In the news this week...

COMPLETED INVENTORY OF THE CURRENT AND FUTURE STATE OF HIMALAYAN AND KARAKORAM GLACIERS

A journal published in Annals of Glaciology this week provides a complete glacier inventory for all of the recorded Himalayan and Karakoram glaciers in Asia. Inventories were merged from China, India and Nepal and contain a record for 20,812 glaciers covering 43,178km².

Cogley (2011) shows that the extent of ice in Karakoram is less than in the Himalayas, however on average Karakoram glaciers are estimated to be twice as thick (160m against 80m). On a temporal time scale, the inventory suggests that almost one-fifth of the glaciers present in 1985 have already disappeared and it is predicted a further 3,000 to 13,000 glaciers (equivalent to over 50% of the total mass) may disappear by 2035 based on the retreat rate of 1975-2008. However, it is suggested that the rate of retreat has increased in recent years, indicating that a larger percentage of glaciers could be lost by 2035.

However, it is important to note that the inventory does not account for local forcing factors such as debris cover (that can act to insolate the glacier and decrease the rate of glacial retreat (see Scherler et al., 2011) and other feedbacks related to the elevation. This inventory provides a highly useful resource for glaciologists and scientists studying in the Asian mountains. From this baseline, further research will help to build on the current findings of this article to improve understanding of different regional responses to climate change and also to inform policies to mitigate against future glacial retreat.

Reference:
Cogley, J. G (2011) ' Present and future changes in Himalaya and Karakoram glaciers', Annuals of Glaciology, 52: 59: 69-73.

Scherler, D., B. Bookhagen and M. R. Stecker (2011) 'Spatially variable response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change affected by debris cover', Nature Geoscience, 4,3: 156-159

EXAMPLES OF CURRENT MONITORING TECHNIQUES AT MENDENHALL GLACIER, ALASKA.

A new Youtube video has been uploaded this week that demonstrates some of the current methods used to monitor glacial retreat and flow in alpine environments. The video, created by the University of Alaska demonstrates the use of wire markers to monitor the thinning of the glacier at different points along its profile and also to track the movement of the Mendenhall Glacier, in Alaska in the spring and summer months.  In the spring, wire markers are inserted into the ice using steam drilling. The length of the each wire marker is measured in the spring and summer months, and the difference between the values is used to estimate the amount of thinning at location. The position of each marker is also monitored using GPS, and shifts in the position of each marker are assumed to be equivalent to the rate of downvalley glacial flow. Findings suggest that the thickest part of the glacier (usually in the middle section of a glacier) flows the fastest. Thus researchers from the University of Alaska predict rates of glacial flow will decrease as glaciers continue to thin in the future.

CHINA PUBLISH THEIR SECOND NATIONAL ASSESSMENT REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

China’s Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change was published on 17^th November 2011.  The work carried out by Ministry of Science and Technology, the China Meteorological Administration and the Chinese Academy of Sciences concluded that temperature had increased by 1.38° C from 1951 to 2009, with a rise in temperature contributing to a 10% decrease in China’s glaciers over the last century.
Unfortunately, I could not find the published report online, but I did find an earlier report published in 2007 entitled ‘China’s National Climate Change Programme’ that outlines current trends of climate change in China and steps the country is taking to mitigate against these changes.