Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China

Extreme heat events in the summer of 2022 were observed in Eurasia, North America and China. Glaciers are a unique indicator of climate change, and the European Alps experienced substantial glacier mass loss as a result of the conditions in 2022, which prompted a wide range of community concerns. Ho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chunhai Xu, Huilin Li, Feiteng Wang, Zhongqin Li, Ping Zhou, Shuangshuang Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2024-01-01
Series:Journal of Glaciology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143024000042/type/journal_article
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841526437242208256
author Chunhai Xu
Huilin Li
Feiteng Wang
Zhongqin Li
Ping Zhou
Shuangshuang Liu
author_facet Chunhai Xu
Huilin Li
Feiteng Wang
Zhongqin Li
Ping Zhou
Shuangshuang Liu
author_sort Chunhai Xu
collection DOAJ
description Extreme heat events in the summer of 2022 were observed in Eurasia, North America and China. Glaciers are a unique indicator of climate change, and the European Alps experienced substantial glacier mass loss as a result of the conditions in 2022, which prompted a wide range of community concerns. However, relevant findings for glaciers in China have not been currently reported. Here, we document the response of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in the eastern Tien Shan to the extreme heat observed in 2022 based on in situ measurements that span more than 60 years. In 2022, Urumqi Glacier No. 1 exhibited the second largest annual mass loss on record, and the summer mass balance was the most negative on record. The hottest summer on record and relatively lower solid precipitation ratio contributed to the exceptional mass losses at Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in 2022, demonstrating the significant influence of heatwaves on extreme glacier melt in China.
format Article
id doaj-art-8b5272633ed146129a7450077f54b7c3
institution Kabale University
issn 0022-1430
1727-5652
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Cambridge University Press
record_format Article
series Journal of Glaciology
spelling doaj-art-8b5272633ed146129a7450077f54b7c32025-01-16T21:48:52ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522024-01-017010.1017/jog.2024.4Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, ChinaChunhai Xu0Huilin Li1Feiteng Wang2Zhongqin Li3Ping Zhou4Shuangshuang Liu5State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science/Tien Shan Glaciological Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaExtreme heat events in the summer of 2022 were observed in Eurasia, North America and China. Glaciers are a unique indicator of climate change, and the European Alps experienced substantial glacier mass loss as a result of the conditions in 2022, which prompted a wide range of community concerns. However, relevant findings for glaciers in China have not been currently reported. Here, we document the response of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in the eastern Tien Shan to the extreme heat observed in 2022 based on in situ measurements that span more than 60 years. In 2022, Urumqi Glacier No. 1 exhibited the second largest annual mass loss on record, and the summer mass balance was the most negative on record. The hottest summer on record and relatively lower solid precipitation ratio contributed to the exceptional mass losses at Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in 2022, demonstrating the significant influence of heatwaves on extreme glacier melt in China.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143024000042/type/journal_articleclimate changeglacier mass balanceglacier monitoringheatwavesUrumqi Glacier No.1
spellingShingle Chunhai Xu
Huilin Li
Feiteng Wang
Zhongqin Li
Ping Zhou
Shuangshuang Liu
Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China
Journal of Glaciology
climate change
glacier mass balance
glacier monitoring
heatwaves
Urumqi Glacier No.1
title Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China
title_full Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China
title_fullStr Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China
title_full_unstemmed Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China
title_short Heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for Urumqi Glacier No. 1, China
title_sort heatwaves in summer 2022 forces substantial mass loss for urumqi glacier no 1 china
topic climate change
glacier mass balance
glacier monitoring
heatwaves
Urumqi Glacier No.1
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143024000042/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT chunhaixu heatwavesinsummer2022forcessubstantialmasslossforurumqiglacierno1china
AT huilinli heatwavesinsummer2022forcessubstantialmasslossforurumqiglacierno1china
AT feitengwang heatwavesinsummer2022forcessubstantialmasslossforurumqiglacierno1china
AT zhongqinli heatwavesinsummer2022forcessubstantialmasslossforurumqiglacierno1china
AT pingzhou heatwavesinsummer2022forcessubstantialmasslossforurumqiglacierno1china
AT shuangshuangliu heatwavesinsummer2022forcessubstantialmasslossforurumqiglacierno1china