Response of glacier and lake covariations to climate change in Mapam Yumco basin on Tibetan plateau during 1974-2003

The study of spatial and temporal covariances of glaciers and lakes would help us to understand the impact of climate change within a basin in Tibet. This study focuses on glacier and lake variations in the Mapam Yumco basin (covering 7 786.44 km2) by integrating series of spatial data from topographic maps and digital satellite images at four different times: 1974, 1990, 1999, and 2003. The results indicate that: (1) decreased lakes, retreated glaciers, enlarged lakes and advanced glaciers co-exist in the basin during the last 30 years; (2) glacier recession was accelerated in recent years due to the warmer climate; (3) lake areas in the basin are both reduced and enlarged by an accelerated speed with more water supplies from speeding melt glaciers or frozen ground in the last three decades.

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