glacial lake changes in the BK to fill the gaps in our current limited knowledge; (2) determine whether glacier shrinkage rates in this transition region during recent decades are in line with previous conclusions about the gradient of glacier changes from the southeastern to the inner TP (Yao and others, 2012); and (3) discuss the interactions between glacier retreat and lake expansion, since several glacial lakes in this region have formed and expanded considerably in recent years

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