A multi-model analysis of glacier equilibrium line altitudes in western China during the last glacial maximum

作     者：Dabang JIANG Yeyi LIU Xianmei LANG 

作者机构：Institute of Atmospheric PhysicsChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100029China CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth SciencesBeijing100101China Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological DisastersNanjing University of Information Science&TechnologyNanjing210044China University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China 

出 版 物：《Science China Earth Sciences》 (中国科学（地球科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2019年第62卷第8期

页      面：1241-1255页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 0708[理学-地球物理学] 0705[理学-地理学] 070501[理学-自然地理学] 0704[理学-天文学] 

基　　金：supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA20070103) the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41625018 & 41421004) 

主　　题：Last glacial maximum Western China Equilibrium line altitudes Glacier Simulation 

摘      要：Based on numerical experiments undertaken with nine climate models, the glacier equilibrium line altitudes(ELAs)in western China during the last glacial maximum(LGM) are investigated to deepen our understanding of the surface environment on the Tibetan Plateau. Relative to the preindustrial period, the summer surface air temperatures decrease by 4–8°C while the annual precipitation decreases by an average of 25% across the Tibetan Plateau during the LGM. Under the joint effects of reductions in summer temperature and annual precipitation, the LGM ELAs in western China are lowered by magnitudes that vary with regions. The ELAs in the southern margin and northwestern Tibetan Plateau decline by approximately 1100 m;the central hinterland, by 650–800 m;and the eastern part, by 550–800 m, with a downward trend from southwest to northeast. The reduction in ELAs is no more than 650 m in the Tian Shan Mountains within China and approximately 500–600 m in the Qilian Mountains and Altai Mountains. The high-resolution models to reproduce the low values of no more than 500 m in ELA reductions in the central Tibetan Plateau, which are consistent with the proxy records from glacier remains. The accumulation zones of the Tibetan Plateau glaciers are mainly located in the marginal mountains during the LGM and have areas 2–5 times larger than those of the modern glaciers but still do not reach the central part.