Runoff Response to Climate in Two River Basins Supplied by Small Glacier Meltwater in Southern and Northern Tibetan Plateau

• The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced amplified warming in recent decades, causing glaciers to melt and affecting river runoff. It is well established that the southern and northern areas of the TP have responded to climate changes differently, with the north dominated by a westerly climate and the south by the Indian monsoon. While there are more glaciers in the TP than in any other region outside the polar areas, most of these glaciers are tiny, and only a limited number of them have been monitored to study mass balance and downward runoff. This study used the mass balance measured at two glaciers along with in situ and satellite data to drive a hydrological model called the Alpine Runoff Predictor that includes glacier melt to simulate glacial melting and the accompanying hydrological processes of the two glacierized basins, analyze their contributions to the river runoffs, and investigate their responses to local climate changes. The results show that the glacier meltwater in both river basins showed an increasing trend, with values of 0.001 x 10(8) m(3) a(-1) in the Kyanjing River basin and 0.0095 x 10(8) m(3) a(-1) in the Tuole River basin. However, their multi-year average contributions to the runoff were 12.5% and 5.6%, respectively. In contrast to the Tuole River basin, where runoff is increasing (0.0617 x 10(8) m(3) a(-1)), the Kyanjing River basin has decreasing runoff (-0.0216 x 10(8) m(3) a(-1)) as a result of decreasing precipitation. This result highlights the dominant role played by precipitation changes in the two basins under study, which are characterized by small glacier meltwater contributions.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Meteorologi och atmosfärforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

runoff

Kyanjing River basin

Tuole River basin

Yala Glacier

Qiyi

Glacier

hydrological response

ice thickness

mass balances

yala glacier

melt

temperature

streamflow

inventory

upstream

products

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)