Ice processes and surface ablation in a shallow thermokarst lake in the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Wenfeng Huang; Runling Li; Hongwei Han; Fujun Niu; Qingbai Wu; Wenke Wang

doi:10.3189/2016AoG71A016

Annals of Glaciology (Mar 2016)

Ice processes and surface ablation in a shallow thermokarst lake in the central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Wenfeng Huang,
Runling Li,
Hongwei Han,
Fujun Niu,
Qingbai Wu,
Wenke Wang

Affiliations

Wenfeng Huang: Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region, Chang’an University, Ministry of Education, Chang’an, China State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Runling Li: State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
Hongwei Han: State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China
Fujun Niu: State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Qingbai Wu: State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
Wenke Wang: Key Laboratory of Subsurface Hydrology and Ecological Effects in Arid Region, Chang’an University, Ministry of Education, Chang’an, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3189/2016AoG71A016
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 57
pp. 20 – 28

Abstract

Read online

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is characterized by a cold climate and a large number of lakes. The long ice season necessitates study of the widespread ice covers in the region. An unprecedented multidisciplinary field campaign was conducted on lake ice processes in the central QTP during the period 2019–13. The study lake generally froze up in late October or early November, and broke up in mid or late April, with a maximum ice thickness of 50–70 cm. The mass balances at both ice surface and bottom were measured continuously. Significant ice surface sublimation/ablation was detected and accounted for up to 40% of the whole ice thickness over the ice season. A simple heat-transfer model was developed for the surface ice loss. The calculated values were in good agreement with the observations. They also indicated that atmospheric conditions, including low air humidity and prevailing strong winds, are the primary drivers of the ice surface sublimation.

Published in Annals of Glaciology

ISSN: 0260-3055 (Print); 1727-5644 (Online)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Physics: Meteorology. Climatology
Website: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/annals-of-glaciology

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords