Ice Thickness Simulation and Storage Estimation of the Extreme- Glaciers in the Qiangtang Plateau

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  • (1. Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Qinghai Institute of Technology, Xining 810000, China; 2. Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Plateau Climate Change and Corresponding Ecological and Environmental Effects, Xining 810000, China; 3. Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; 4. Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China; 5. Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China)
LIANG Pengbin, Lecturer, research area includes cryospheric dynamics and climate effects. E-mail: pbliang@qhnu.edu.cn

Online published: 2024-07-04

Supported by

Project supported by the Top-notch Talent of the Qinghai Province ‘Kunlun Talent’ High-end Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent’ program (Grant No.2023-QLGKLYCZX-001); The Researcher Development program of Qinghai Institute of Technology (Grant No.2023011wys007).

Abstract

Abstract:Ice thickness and storage are the prerequisites for glaciological studies such as predicting future glacier changes, estimating available freshwater resources, and assessing potential sea level rise. Based on ground-penetrating radar (GPR) thickness data from 31 glaciers in western China, parameters of the GlabTop 2 (Glacier Bed Topography) model was calibrated and optimized. The simulation of ice thickness on the Qiangtang Plateau and the assessment of the total amount of glacier water resources reveal the following results: ①The average ice thickness simulated by the GlabTop2 model closely matches the measured average thickness, with a correlation of 0.87 and an RMSE of 18.2 m. Overestimation and underestimation of ice thickness by the model are 9% and -17% respectively. The ice thickness distribution along flow is better captured than the distribution across flow; ②The GlabTop2 model estimates that the ice storage of glaciers on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau in 2022 is (177.6±26.6) km3, with an average ice thickness of (88.2±12.3) m. The glacier volume is mainly distributed between 5 600 and 6 200 m, amounting to (148.28±22.24) km3, which accounts for 84.4% of the total glacier volume of the Qiangtang Plateau. The glacier volume in other elevation bands is relatively small.

Cite this article

LIANG Pengbin, MU Jianxin, GAO Yongpeng, TIAN Lide, LI Lintao . Ice Thickness Simulation and Storage Estimation of the Extreme- Glaciers in the Qiangtang Plateau[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 0 : 1 . DOI: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2024.050.

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