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Recent temperature increase recorded in an ice core in the source region of Yangtze River

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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Interests on climate change in the source region of Yangtze River have been raised since it is a region with the greatest warming over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A 70-year history of precipitation δ 18O has been recovered using an ice core record retrieved in a plat portion of the firn area in the Guoqu Glacier (33°34′37.8″N, 91°10′35.3″E, 5720 m a.s.l.), Mt. Geladaindong (the source region of Yangtze River), in November, 2005. By using a significant positive relationship between ice core δ 18O record and summer air temperature (July to September) from the nearby meteorological stations, a history of summer air temperature has been reconstructed for the last 70 years. Summer temperature was relatively low in 1940s and high in 1950s to the middle of 1960s. The lowest temperature occurred in the middle of 1970s. Temperature was low in 1980s and dramatically increased since 1990s, keeping the trend to the beginning of the 21st century. The warming rate recorded in the ice core with 0.5°C/10 a since 1970s is much higher that that in the central TP and the Northern Hemisphere (NH), and it becomes 1.1 °C/10 a since 1990s which is also higher than these from the central TP and the NH, reflecting an accelerated warming and a more sensitive response to global warming in the high elevation region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Kang ShiChang, Zhang YongJun & Zhang QiangGong

  2. Key Laboratory of Cryosphere and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Kang ShiChang, Qin DaHe & Ren JiaWen

  3. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Zhang YongJun & Zhang QiangGong

  4. Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA

    Bjorn Grigholm & Paul A. Mayewski

Authors
  1. Kang ShiChang
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  2. Zhang YongJun
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  3. Qin DaHe
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  4. Ren JiaWen
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  5. Zhang QiangGong
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  6. Bjorn Grigholm
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  7. Paul A. Mayewski
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kang ShiChang.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40401054 and 40121101), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2005CB422004), the “Talent Project” and Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. KZCX3-SW-339 and 334) and Dean Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Kang, S., Zhang, Y., Qin, D. et al. Recent temperature increase recorded in an ice core in the source region of Yangtze River. CHINESE SCI BULL 52, 825–831 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0140-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0140-1

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