Impact of Increasing Air Temperature and Skin Temperature on Zhadang Glacier (Tibet)

Detailed analysis of multi sensor (optical and microwave) and automatic weather station data around Zhadang glacier located at Nyainchentangla mountain (7177 m) in Tibet has shown increasing air, surface and skin temperature trend. The tropospheric warming is also observed from the satellite data in the last three decades. The NOAA HYSPILT back-trajectory analysis for different months and different altitudes 1000, 3000, 5000 and 7500 m show transport of air masses in and around Zhadang glaciers from south-west of China, Arabia peninsula crossing over the Indo-gangetic plains and from the neighboring south-eastern countries. Dust particles, soots emitted from forest fires, bio-mass burning and industrial emissions from major cities located in Indo-gangetic plains are various components of the air mass coming around Nyainchentangla mountain that may have influence the observed temperature trend. The observed trend will be discussed in view of the observed mass balance and increasing velocity of glaciers in the region.