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The impacts of warming on rapidly retreating high-altitude, low-latitude glaciers and ice core-derived climate records
Global and Planetary Change ( IF 3.9 ) Pub Date : 2021-06-05 , DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103538
Lonnie G. Thompson , Mary E. Davis , Ellen Mosley-Thompson , Stacy E. Porter , Gustavo Valdivia Corrales , Christopher A. Shuman , Compton J. Tucker

Alpine glaciers in the low- and mid-latitudes respond more quickly than large polar ice sheets to changes in temperature, precipitation, cloudiness, humidity, and radiation. Many high-altitude glaciers are monitored by ground observations, aerial photography, and satellite-borne sensors. Regardless of latitude and elevation, nearly all nonpolar glaciers and ice caps are undergoing mass loss, which compromises the records of past climate preserved within them. Almost without exception, the retreat of these ice fields is persistent, and a very important driver is the recent warming of the tropical troposphere and oceans. Here we present data on the decrease in the surface area of four glaciers from low- to mid-latitude mountainous regions: the Andes of Peru and northern Bolivia, equatorial east Africa, equatorial Papua, Indonesia, and the western Tibetan Plateau. Climate records based on oxygen isotopic ratios (δ18O) measured in ice cores drilled from several glaciers in these regions reveal that the records from elevations below ~6000 m above sea level have been substantially modified by seasonal melting and the movement of meltwater through porous upper firn layers. Fortunately, δ18O records recovered from higher altitude sites still contain well-preserved seasonal variations to the surface; however, the projected increase in the rate of atmospheric warming implies that climate records from higher elevation glaciers will eventually also be degraded. A long-term ice core collection program on the Quelccaya ice cap in Peru, Earth's largest tropical ice cap, illustrates that the deterioration of its climate record is concomitant with the increase in mid-troposphere temperatures. The melting ice and resulting growth of proglacial lakes presents an imminent hazard to nearby communities. The accelerating melting of glaciers, if sustained, ensures the eventual loss of unique and irreplaceable climate histories, as well as profound economic, agricultural, and cultural impacts on local communities.



中文翻译:

变暖对快速退缩的高海拔、低纬度冰川和冰芯衍生气候记录的影响

低纬度和中纬度的高山冰川比大的极地冰盖对温度、降水、云量、湿度和辐射的变化的反应更快。许多高海拔冰川通过地面观测、航空摄影和卫星传感器进行监测。无论纬度和海拔如何,几乎所有非极地冰川和冰盖都在经历质量损失,这损害了保存在其中的过去气候记录。几乎无一例外,这些冰原的退缩是持久的,一个非常重要的驱动因素是最近热带对流层和海洋的变暖。在这里,我们提供了中低纬度山区四个冰川表面积减少的数据:秘鲁的安第斯山脉和玻利维亚北部、赤道东非、赤道巴布亚、印度尼西亚、和青藏高原西部。基于氧同位素比 (δ18 O) 在从这些地区的几个冰川中钻出的冰芯中测量表明,海拔约 6000 米以下的海拔的记录已因季节性融化和融水通过多孔的上层冷杉层的运动而发生了实质性的改变。幸运的是,δ 18从高海拔地点恢复的 O 记录仍然包含保存完好的地表季节性变化;然而,大气变暖速度的预计增加意味着高海拔冰川的气候记录最终也会退化。秘鲁 Quelccaya 冰盖(地球上最大的热带冰盖)上的一项长期冰芯收集计划表明,其气候记录的恶化伴随着对流层中部温度的升高。冰川融化和由此产生的前冰湖的增长对附近社区构成了迫在眉睫的危险。冰川加速融化,如果持续下去,将确保最终失去独特和不可替代的气候历史,以及对当地社区的深刻经济、农业和文化影响。

更新日期:2021-06-18
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