Reconstruction of Palaeoglacier in the Qugaqie valley in Nyainqêntanglha Range

Abstract

Reconstruction of palaeoglacier is important for understanding the mechanism of palaeo-climatic change and predicting water resource in Tibet. The climate and water resource are sensitive to global change in western Nyainqêntanglha Range. However, the data of how glacier changed in its area and equilibrium line, particularly its volume are still in paucity. In this study, we generated the palaeoglacier landform map by field investigation and 3S (RS, GPS and GIS) technology, reconstructed the palaeoglaciers surface by glacial landforms and glacier model, accordingly estimated the ice volume and equilibrium line altitude (ELA), and then discussed the palaeo-climate during the last glacial maximum (LGM) in the Qugaqie valley. During the LGM, the Qugaqie glacier was about 18.5 km long and 102.1 m thick in average. It covered an area of 59.1 km² and had a volume of 6.05 km³, which were 8.34 times of the area and 18.33 times of the ice volume of the modern glacier. The 75.3% of Qugaqie valley was covered by glacier. The palaeo-ELA was 5405∼5496 m with a depression of 400 to 300 m, which confirms Shi Yafeng’s point that an even global ELA lowering value of about 1000 m didn’t virtually exist.