Abstract
Some analytical results of the measured runoff during 1950s to 1980s at outlet hydrological stations of 33 main rivers and climatic data collected from 84 meteorological stations in Xinjiang Autonomous Region are presented. Comparison of hydrological and climatic parameters before and after 1980 shows that the spring runoff for most rivers after 1980s increased obviously at a rate of about 10%, though the spring air temperature did not rise very much. Especially. an increment by 20% for alpine runoff is observed during May when intensive snow melting occurred in the alpine region. To the contmy, the runoff in June decreased about 5%. When the summer or annual runoff is taken into account. direct relationship can be found between the change in runoff and the ratio of glacier-coverage, except the runoff in August when the glacier melting is strong, indicating that climatic warming has an obvious effect on the contribution of glacier melting to the runoff increase
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Watson, R., Zinyowera, M., Moss, R. et al.,Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change:Scientific- Technical Analyses, Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, 248–249.
Lai Zuming, Ye Baisheng,Change and Tendency of Runoff in the Northwest Region of China, The Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources in Northwest and North China (in Chinese) (ed. Shi Yafeng), Jinan: Shandong Science and Technology Press, 1994, 95.
Aizen, V., Azeiz, E., Melack, J. et al., Climatic and hydrological changes in the Tien Shan, Central Asia,J. of Climate, 1997, 10(6): 1993.
Pelto, M. A., Changes in glacier and alpine runoff in the North Cascade Range, Washington, USA 1985–1993, Hydrological Processes, 1996, (10): 1173.
Jiang Jiangmin. Liu Rong, An analysis of the climate jump on seasonal and annual atmospheric drought indexes over China,Acta Meteorological Sinica, 1993, 51(2): 237.
Gleiek, P. H., Climate change, hydrology and water resources,Reviews of Geophysics, 1989, 27(3): 329.
Gleick, P. H., The development and testing of a water balance model for climate impacts assessment,Water Resources Research, 1987, 23(6): 1049.
Ye Baisheng, Lai Zuming, Shi Yafeng, The effect of climate change on runoff in the Yili River in the Tianshan Mountains,J. Glaciology and Geocryology, 1996, 18(1): 29.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Project supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No.96-912-01-02) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. U-95231-216)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ye, B., Ding, Y., Kang, E. et al. Response of the snowmelt and glacier runoff to the climate warming-up in the last 40 years in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 42 (Suppl 1), 44–51 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878852
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878852