Metadata

Station or cluster: CryoNet Cluster
Type: Basic
WMO ID (if any): 11
Shape: polygon
Latitude, longitude: 43.2, 87.12
Altitude and/or range (m): 500-7443
Landscape: Coastal
Year established: 1959
Year-round? Yes
Operations contact: Zhongqin Li
Science contact: Feiteng Wang
Data contact: Huilin Li
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Tianshan site
Basic CryoNet Cluster Information

The Tianshan Glacier Station, is a state key observatory of China. The station is located on the Urumqi River Basin where the well-known Urumqi Glacier No. 1 is located. Six reference sites are distributed along the Tianshan Montains, and each site contains at least one long-term monitored glacier. These glaciers are Miao’ergou icecap, Bogeda Feng, Kuitun No. 51, Keqikaer, and Shenqi Feng. We also include one reference site located in Altay into East Tianshan Cryosphere Observing Network. The long-term observation of cryospheric components, such as glaciers, snow cover and frozen ground, in the "supersite" was initiated in 1959 with the foundation of Tianshan Glaciological Station (TGS) at the headwater of the Urumqi River. The relevant observations in the seven reference sites have operated regularly since 1998. Today, East Tianshan Cryosphere Observing Network is basically maintained by TGS and generates various observational data on changes in cryospheric components with time, as well as statistical data on the spatial distribution of glacier inventories in East Tianshan. Such parameters are key variables in climate system monitoring; they form a basis for hydrological modeling with respect to possible effects of atmospheric warming on arid and semi-arid lands in central Asia. The current tasks of East Tianshan Cryosphere Observing Network include: (1) in-situ observations with remote sensing data; (2) traditional measurements with new technologies by using an integrated and multi-level strategy; (3) to collect and publish standardized data relating to cryospheric components in regular intervals; (4) to periodically assess ongoing changes; (5) to stimulate satellite observations of cryospheric components in order to reach global coverage;(6) to improve physical process understanding and calibration of numerical models.

Stations in This Site

This site is comprised of the following stations:

Urumqi Glacier No.1 station - CryoNet Station
Miaoergou Ice Cap Station - CryoNet Station
Qingbingtan 72 Glacier station - Contributing Station
Haxilegen Galcier No. 51 station - CryoNet Station

Broad Research Focus

The Tianshan site focus on the basic observation study of glacier and glacier observation regions. Focusing on the glacier, the research includes the following two aspects. One is about the glacier itself, its procedure and system. Through the study of glacier’s physical, chemical and biological process and its biogeochemical cycle, the evolutionary processes and transformation rules of glacier are revealed and the future changes are predicted. The main research includes the observation and monitoring of glacier, the change process of glacier, the mechanism and simulation of glacier, and the record of climate environment. The other is about the mutual effect among the glacier and other elements of cryosphere. The mutual effects among glacier and atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere are studied and multiple effects of glacier change are analyzed, providing scientific and technical support for formulating adaptable policies of glacier change. The main research includes the water rescources of cryosphere, ecological effect, glacier disaster, the adaptive stratigies of glacier change, and so on.

Representativeness of the Cluster

Tianshan site was set up in 1959, a time of beginning glaciology in China. Its foundation was an indication of the start of Chinese glaciology and the change from the field investigation to the located observation experimentations. The study of Urumqi Glacier No.1, Tianshan Mountains has crucial influence on the formation and development of the theory of Chinese glaciology. The international classical glaciology theory was based on the study of ocean glacier and ice sheet, which was short of the observational study of inland glacier. This blankness was completed by the observation research of Tianshan Glaciological Station, which was of great influence on the development of international glaciology.

Other Networks to Which This CryoNet Cluster Belongs

WGMS, UNEP, WDC-D, GCOS (CCOS), IAHS (ICSI), UNSCO

Measurement Methods Used

UNESCO
GTN-G/WGMS

Data Information

Are the data quality controlled? yes
How are the data accessible? other
Data availability (may depend on the variable measured): delayed less than one year, delayed more than one year

Publications

Zhongqin Li, Huilin Li, Yaning Chen. Mechanisms and simulation of accelerated shrinkage of continental glaciers: a case study of Urumqi Glacier No.1 in Eastern Tianshan, Central Asia. Journal of Earth Science, 2011, 22(4), 423-430.
Cunde Xiao, Zhongqin Li, Lin Zhao, Shichang Kang,Yuanqing He, Xiang Qin, Xiaobo He. High Asia cryospheric observation:a proposed network under Global Cryosphere Watch(GCW). Sciences in Cold and Arid Regions, 2012, 4(1), 1-12.

Measurements

The measurements made at Tianshan site are listed in the following tables. This is a combination of measurements made at the stations within the site, where the start and end years in the tables are the earliest and latest years of measurement. (Note: If End Year is blank, measurements are ongoing.)

Cryosphere Measurements

Element	Variable	Start Year
Snow	Depth	2003
Snow	Snow water equivalent	2003
Snow	Snowpack profile	2003
Snow	Chemistry	2003
Freshwater	Thickness	1991
Permafrost	Soil temperature	1980
Permafrost	Active layer depth	1980
Permafrost	Seasonal frost heave/thaw subsidence	1980
Permafrost	Annual surface elevation change	1980
Permafrost	Duration of thaw	1980
Permafrost	Onset of seasonal freezing	1980
Permafrost	Depth of seasonal freezing	1980
Glacier	Accumulation	1959
Glacier	Ablation	1959
Glacier	Annual mass balance	1959
Glacier	Area	1959
Glacier	Winter mass balance	1959
Glacier	Thickness	1980
Glacier	Volume	1980
Glacier	Glacial runoff	1959
Glacier	Glacial discharge	1959
Glacier	Velocity	1959
Glacier	Surface topography	1959
Glacier	Facies, snowline	1959
Glacier	Surface temperature	1980
Glacier	Surface albedo	2004
Glacier	Ice/firn temperature	1980

Atmosphere Measurements

Element	Variable	Start Year
Met	Air temperature	2005
Met	Humidity/vapour pressure	2005
Met	Wind speed and direction	2005
Met	Air pressure	2005
Met	Snowfall	2005
Met	Total precipitation	2005
Met	Rainfall	2005
Met	Aerosols	2005
Radiation	Downwelling shortwave	2005
Radiation	Upwelling shortwave	2005
Radiation	Downwelling longwave	2005
Radiation	Upwelling longwave	2005
Radiation	Sunshine duration	2005

Measurement Notes and Other Measurements

Category	Description or List
Permafrost	0.
Seasonally frozen ground	0.
Glacier	0. 0.
Icesheet	0. 0.
Iceshelf	0. 0.
Iceberg	0. 0.
Atmosphere	0. 0.
Hydrology	Streamflow parameters are measured at three hydrometeorological stations as well as at two meteorological stations at the headwaters of the Urumqi River. The Urumqi glacier No. 1 hydrometeorological station was established in 1959 at the front of Urumqi glacier No. 1 for the purpose of measuring glacial runoff. The other two hydrometeorological stations, Zongkong and Empty Cirque, were constructed in 1981 to measure the runoff from all the seven Urumqi glaciers and from the non-glacial alpine permafrost zone, respectively. 0. 0.
Ecology	0. 0.
Oceanography	0. 0.
Other	0. 0.

Last updated: 31 May 2017