Modern glacier dynamics in Mt. Tsambagarav in the Mongolian Altai Mountain Range
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5564/mgs.v51i0.1458Keywords:
Glacier, Surface Water, Change, LandsatAbstract
This study presents the modern glacier dynamics in Mt. Tsambagarav in the Mongolian Altai Mountain Range over the last four decades. This is the first review of this type of glacier dynamics for this massif. Changes in glacier area in Mt. Tsambagarav are estimated using normalized indexes (Normalized Difference Snow Index and Normalized Difference Principal Component Snow Index). Spatial distribution of the modern glaciers delineated with Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS: resolution of 80 m), Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM: resolution of 30 m) and Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI: resolution of 30 m) imageries. Result shows that Mt. Tsambagarav has lost 51.7% of the glacier area from 132.24 km2 in 1977 to 63.92 km2 in 2017. The loss in glacier area for Mt. Tsambagarav during the last 40 years reflect the rapid response of the modern glacier to climate change, i.e., it is highly sensitive to solar insolation and/or rapidly rising local and regional mean annual temperatures. The remote sensing data and field survey suggest that the modern glaciers would be disappeared on a scale of decades. Rapid melting of the glacier in this massif contributes to surface water resources in western Mongolia. This study demonstrates the importance of spatial analysis in the remote area for understanding the context of changes in the modern glaciers.
Downloads
531
References
Batima, P., Natsagdorj, L., Gomboluudev, P., Erdenetsetseg, B. 2005. Observed Climate Change in Mongolia: AIACC Working Paper, v. 12, 26 p.
Beniston, M., Rebetez, M. 1996. Regional behaviour of minimum temperatures in Switzerland for the period 1979-1993: Theoretical Applied Climatology, v. 55(3/4), p. 231-243. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871739
Blomdin, R., Heyman, J., Stroeven, A.P., Hattestrand, C., Harbor, J.M., Gribenski, N., Jansson, K.N., Petrakov, D.A., Ivanov, M.N., Orkhonselenge, A., Rudoy, A.N., Walther, M. 2016. Glacial Geomorphology of the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains, Central Asia: Journal of Maps, v. 12(1), p. 123-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2014.992177
Brown, R.D. 2000. Northern Hemisphere snow cover variability and change: 1915-1997: Journal of Climate, v. 13, p. 2339-2355. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(2000)013<2339:NHSCVA>2.0.CO;2
Davaa, G. 2010. Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources in Mongolia: Integration of Climate Change Adaptation into Sustainable Development in Mongolia, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Proceedings, p. 30-36.
Davaa, G. 2015. Surface water of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, 202 p. (In Mongolian)
Davaa, G., Oyunbaatar, D. 2012. Surface water resources assessment. In: Gantuul, Sh. (Ed.), Integrated Water Management National Assessment Report, v. I. Government of Mongolia, Ministry of Environment and Green Development, Ulaanbaatar, p. 9-75.
Erdenetuya, M., Khishigsuren, P., Davaa, G., Otgontugs, M. 2006. Glacier change estimation using Landsat TM data: International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science, v. 36(6), p. 242.
Hall, D.K., Foster, J.L., Chien, J.L., Riggs, G.A. 1995. Determination of actual snow-covered area using Landsat TM and digital elevation model data in Glacier National Park, Montana: Polar Record, v. 31(177), p. 191-198. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247400013693
Jigj, S. 1976. Brief Description of Paleoglaciations and Paleoglaciers: Ulaanbaatar, 51 p. (In Mongolian)
Kadota, T., Davaa, G. 2007. Recent glacier variations in Mongolia: Annals of Glaciology, p. 185-188. https://doi.org/10.3189/172756407782871675
Kamp, U., McManigal, K.G., Dashtseren, A., Walther, M. 2013. Documenting glacial changes between 1910, 1970, 1992 and 2010 in the Turgen Mountains, Mongolian Altai, using repeat photographs, topographic maps, and satellite imagery: The Geographical Journal, v. 179(3), p. 248-263. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-4959.2012.00486.x
Kulkarni, A.V., Srinivasulu, J., Manjul, S.S., Mathur, P. 2002. Field based spectral reflectance studies to develop NDSI method for snow cover monitoring: Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, v. 30(1-2), p. 73-80. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02989978
Kulkarni, A.V., Singh, S.K., Mathur, P., Mishra, V.D. 2006. Algorithm to monitor snow cover using AwiFs data of RESOURCESAT-1 for the Himalayan region: International Journal of Remote Sensing, v. 27 (12), p. 2449-2457. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160500497820
Lehmkuhl, F. 2012. Holocene glaciers in the Mongolian Altai: an example from the Turgen-Kharkhiraa Mountains: Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, v. 52, p. 12-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2011.11.027
Lehmkuhl, F., Klinge, M., Stauch, G. 2004. The extent of Late Pleistocene glaciations in the Altai and Khangai Mountains: In Ehlers J. and Gibbard P.L. (Eds.), Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology, Part III, p. 243-454, Amsterdam: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1571-0866(04)80130-1
Liu, Y., Wu, J., Liu, Y., Hu, B.X., Hao Y, Huo, X., Fan, Y., Yeh, T.J., Wang, Z.L. 2015. Analyzing effects of climate change on streamflow in a glacier mountain catchment using an ARMA model: Quaternary International, v. 358, p. 137-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.10.001
Murzaev, E.M. 1952. The description of Physical Geography of Mongolia: Moscow. (In Russian)
Myagmarsuren, D., Namkhai, A. 2015. Protected areas of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, 87 p. (In Mongolian)
Negi, H.S., Kulkarni, A.V., Semwal, B.S. 2009. Estimation of snow cover distribution in Beas basin, Indian Himalaya using satellite data and ground measurements: Journal of Earth System Science, v. 118(5), p. 525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-009-0039-0
Orkhonselenge, A. 2016. Glacial Geomorphology of Mt. Munkh Saridag in the Khuvsgul Mountain Range, Northern Mongolia: Géomorphologie: relief, processus, environnement, v. 22(4), p. 389-398. https://doi.org/10.4000/geomorphologie.11596
Orkhonselenge, A., Harbor, J.M. 2018. Impacts of Modern Glacier Changes on Surface Water Resources in Western and Northern Mongolia: Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 10 (6), p. 559-576. https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2018.106031
Pope, A., Rees, W.G. 2014. Impact of spectral, and radiometric properties of multispectral imagers on glacier surface classification: Remote Sensing of Environment, v. 141, p. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2013.08.028
Sanjmyatav, Z. 2009. Physical Geography of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, 34 p. (In Mongolian)
Sibandze, P., Mhangara, P., Odindi, J., Kganyago, M. 2014. A comparison of Normalised Difference Snow Index (NDSI) and Normalised Difference Principal Component Snow Index (NDPCSI) techniques in distinguishing snow from related land cover types: South African Journal of Geomatics, v. 3(2), p. 197-206. https://doi.org/10.4314/sajg.v3i2.6
Tsegmid, Sh. 1969. Physical Geography of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar, 405 p. (In Mongolian)
Xiao, X., Moore, B., Qin, X., Shen, Z., Boles, S. 2002. Large-scale observations of alpine snow and ice cover in Asia: Using multi-temporal VEGETATION sensor data: International Journal of Remote Sensing, v. 23(11), p. 2213-2228. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160110076180
Yang, D., Robinson, D., Zhao, Y., Estilow, T., Ye, B. 2003. Streamflow response to seasonal snow cover extent changes in large Siberian watersheds: Journal of Geophysics Research, v. 108, p. 4578. https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD003149
Zhou, X., Li, S. 2003. Comparison between in situ and MODIS-derived spectral reflectances of snow and sea ice in the Amundsensea, Antarctica: International Journal of Remote Sensing, v. 24(24), p. 5011-5032. https://doi.org/10.1080/0143116031000070346
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright on any research article in the Mongolian Geoscientist is retained by the author(s).
The authors grant the Mongolian Geoscientist a license to publish the article and identify itself as the original publisher.
Articles in the Mongolian Geoscientist are Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License CC BY.
This license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.