Updated Surge‐Type Glacier Inventory in the West Kunlun Mountains, Tibetan Plateau, and Implications for Glacier Change

• Published in: Journal of geophysical research. Earth surface 2022-01, Vol.127 (1), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Guan, Weijin, Cao, Bo, Pan, Baotian, Chen, Ran, Shi, Menghan, Li, Kaiji, Zhao, Xuanru, Sun, Xiaodong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ablation; Digital Elevation Models; Digital imaging; Dynamic instability; Dynamic stability; Elevation; Flow stability; Glacial lakes; Glacier flow; Glacier velocities; Glaciers; Ice; Instability; Lake floods; Lake ice; Lakes; Landsat; Landsat satellites; Mountains; Radar; Radar imaging; Radar satellites; Remote sensing; SAR (radar); Satellite imagery; Spaceborne remote sensing; Surface velocity; Surging (ship motion); Synthetic aperture radar; Velocity
• ISSN: 2169-9003; 2169-9011
• DOI: 10.1029/2021JF006369

Glacier surging is a dynamic instability that affects the flow of some glaciers, modifying the glacier area, surface velocity, and surface elevation. It is also among the major causes of ice dams and glacier lake floods. Previous studies have shown that in the West Kunlun Mountains| (WKM) where a cluster of surge‐type glaciers had been found, the glaciers were relatively stable in recent years. Nevertheless, the surge cycle and its impact on glacier changes on a regional scale are poorly understood. In this study, we updated the surge‐type glacier inventory of the WKM using the detailed changes in glacier length, surface velocity, and surface elevation during the 1972–2020 period using 78 Landsat optical images, 86 Sentinel‐1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, and three digital elevation models of the WKM. The updated results show that among the 423 glaciers in the WKM, 10 are confirmed as surge‐type glaciers, three are likely surge‐type glaciers, and five are possible surge‐type glaciers. Furthermore, these 18 glaciers account for 63% of the total glacier area. During the period analyzed, there were marked changes in the lengths, areas and surface elevations of all surge‐type glaciers, while those of the non‐surge‐type glaciers were relatively stable. These results appear to indicate that the observed regional trends of glaciers in the WKM recently may be related to the existence of surge‐type glaciers. Furthermore, the surge‐type glacier underwent advance after accelerating for 3–4 years, which could be used to forecast when glacier termini may advance and avoid the possible catastrophic damages. Plain Language Summary Glacier surging is a form of irregular motion of a glacier, which rapidly transports a volume of ice, followed by a longer slowdown period. In this study, we employed a vast archive of optical and synthetic aperture radar satellite images to monitor the glaciers change in the West Kunlun Mountains (WKM). The results revealed the existence of 18 surge‐type glaciers (10 confirmed, 3 likely, and 5 possible) which accounted for 63% of the total area in the WKM. Furthermore, non‐surge‐type glaciers experienced little changes in recent decades, while surge‐type glaciers showed large ice loss. The existence of surge‐type glaciers may affect the assessment of glacier change in this region. Key Points The surge‐type glacier inventory of the West Kunlun Mountains was updated to include 10 confirmed, 3 likely and 5 possible types Surge‐type glaci