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Arid Land Geography ›› 2022, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 1870-1880.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2022.110

• Earth Information Sciences • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Remote sensing monitoring of glacier and glacial lake changes in Yairu Zangbo Basin, Himalayas

DING Yuekai(),LIU Rui,ZHANG Cuilan,TONG Liyuan,DONG Jun()   

  1. Chongqing Key Laboratory of GIS Application Research, School of Geography and Tourism, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China
  • Received:2022-03-20 Revised:2022-06-13 Online:2022-11-25 Published:2023-02-01
  • Contact: Jun DONG E-mail:ykice011@163.com;1442708713@qq.com

Abstract:

There are many glaciers and glacial lakes in Yairu Zangbo Basin, Tibet, China. Meltwater is an important local resource that contributes significantly to the expansion of glacial lakes. Meanwhile, the outburst of glacial lakes is a potential local natural disaster. Therefore, it is of great significance to analyze and study the glaciers and glacial lakes in this region. Hence, based on the Landsat scene, this study analyzes the distribution and change characteristics of glaciers and glacial lakes in Yairu Zangbo Basin from 1990 to 2020. The results are as follows: (1) Over the past 30 years, the glaciers have shown a shrinking trend. The area shrank from 167.80 km2 in 1990 to 128.92 km2 in 2020, with a total area of 38.88 km2 and an average annual shrinking rate of 0.77%·a−1. Glaciers are mainly distributed between 5800-6400 m and a slope range of 5°-20°. Debris-covered and debris-free glacier areas have an impact on the number and area distribution of glaciers. (2) Contrary to the trend of glacier change, the glacial lakes exhibit an expansion trend, from 5.72 km2 in 1990 to 8.81 km2 in 2020, with a total increase of 3.09 km2 and an average annual growth rate of 1.80%·a−1. (3) Glacial lakes are mainly distributed between 5000-5600 m and a slope range of 0-10°. Debris-covered and debris-free glaciers have different effects on glacial lakes. (4) From 1990 to 2017, temperature and precipitation in this region fluctuated significantly, showing an upward trend in temperature and a downward trend in precipitation, leading to the melting of glaciers and the expansion of glacial lakes. The findings of this study provide detailed basic data on the distribution and change characteristics of glaciers and glacial lakes and provide support for disaster prevention and mitigation in Yairu Zangbo Basin.

Key words: glacier, glacial lake, remote sensing monitoring, Yairu Zangbo Basin