Manifestations and mechanisms of the Karakoram glacier Anomaly.
Nat Geosci
; 13(1): 8-16, 2020 Jan.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31915463
ABSTRACT
Global-scale glacier shrinkage is one of the most prominent signs of ongoing climatic change. However, important differences in glacier response exist at the regional scale, and evidence has accumulated that one particular region stands out the Karakoram. In the past two decades, the region has shown balanced to slightly positive glacier budgets, an increase in glacier ice-flow speeds, stable to partially advancing glacier termini, and widespread glacier surge activity. This is in stark contrast to the rest of High Mountain Asia, where glacier retreat and slowdown dominate, and glacier surging is largely absent. Termed the Karakoram Anomaly, recent observations show that the anomalous glacier behaviour partially extends to the nearby Western Kun Lun and Pamir. Several complementary explanations have now been presented for explaining the Anomaly's deeper causes, but the understanding is far from being complete. Whether the Anomaly will continue to exist in the coming decades remains unclear, but its long-term persistence seems unlikely in light of the considerable warming anticipated by current projections of future climate.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Nat Geosci
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Suíça