Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions ›› 2017, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (5): 432–437.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1226.2017.00432

• ARTICLES • 上一篇    

Changes of glacier area in the Xiying River Basin, East Qilian Mountain, China

YuShuo Liu1,2, Xiang Qin1,2, WenTao Du1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China;
    2. Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
  • 收稿日期:2017-01-21 修回日期:2017-05-06 发布日期:2018-11-23
  • 通讯作者: YuShuo Liu,yushuo_liu@lzb.ac.cn E-mail:yushuo_liu@lzb.ac.cn
  • 基金资助:
    This study was supported by the Project from the National Foundational Scientific and Technological Work Programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2013FY111400), the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences (SKLCS-ZZ-2017), the Global Change Research Program of China (2013CBA01801), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZD-EW-G03-01) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41371091), we also thank Junli Xu provide the Coordinate system conversion system v1.0 (2016SR394422).

Changes of glacier area in the Xiying River Basin, East Qilian Mountain, China

YuShuo Liu1,2, Xiang Qin1,2, WenTao Du1,2   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China;
    2. Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
  • Received:2017-01-21 Revised:2017-05-06 Published:2018-11-23
  • Contact: YuShuo Liu,yushuo_liu@lzb.ac.cn E-mail:yushuo_liu@lzb.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Project from the National Foundational Scientific and Technological Work Programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2013FY111400), the State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences (SKLCS-ZZ-2017), the Global Change Research Program of China (2013CBA01801), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJZD-EW-G03-01) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41371091), we also thank Junli Xu provide the Coordinate system conversion system v1.0 (2016SR394422).

摘要: The Xiying River, one of eight tributaries of the Shiyang River, located at Lenglongling, east Qilian Mountain, is formed by the confluence of Luotuo, Qingyang, Ningchan, and Shuiguan rivers. In the Xiying River Basin, where have 42 glaciers which toward NE in the majority. In this study, three Landsat images and two topographic maps were used to extract boundaries by artificial vector quantization. Results show that glacier area in Xiying Basin increased slightly around 1987, since then, has been reduced considerably. From 1956/1972 to 2008, glacier area in Xiying River Basin was reduced by 20.76%, nine glaciers have disappeared, and below 4,100 m a.s.l., there is no ice cover. Variation tendency of glacier retreat was obviously controlled by orientation. Temperature increase especially after 1987 is the main reason of glacier shrinkage, where glaciers in the Xiying River Basin are more sensitive to climate change.

关键词: glacier shrink, Qilian Mountain, Xiying River, remote sense

Abstract: The Xiying River, one of eight tributaries of the Shiyang River, located at Lenglongling, east Qilian Mountain, is formed by the confluence of Luotuo, Qingyang, Ningchan, and Shuiguan rivers. In the Xiying River Basin, where have 42 glaciers which toward NE in the majority. In this study, three Landsat images and two topographic maps were used to extract boundaries by artificial vector quantization. Results show that glacier area in Xiying Basin increased slightly around 1987, since then, has been reduced considerably. From 1956/1972 to 2008, glacier area in Xiying River Basin was reduced by 20.76%, nine glaciers have disappeared, and below 4,100 m a.s.l., there is no ice cover. Variation tendency of glacier retreat was obviously controlled by orientation. Temperature increase especially after 1987 is the main reason of glacier shrinkage, where glaciers in the Xiying River Basin are more sensitive to climate change.

Key words: glacier shrink, Qilian Mountain, Xiying River, remote sense

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