Dataset Information

Increase in occurrence of large glacier-related landslides in the high mountains of Asia.

ABSTRACT: Globally, a large number of glaciers are retreating due to global warming. Along with climate change, glacial melting has been identified as one of the main triggers of landslide activity in high mountain areas. Evaluations of the triggered mechanism alone do not provide comprehensive insight into the overall impact of glacier accumulation and ablation on landslide-induced denudation. To investigate recent trends, we built landslide and glacier datasets for the HMA using a Landsat time-series covering the past 21 years (1998-2018). Landslides that may have been caused by major earthquakes were identified and removed, leaving an inventory that is used to explore changes that may be related to climate change. Our results show a shift in the frequency-area distribution that indicates an increasing trend of large landslides in the HMA over the last decade. A decline in glacier area is associated with the increase in landslide area.

SUBMITTER: Liu J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7811015 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Increase in occurrence of large glacier-related landslides in the high mountains of Asia.

Liu Jia J Wu Yuming Y Gao Xing X

Scientific reports 20210115 1

Globally, a large number of glaciers are retreating due to global warming. Along with climate change, glacial melting has been identified as one of the main triggers of landslide activity in high mountain areas. Evaluations of the triggered mechanism alone do not provide comprehensive insight into the overall impact of glacier accumulation and ablation on landslide-induced denudation. To investigate recent trends, we built landslide and glacier datasets for the HMA using a Landsat time-series co ...[more]

PMID: 33452415

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Project description:Background and aimsGlacier foreland plants are highly threatened by global warming. Regeneration from seeds on deglaciated terrain will be crucial for successful migration and survival of these species, and hence a better understanding of the impacts of climate change on seedling recruitment is urgently needed to predict future plant persistence in these environments. This study presents the first field evidence of the impact of climate change on recruitment success of glacier foreland plants.MethodsSeeds of eight foreland species were sown on a foreland site at 2500 m a.s.l., and at a site 400 m lower in altitude to simulate a 2·7 °C increase in mean annual temperature. Soil from the site of origin was used to reproduce the natural germination substrate. Recruitment success, temperature and water potential were monitored for 2 years. The response of seed germination to warming was further investigated in the laboratory.Key resultsAt the glacier foreland site, seedling emergence was low (0 to approx. 40 %) and occurred in summer in all species after seeds had experienced autumn and winter seasons. However, at the warmer site there was a shift from summer to autumn emergence in two species and a significant increase of summer emergence (13-35 % higher) in all species except two. Survival and establishment was possible for 60-75 % of autumn-emerged seedlings and was generally greater under warmer conditions. Early snowmelt in spring caused the main ecological factors enhancing the recruitment success.ConclusionsThe results suggest that warming will influence the recruitment of glacier foreland species primarily via the extension of the snow-free period in spring, which increases seedling establishment and results in a greater resistance to summer drought and winter extremes. The changes in recruitment success observed here imply that range shifts or changes in abundance are possible in a future warmer climate, but overall success may be dependent on interactions with shifts in other components of the plant community.

Dataset Information

Increase in occurrence of large glacier-related landslides in the high mountains of Asia.

Publications

Increase in occurrence of large glacier-related landslides in the high mountains of Asia.

Similar Datasets

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