Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lun Li, Renhe Zhang, Min Wen, Junmei Lv
Summary: The Tibetan Plateau (TP) experiences increasing precipitation trends in the northern region but not in the southern region, which is attributed to the activities of Tibetan Plateau vortices (TPVs). The significant warming over the TP influences the genesis frequency of TPVs differently in the north and south, leading to distinct precipitation trends in the two regions.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Shuhai Guo, Yueping Li, Rensheng Chen
Summary: This study analyzes the key factors and response of glacier sublimation to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau. The results show that sublimation on the glacier is greatly influenced by temperature and humidity, while wind speed has a smaller impact. With climate warming, glacier sublimation is likely to increase, especially in winter.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mingcheng Hu, Guangsheng Zhou, Xiaomin Lv, Li Zhou, Xiaoliang Wang, Xiaohui He, Zhihui Tian
Summary: This study extracted clean and debris-covered glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau from 1985 to 2020 using the double RF method and Landsat series images, and analyzed their temporal and spatial changes under the background of climate change. The total area of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau showed a retreating trend, with clean glaciers retreating faster in the southeast and slower in the northwest, while debris-covered glaciers expanded in most basins. Climate warming was identified as the main driver of glacier change. The results of this study may contribute to the scientific management of glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in the context of climate warming.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Baotian Pan, Weijin Guan, Menghan Shi, Guangjian Wu, Jiamei Cheng, Donghui Shangguan, Wanqin Guo, Bo Cao
Summary: Glacier surge is a special form of glacier displacement caused by the instability of the glacial dynamic system, potentially affected by climate change resulting in accelerated glacier advance. The two surges identified in Weigeledangxiong Glacier in recent years differed in speed and scale, possibly due to long-term effects of rising temperatures.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Le Gao, Xiaofeng Yang, Jifeng Qi, Wenfeng Chen
Summary: This study analyzed the elevation change, ice flux divergence, and surface mass balance of glaciers in the West Kunlun Mountains. Results showed that the overall thickness change of the glacier in the region is almost zero, indicating a positive mass balance. The ice flux divergence was more significant on the ice tongue, and glacier surging was found to be the main reason for the decline of the two monitored glaciers.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cen Zhang, Da -He Qin, Pan -Mao Zhai
Summary: This study reveals the seasonality and timescale of the Tibetan warming amplification and points out that winter exhibits the strongest warming amplification. Additionally, the simulation results show that the amplification of warming in the Tibetan Plateau region is relatively weak, which is attributed to the underestimation of warming in this area by the models. By conducting the attribution study, it is found that the stronger warming response to human influence on the Tibetan Plateau is the direct cause of the Tibetan warming amplification.
ADVANCES IN CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yong Liu, Huopo Chen
Summary: Mounting evidence suggests that climate warming is significantly impacting lakes in the Tibetan Plateau. This study uses statistical models and simulations to demonstrate the future decrease in lake ice duration and increase in lake expansion due to warming. Additionally, the study finds that lake expansion is insensitive to glacier mass loss.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Chengbin Zou, John D. Jansen, Paul A. Carling, Xiangyang Dou, Zhenlei Wei, Xuanmei Fan
Summary: This study re-evaluates the repeat glacier detachments of a low angle surging valley glacier in the Amney Machen Range in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. By analyzing satellite images, terrain profiles, and field data, the study describes in detail four glacier detachments that occurred over a 15-year period. The factors contributing to glacier detachments include anomalous warming, subglacial hydrology, repeated glacier surging, a soft glacier bed, and ice-rock loading from the glacier headwall. However, the relative influence of each factor varies in different events. Ice-rock debris loadings from the headwall are found to be the most important factor. Some events may have been influenced by short-term climate anomalies, while the role of climate warming in initiating glacier detachments is limited.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiang Zou, Shugui Hou, Shuangye Wu, Hongxi Pang, Ke Liu, Wangbin Zhang, Jinhai Yu, Jing Song, Renhui Huang, Yaping Liu
Summary: This study presents an analysis of the Zangser Kangri ice core, providing a record of ammonium and nitrate concentrations over the past millennium. The results show that the variation of nitrogen species in the ice core is mainly driven by dust activities and biogenic emissions. Furthermore, seasonal air mass backward trajectories and wind fields indicate that the transport of nitrogen species is influenced by the westerly and the South Asia summer monsoon.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Linan Guo, Hongxing Zheng, Yanhong Wu, Lanxin Fan, Mengxuan Wen, Junsheng Li, Fangfang Zhang, Liping Zhu, Bing Zhang
Summary: Lake surface water temperature (LSWT) is a critical physical property and indicator of climate change in the aquatic ecosystem. This study presents a comprehensive dataset of daily LSWT for 160 lakes across the Tibetan Plateau, combining satellite-based observation and modeling. The dataset reveals a significant increase in annual LSWT from 1978 to 2017, with a higher warming rate in winter than in summer.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Jianbao Liu, Hanxiang Liu, Huai Chen, Zicheng Yu, Shilong Piao, John P. Smol, Jifeng Zhang, Lingxin Huang, Tao Wang, Bao Yang, Yan Zhao, Fahu Chen
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of recent anthropogenic warming and historical natural warming on peatland carbon dynamics in the Tibetan Plateau. The results indicate a major seasonal difference between the two warming periods, with growing season warming dominating the historical period and non-growing season warming characterizing the recent period. The findings suggest that recent anthropogenic warming may have led to a lower net carbon balance compared to historical natural warmings, highlighting the underestimated risk of carbon loss from global peatlands and the challenge for managing ecosystem carbon sinks under future climate change.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wenfeng Chen, Tandong Yao, Guoqing Zhang, R. Iestyn Woolway, Wei Yang, Fenglin Xu, Tao Zhou
Summary: During the extreme warming period, surface temperatures in glacial regions of the Tibetan Plateau have increased faster than non-glacial areas, and the duration and intensity of glacier surface heatwaves have significantly increased. These changes may pose potential threats to the sustainability of glacier water resources and increase the risk of glacier related hazards.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Siwei Shi, Hai Xu, Yong Shui, Dandan Liu, Qiaorong Xie, Kang'en Zhou, Jin Zhang, Yunping Song, Jing Wang, Chukun Hu, Yuchun Wang, Pingqing Fu
Summary: The impacts of global warming and glacier retreat on catchment vegetation and lake productivity were studied in Lake Puma Yumco, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that glacier retreat led to the increase in relative abundance of soil- and vegetation-derived large molecular compounds in lake sediments, indicating vegetation expansion. Additionally, catchment weathering and terrestrial nutrient loads were found to enhance lake productivity after glacier retreat.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Water Resources
Jamal A. N. Shokory, Bettina Schaefli, Stuart N. Lane
Summary: This paper summarizes the current knowledge on water resources in Afghanistan and the potential impacts of climate change. The available information suggests that Afghanistan is experiencing significant increases in temperature and shifts in the intra-annual distribution of streamflow. While there may be a short-term increase in summer ice melt in glaciated basins, the future prognosis for water resources is likely to be more serious when this glacier subsidy ends.
HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Xiaowan Liu, Zongxue Xu, Hong Yang, Saeid Ashraf Vaghefi
Summary: The study reconstructed the long-term glacier mass balance of the Tibetan Plateau, finding that most glaciers experienced mass loss, especially in the southeastern part. Western glaciers were more influenced by precipitation, while eastern glaciers were more affected by heat factors such as air temperature and net radiation.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yukihiko Onuma, Nozomu Takeuchi, Jun Uetake, Masashi Niwano, Sota Tanaka, Naoko Nagatsuka, Teruo Aoki
Summary: Glacier phototroph blooms on ice sheets and glaciers can lead to increased melting rates by reducing albedo. This study observed and modeled seasonal changes in the abundance of phototrophs on the Qaanaaq Ice Cap in Greenland. The main phototrophs on the ice surface were glacier alga and cyanobacteria. The abundance of glacier alga increased exponentially throughout the melting period, while the abundance of cyanobacteria was influenced by the amount of mineral dust on the ice surface. The numerical and empirical models developed in this study could be useful for predicting albedo reduction and melt rates of glaciers in the future.
JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Toru Terao, Shinjiro Kanae, Hatsuki Fujinami, Someshwar Das, A. P. Dimri, Subashisa Dutta, Koji Fujita, Azusa Fukushima, Kyung-Ja Ha, Masafumi Hirose, Jinkyu Hong, Hideyuki Kamimera, Rijan Bhakta Kayastha, Masashi Kiguchi, Kazuyoshi Kikuchi, Hyun Mee Kim, Akio Kitoh, Hisayuki Kubota, Weiqiang Ma, Yaoming Ma, Milind Mujumdar, Masato I. Nodzu, Tomonori Sato, Z. Su, Shiori Sugimoto, Hiroshi G. Takahashi, Yuhei Takaya, Shuyu Wang, Kun Yang, Satoru Yokoi, Peter van Oevelen, Jun Matsumoto
Summary: The Asian Precipitation Experiment (AsiaPEX) was initiated in 2019 to understand terrestrial precipitation over diverse hydroclimatological conditions for improved predictions, disaster reduction, and sustainable development across Asia. It is the successor to the GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment (GAME; 1995-2005) and Monsoon Asian Hydro-Atmosphere Scientific Research and Prediction Initiative (MAHASRI; 2006-16). AsiaPEX aims to study land-atmosphere coupling and improve the predictability of the Asian hydroclimatological system.
BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Takahiro Segawa, Takahiro Yonezawa, Ryo Matsuzaki, Hiroshi Mori, Ayumi Akiyoshi, Francisco Navarro, Koji Fujita, Vladimir B. B. Aizen, Zhongqin Li, Shuhei Mano, Nozomu Takeuchi
Summary: Recent studies have found that cosmopolitan phylotypes of snow algae were persistently present long before the last glacial period, and endemic phylotypes originated from ancestral cosmopolitan phylotypes. These findings suggest that cosmopolitans dispersed across the world and then derived new localized endemics, revealing the role of microevolution in microbial community formation in natural environments.
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Masahiro Minowa, Pedro Skvarca, Koji Fujita
Summary: The mass budget of southern Patagonian glaciers is heavily affected by surface ablation, with an average point surface mass balance of -16.3 m water equivalent (w.e.) yr -1 between 1996 and 2020. The analysis found that the mean annual temperature has increased at a rate of 0.28C decade -1 over the study period. The largest contribution to the surface energy balance was the sensible heat flux.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Tika Ram Gurung, Rijan Bhakta Kayastha, Koji Fujita, Sharad Prasad Joshi, Anna Sinisalo, James D. D. Kirkham
Summary: Despite the importance of in situ glacier mass balance for regional water resource planning and climate change indicators, records in the Himalaya are limited. This study presents updated measurements of the mass balance of Rikha Samba Glacier in Nepal between 2011 and 2021. The study also uses a model to extend the mass balance series back to 1974. The findings show that the modeled mass balance is consistent with in situ measurements and previous estimates, indicating significant mass losses in line with other Himalayan glaciers.
JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sojiro Sunako, Koji Fujita, Takeki Izumi, Satoru Yamaguchi, Akiko Sakai, Rijan Bhakta Kayastha
Summary: We quantified the surface elevation changes of Yala Glacier in Nepal Himalaya using geodetic methods. Our analysis shows a continuous surface lowering trend in the down-glacier area, with recent years experiencing an up-glacier propagation. The calculated mass-balance data indicate accelerated mass loss in Yala Glacier since the late 2000s, consistent with previous studies.
JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Hidetaka Hirata, Hatsuki Fujinami, Hironari Kanamori, Yota Sato, Masaya Kato, Rijan B. Kayastha, Madan L. Shrestha, Koji Fujita
Summary: Despite their importance, the processes underlying heavy rainfall in the higher elevations of the Himalayas, specifically in the Rolwaling valley, eastern Nepal, are still not well understood. A heavy rainfall event on 8 July 2019 at Dongang, observed by rain gauges, was caused by a monsoon low pressure system over northeastern India. The event was driven by three-dimensional moisture transport and diurnal variation in heat fluxes from the land surface.
JOURNAL OF HYDROMETEOROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Takumi Suzuki, Nozomu Takeuchi
Summary: This study investigated the seasonal and altitudinal variations in algal blooms on Mount Gassan, Japan, to evaluate the impact of vegetation on the appearance of colored snow. The results showed that chlorophyll-a concentration increased with deciduous tree budburst in the lower forest area, while it increased from June to July in the alpine area. The absorption spectra of algal pigments differed among sites and seasons, with forest sites characterized by chlorophyll and primary carotenoid absorption, and alpine sites showing intense secondary carotenoid peaks. The analysis also revealed a higher phosphate concentration in snow from the forest sites, suggesting that nutrient supply from the forest canopy controls the appearance of colored snow.
ARCTIC ANTARCTIC AND ALPINE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Masaki Sano, Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Koji Fujita, Masataka Hakozaki, Fusa Miyake, Takeshi Nakatsuka
Summary: This paper examines the possible connection between summer monsoon intensity and C-14 offsets using tree-ring d(18)O and C-14 data from Thailand. The study found that the direct linkage between the tree-ring d(18)O series and C-14 records obtained from teak log-coffin samples could not be statistically verified due to limited sample size and dating uncertainty.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Krzysztof Zawierucha, Eva Stefkova Kasparova, Sandra McInnes, Jakub Buda, Roberto Ambrosini, Miloslav Devetter, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Andrea Franzetti, Nozomu Takeuchi, Patrik Horna, Tereza Novotna Jaromerska, Masato Ono, Marie Sabacka, Karel Janko
Summary: This study investigates the biogeography of the tardigrade genus Cryoconicus, finding two species on Arctic glaciers in Svalbard, far from their reported ranges. The research indicates large disjunctions in their distribution, with limited presence in intermediate areas. The study also reveals that inhabitants of extreme environments can establish isolated and highly fragmented populations persisting at very low densities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Pascal Buri, Simone Fatichi, Thomas E. Shaw, Evan S. Miles, Michael J. Mccarthy, Catriona L. Fyffe, Stefan Fugger, Shaoting Ren, Marin Kneib, Achille Jouberton, Jakob Steiner, Koji Fujita, Francesca Pellicciotti
Summary: High Mountain Asia (HMA) is vulnerable to environmental changes, and accurate assessment of water resources availability requires detailed modeling. This study focused on the Langtang catchment in Nepal and found that evapotranspiration is a key component of the water balance. Snow melt and sublimation play important roles in the depletion of the cryospheric water budget.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Shuting Zhai, William Swanson, Joseph R. Mcconnell, Nathan Chellman, Thomas Opel, Michael Sigl, Hanno Meyer, Xuan Wang, Lyatt Jaegle, Jochen Stutz, Jack E. Dibb, Koji Fujita, Becky Alexander
Summary: Snowpack emissions are an important source of gas-phase reactive bromine in the Arctic, and quantifying bromine emissions from snowpack is essential for the interpretation of ice-core bromine. Model simulations suggest that recycling of reactive bromine on the snow skin layer leads to a 9-17% loss of deposited bromine across all ice-core locations. The high-latitude coastal Akademii Nauk (AN) ice core from the Russian Arctic is most likely to preserve an atmospheric signal compared to Greenland ice cores.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Kaoru Kawakami, Yoshinori Iizuka, Mahiro Sasage, Mai Matsumoto, Takeshi Saito, Akira Hori, Sakiko Ishino, Shuji Fujita, Koji Fujita, Keita Takasugi, Takumi Hatakeyama, Saaya Hamamoto, Akihisa Watari, Nao Esashi, Miu Otsuka, Ryu Uemura, Kazuho Horiuchi, Masahiro Minowa, Shohei Hattori, Teruo Aoki, Motohiro Hirabayashi, Kenji Kawamura, Sumito Matoba
Summary: Arctic warming has led to increased surface melting in the highland areas of the Greenland ice sheet. Analysis of an ice core from the southeastern part of the ice sheet revealed no significant trend in annual accumulation rate over 221 years, but an increase in the frequency and thickness of the refrozen melt layer, which is synchronized with temperature changes in the Arctic. The in-situ accumulation records provide valuable information for correcting reanalysis data and improving regional climate models.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yukihiko Onuma, Koji Fujita, Nozomu Takeuchi, Masashi Niwano, Teruo Aoki
Summary: Cryoconite holes, which are water-filled holes with dark sediment on glaciers and ice sheets, affect the ice surface albedo. We developed a model to simulate the temporal changes in cryoconite hole depth and found that it is influenced by the intensity of downward shortwave radiation and the balance between diffuse and direct components. Additionally, the albedo difference between the ice surface and cryoconite hole bottom is an important factor in reproducing the timing of cryoconite hole collapse.