Surging glaciers in High Mountain Asia between 1986 and 2021

Abstract

Abstract. High Mountain Asia (HMA) is one of the main distribution areas of surging glaciers in the world. The glacier change represented by the Karakoram anomaly has been a topic of wide concern. Surging glaciers not only reshape the peri-glacial landscape, but may also directly or indirectly lead to disasters. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the distribution characteristics, periodic laws, and occurrence mechanisms of surging glaciers. Based on Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI remote sensing images from 1986–2021, a total of 244 surging glaciers in HMA were identified, covering an area of 10974.25 km2, accounting for 11.25 % of the total area of glaciers in HMA. The Karakoram Range and Pamirs are the main mountain/plateau where 185 surging glaciers are more highly concentrated. Three basins, including Amu Darya, Tarim and Indus, have 208 surging glaciers comprising 85.25 % of the total amount of surging glaciers in HMA, covering an area of 10096.89 km2. From 1986–2021, these surging glaciers advanced at least 2802 times, and exhibited different temporal and spatial trends. Obvious differences exist in the surge phase and the quiescent phase of glaciers in different regions of HMA. The surge phase of surging glaciers in the Karakoram Range and Pamirs is generally short, mostly between 2~6a, the quiescent phase is 5~19a, and the surging period is 9~24a. The mechanism of surging glaciers in HMA is more complex, which is different from Svalbard and Alaska glaciers.

Glacier dammed lake outburst flood in cold season in the Tien Shan, China and Kyrgyzstan

“…Located in the Shaksgam Valley on the northern side of the China Karakoram, glacier dammed lake Kyagar is well known for a balanced mass or a slight mass budget in many large glaciers, contrasting major trends of glacier retreat in line with global warming [27][28][29]. In addition, the Karakoram glaciers have also been widely studied based on data satellite of remote sensing because of previously many surge events, which have emphasized the importance for the formation and outburst of glacier dammed lakes [30].…”