HYDROLOGICAL CYCLES ON THE NORTH AND SOUTH PERIPHERIES OF MOUNTAIN–GLACIAL BASINS OF CENTRAL ASIA

✍ Scribed by VLADIMIR AIZEN; ELENA AIZEN

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 439 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6087
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1085(199704)11:5<451::aid-hyp448>3.0.co;2-m

✦ Synopsis

Four high mountain glacial basins of the northern and southern periphery of central Asia were studied to determine their interaction with the external hydrological cycle over the Eurasian continent. Two of them located in the northern periphery are closed drainage basins with continental climate and the other two are open basins located in the southern periphery. Calculations of mass energy exchange, glacial runo and components of the hydrological cycles were conducted. For glaciers with a continental climate, the calculations of snow±ice melt and runo were based on solar parameters. For glaciers with a marine climate regime, glacier melt and runo were based on air temperature. The relative errors of simulated annual ¯ows were, on average, 8±14%. The components of the regional hydrological cycles (precipitation, condensation, runo and evaporation) were quanti®ed for each glacial system and their share in total atmospheric moisture was determined. The closed basins of the northern periphery in central Asia stored annually about 0 . 1±2 . 4% of the total external atmospheric moisture in the Aralo-Caspian and Tarim hydrographic systems. About 0 . 22±0 . 24% of the external water cycle is transferred annually in open glacial basins of the southern periphery. The glaciers of these regions return 0 . 25±0 . 30% of the external water cycle per year to the Paci®c and Indian oceans, 0 . 03% and 0 . 06% of this external moisture is taken from the glacial resources of the Gongga and Xixibangma glaciers.