Spatiotemporal Variability in the Glacier Snowline Altitude across High Mountain Asia and Potential Driving Factors

Abstract

The glacier snowline altitude (SLA) at the end of the melt season is an indicator of the glacier equilibrium line altitude and can be used to estimate glacier mass balance and reconstruct past climate. This study analyzes the spatiotemporal variability in glacier SLA across High Mountain Asia, including the Altai Mountains, Karakoram Mountains, Western Himalayas, Gongga Mountains, Tian Shan, and Nyainqentanglha Mountains, over the past 30 years (1989–2019) to better elucidate the state of these mountain glaciers. Remote-sensing data are processed to delineate the glacier SLA across these mountainous regions, and nearby weather station data are incorporated to determine the potential relationships between SLA and temperature/precipitation. The mean SLAs across the Altai and Karakoram mountains ranged from 2860 ± 169 m to 3200 ± 152 m and from 5120 ± 159 m to 5320 ± 240 m, respectively, with both regions experiencing an average increase of up to 137 m over the past 30 years. Furthermore, the mean glacier SLAs across the Western Himalayas and Gongga Mountains increased by 190–282 m over the past 30 years, with both regions experiencing large fluctuations. In particular, the mean glacier SLA across the Western Himalayas varied from 4910 ± 190 m in 1989 to 5380 ± 164 m in 2000, and that across the Gongga Mountains varied from 4960 ± 70 m in 1989 to 5330 ± 100 m in 2012. Correlation analyses between glacier SLA and temperature/precipitation suggest that temperature is the primary factor influencing glacier SLA across these High Mountain Asia glaciers. There is a broad increase in glacier SLA from the Altai Mountains to the Karakoram Mountains, with a decrease in glacier SLA with decreasing latitude across the Himalayas; the maximum SLA occurs near the northern slopes of the Western Himalayas. The glacier SLA is lower on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau and exhibits a longitudinal distribution pattern. These results are expected to provide useful information for evaluating the state of High Mountain Asia glaciers, as well as their response and feedback to climate change.