Spatial variability in degree-day factors in Yarlung Zangbo River Basin in China

doi:10.7523/j.issn.2095-6134.2018.05.018

Abstract

Abstract: Degree-day model, based on a linear relationship between glacier/snow ablation and positive accumulated temperature, is widely used for estimating glacier and snow melt for its simplicity and outstanding performance. However, degree-day factor (DDF), as the most important parameter in this model, is difficult to obtain in an extensive region, especially in Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, which is the highest basin in the world and characterized by rugged and complex terrain. With the development of distributed hydrological model, increasing demand for spatial dataset of DDFs has become a challenging issue in the relevant fields. The objective of this study is to develop an algorithm to spatially estimate the positive DDFs based on available observed DDFs. Topographical factors are fully taken into account to correlate with DDFs, and spatial DDFs in moderate resolution are generated by stepwise and neighboring mean filtering improved in this study. Finally, the produced DDFs are indirectly validated by snow lines in different orientations, and the correlation coefficient of up to 0.82 proves that the DDFs generated in the present study are reasonable in applications. The spatial distribution of DDFs in Yarlung Zangbo River Basin shows that DDFs in downstream were lower than those in upstream and midstream, which is probably because there is less precipitation and more solar radiation in upstream and midstream than in downstream, due to monsoon from India Ocean. To better estimate glacial meltwater runoff and manage water resources in Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, further studies on spatial variability in DDFs are yet needed.

Key words: glacier, degree-day factor, Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, topographical factors, spatial variability

CLC Number:

P467

LIU Jinping, ZHANG Wanchang. Spatial variability in degree-day factors in Yarlung Zangbo River Basin in China[J]. , 2018, 35(5): 704-711.

References

[1] Sirguey P, Still H, Cullen N J, et al. Reconstructing the mass balance of Brewster Glacier, New Zealand, using MODIS-derived glacier-wide albedo[J]. The Cryosphere, 2016, 10(5):2465-2484.
[2] Hock R. Glacier melt:a review of processes and their modelling[J]. Progress in Physical Geography, 2005, 29(3):362-391.
[3] Hock R. Temperature index melt modelling in mountain areas[J]. Journal of Hydrology, 2003, 282(1-4):104-115.
[4] Cui Y H, Ye B S, Wang J, et al. Analysis of the spatial-temporal variations of the positive degree-day factors on the Glacier No.1 at the headwaters of the Urumqi river[J]. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology, 2010, 32(2):265-274.
[5] Schreider S Y, Whetton P H, Jakeman A J, et al. Runoff modelling for snow-affected catchments in the Australian alpine region, eastern Victoria[J]. Journal of Hydrology, 1997, 200(1):1-23.
[6] Braithwaite R J, Olesen O B. Seasonal variation of ice ablation at the margin of the Greenland ice sheet and its sensitivity to climate change, Qamanârssûp sermia, West Greenland[J]. Journal of Glaciology, 1993, 39(132):267-274.
[7] Braithwaite R J. Positive degree-day factors for ablation on the Greenland ice sheet studied by energy-balance modelling[J]. Journal of Glaciology,1995, 41(137):153-160.
[8] Braithwaite R J, Konzelmann T, Marty C, et al. Errors in daily ablation measurements in northern Greenland, 1993-94, and their implications for glacier climate studies[J]. Journal of Glaciology, 1998,44(148):583-588.
[9] Liu Z, Yao Z, Huang H, et al. Land use and climate changes and their impacts on runoff in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, China[J]. Land Degradation & Development, 2014, 25(3):203-215.
[10] Zhang Y, Liu S Y, Ding Y J. Observed degree-day factors and their spatial variation on glaciers in western China[J]. Annals of Glaciology, 2006, 43(1):301-306.
[11] Ambach W. Interpretation of the positive-degree-days factor by heat balance characteristics-West Greenland[J]. Hydrology Research, 1988, 19(4):217-224.
[12] You Q L, Kang S C, Yan Y P, et al. Climate change over the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin during 1961-2005[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2007, 17(4):409-420.
[13] Liu T S, Zhang X S, Xiong S F, et al. Glacial environments on the Tibetan Plateau and global cooling[J]. Quaternary International, 2002, 97(2):133-139.
[14] Liu T C. Hydrological characteristics of Yalungzangbo river[J]. Acta Geographica Sinica, 1999, 54(S1):157-164.
[15] Yao T D, Li Z G, Yang W, et al. Glacial distribution and mass balance in the Yarlung Zangbo River and its influence on lakes[J]. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2010, 55(20):2072-2078.
[16] Qiao C J, He X B, Ye. B S. Study of the degree-day factors for snow and ice on the Dongkemadi glacier, Tanggula range[J]. Journal of Glaciology & Geocryology, 2010, 32(2):257-264.
[17] Wu Q R, Kang S C, Gao T G, et al. The characteristics of the positive degree-day factors of the Zhadang glacier on the Nyainqêntanglha range of Tibetan plateau, and its application[J]. Journal of Glaciology & Geocryology, 2010, 32(5):891-897.
[18] Bhakta K R, Ageta Y, Nakawo M. Positive degree-day factors for ablation on glaciers in the Nepalese Himalayas:Case study on glacier AX010 in Shorong Himal, Nepal[J]. Bulletin of Glaciological Research, 2000, 17:1-10.
[19] Singh P, Kumar N, Arora M. Degree-day factors for snow and ice for Dokriani glacier, Garhwal Himalayas[J]. Journal of Hydrology, 2000, 235(1/2):1-11.
[20] Braithwaite R, Zhang Y. Sensitivity of mass balance of five Swiss glaciers to temperature changes assessed by tuning a degree-day model[J]. Journal of Glaciology, 2000, 46(152):7-14.
[21] Liu W G, Xiao C D, Liu J S, et al. Study of the degree factors on the Rongbuk glacier in the Mt. Qomolangma, Central Himalayas[J]. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology, 2014,36(5):1101-1110.
[22] Zhang C W, Tang J K, Yu X J, et al. Quantitative retrieval of soil salt content based on remote sensing in the Yellow River delta[J]. Journal of Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2013, 30(2):220-227.
[23] Wang P Y, Wei L S. Small sample properties of a kind of linear estimation in linear regression model[J]. Journal of Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2009, 26(3):296-302.
[24] Jennrich, Sampson P F. Application of stepwise regression to non-linear estimation[J]. Technometrics, 1968, 10(1):63-72.
[25] Rakshit S, Ghosh A, Shankar B U. Fast mean filtering technique (FMFT)[J]. Pattern Recognition, 2007, 40(3):890-897.
[26] Jones J A A. Climate change and sustainable water resources:placing the threat of global warming in perspective[J]. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 1999, 44(4):541-557.
[27] Zhu C D, Lu Y, Shi H L, et al. Spatial and temporal patterns of the inter-annual oscillations of glacier mass over Central Asia inferred from gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE) data[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2017, 9(1):87-97.
[28] Yi S, Sun W K. Evaluation of glacier changes in high-mountain Asia based on 10 year GRACE RL05 models[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research:Solid Earth, 2014, 119(3):2504-2517.
[29] Che T, Li X, Jin R, et al. Snow depth derived from passive microwave remote-sensing data in China[J]. Annals of Glaciology, 2008, 49(1):145-154.