The latest satellite images have been utilized to update the inventories of glaciers and glacial lakes in the Pumqu river basin, Xizang (Tibet), in the study [Che et al. 2014]. Compared to the inventories of the 1970s, the areas of glaciers are reduced by 19.05% while the areas of glacial lakes are increased by 26.76%. The magnitudes of glacier retreat rates and glacial lake increase rates during the period of 2001–2013 are more significant than those of the period of the 1970s–2001. The accelerated changes in areas of the glaciers and glacial lakes, as well as the increasing temperature and rising variability of precipitation, have resulted in an increased risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the Pumqu river basin.
Integrated criteria were established to identify potentially dangerous glacial lakes based on a bibliometric analysis method. It was found that in total, 19 glacial lakes were identified as dangerous. Such findings suggest that there is an immediate need to conduct field surveys, not only to validate the findings, but also to acquire information for further use in order to assure the welfare of humans.
Also, it is concluded that global warming is the main reason for glacier recession and glacial lake expansion in the region of Pumqu river basin.
Data Changes in Glaciers and Glacial Lakes and the Identification...
The meaning rises from the fact that natural causes do not underly these changes so these problems can only deepen as long as we do nothing to limit global greenhouse gas emissions. The significance is that the problem has already reached a crisis point as the risk of GLOFs grows for many vulnerable communities- while the developed and rapidly developed nations do little to address the underlying causes. Or maybe I misunderstood the question?
The changes of glaciers in Tibet noted in the first post are mirrored in changes elsewhere in the world - virtually all glacier-covered regions globally are experiencing losses at rates greater than at any previous time in the Holocene. Because of the widely scattered and poor observational coverage of glaciers globally (and there are ca. 200,000 of them with areas ≥ 2 km2), a global aggregate loss rate is quite difficult to establish. The best current assessment can be found in the paper by Gardner et al (2013), attached here.
The result is significant, in terms of sea level rise, where the contribution of the world's small glaciers is at present roughly equal to that of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Projections discussed in the IPCC/AR5 show that glaciers will continue to be major sea level contributors through 2100 as well. In addition to sea level rise, changes in glaciers have consequences for downstream oceanic ecosystems that may be affected by long-term changes in salinity, for water resources in certain parts of the world, and as noted in the first post, for populations living downstream from glacier dammed lakes and other structures destabilized by loss of ice and increased lake and groundwater levels.
Global warming is the main reason for glacier recession is not necessarily true. Our work on the glacier study in parts of NW Himalaya (India) undoubtedly suggests that there are several micro-climatic factors other thath atmospheric temperature taht contirubutes to the good or bad health of glacier. Long duration studies on a glacier are the only method to highlight specific cause for the advance/retreat of glacier.
it is easý to come to wrong conclusions, I have writen and documented and detailed described climate variability, and discovered the mechanisms involved
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dimis_Poulos
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Geoscience
- Atmospheric Sciences
- Climate Science
- Climate Change