The study of spatial and temporal covariances of glaciers and lakes would help us to understand the impact of climate change within a basin in Tibet. This study focuses on glacier and lake variations in the Mapam Yumco basin (covering 7 786.44 km2) by integrating series of spatial data from topographic maps and digital satellite images at four different times: 1974,1990,1999,and 2003. The results indicate that: (1) decreased lakes,retreated glaciers,enlarged lakes and advanced glaciers co-exist in the basin during the last 30 years; (2) glacier recession was accelerated in recent years due to the warmer climate; (3) lake areas in the basin are both reduced and enlarged by an accelerated speed with more water supplies from speeding melt glaciers or frozen ground in the last three decades.
Based on the oxygen isotope ratio and microparticle record in ice cores recovered at Mt. Muztagata, Eastern Pamirs, the seasonal variations of atmospheric dust have been reconstructed for the past four decades. High dust concentrations and coarser particle grains have the similar trend with oxygen iso- tope value. Our statistical results indicate that 50%―60% high dust concentration samples occur dur- ing the season with high oxygen isotope values (summer), while low dust storm frequency during spring and winter. Back-trajectory analysis shows that the air mass hitting Muztagata predominately came from West Asia (such as Iran-Afghanistan Plateau) and Central Asia, which are the main dust source area for Muztagata. Dust storms in those source areas most frequently occur during summer (from May to August), while frequent dust storm events in northern China mainly occur during spring (March to May). Regions in the path of Asian dust transport, such as in Japan, the North Pacific, and Greenland, also show high dust concentrations during spring (from March to May). Our results indicate that dust storms have different seasonality in different regions within Asia.
High mountains may serve as a condenser for persistent organic pollutants. In the present study, soil and grass samples from Mt. Qomolangma region, China were collected from 4600 to 5620 m a.s.l and were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to determine if they are concentrated at colder, more elevated sites and to evaluate their possible resources and fractionation. The total PAHs concentration in soil samples was < 600 ng g?1, the critical value to differentiate PAHs levels in remote and urban regions. This implied the PAHs levels at Mt. Qomolangma are relatively low and what one might expect in such a remote region of the world. These low values may represent a soil background for mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere soils away from the direct influence of an anthropogenic source. As for the distribution pattern, the low molecular weight PAHs were prone to accumulate at higher altitude, while the high molecular weight PAHs inversely related or unrelated with elevation. Based on high concentration of phenanthrene at elevated sample site and the ratios of individual PAHs, we deduced that home-heating combustion and vehicle emission may result in the constitution trait of PAHs in this mountain region. Monsoon traveling over India, Pakistan and other countries with dense population may carry contaminant to Mt. Qomolangma region.
WANG XiaoPingYAO TanDongCONG ZhiYuanYAN XinLiangKANG ShiChangZHANG Yong
Under the impact of climatic warming, the glaciers in the High Asia in China have been retreating continuously with negative glacial mass balance in recent several decades. The retreat became more intensive in the past 10 years. The spatial pattern of the glacial retreat in the High Asia in China is that the smallest magnitude of retreat is in the inland of the Tibetan Plateau, the magnitude increases from the inland to the margin of the Tibetan Plateau, and the largest magnitude at the margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The glacial retreat in the High Asia in China has an important impact on the water resource of the arid regions in Northwest China. This study shows that the glacial retreat in the 1990s has caused an increase of 5.5% in river runoff in Northwest China. In the Tarim River basin, the increase of river runoff is higher than 5.5%.
YAO Tandong 1,2 ,WANG Youqing 2 ,LIU Shiying 2,1 ,PU Jianchen 2,1 ,SHEN Yongping 2 & LU Anxin 2,1 1.Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100029,China
Precipitation δ 18O at Yushu, eastern Tibetan Plateau, shows strong fluctuation and lack of clear seasonality. The seasonal pattern of precipitation stable isotope at Yushu is apparently different from either that of the southwest monsoon region to the south or that of the inland region to the north. This different seasonal pattern probably reflects the shift of different moisture sources. In this paper, we present the spatial comparison of the seasonal patterns of precipitation δ 18O, and calculate the moisture transport flux by using the NCAR/NCEP reanalysis data. This allows us to discuss the relation between moisture transport flux and precipitation δ 18O. This study shows that both the southwest monsoon from south and inland air mass transport from north affected the seasonal precipitation δ 18O at Yushu, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Southwest monsoon brings the main part of the moisture, but southwest transport flux is weaker than in the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau. However, contribution of the inland moisture from north or local evaporation moisture is enhanced. The combined effect is the strong fluctuation of summer precipitation δ 18O at Yushu and comparatively poor seasonality.
