Publication: Advances in Polar Science (APS). Antarctic Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, 10~21, June 1991
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Author: Zhang Wenjing and Takashi Yamanouchi
CNARC member: Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC)
Abstract: From the surface mass accumulation data in year of 1987 / 88, the distribution and variation of annual mass balance on Mizuho Plateau are discussed. The authors also analyze the effects of short-term climatic and topographical variations on the mass balance. It is found that there are some differences in spatial distribution and annual average state in the year of 1987 / 88 and other years. In the area at elevation lower than 550 m near the coast, the mass balance appears to be negative. The annual mass balance over 80 km distance from S14 to inland is 0.84m snow depth. A low mass balance zone from 80 km site to Mizuho Station, is considered to be only 0.14 m snow depth. It is found from the comparison of mass balances that the mass-blance level on the glaciers in West China is 9 times higher than that on Mizuho Plateau, where the massblance level appear to be low accumulative and low expensive, but inverse in middle and low latitude regions, such as on glaciers in West China. The effects of short-term climatic and topographical variations or the mass balance are more significant in this year than mean state in many years. In the high accumulation zone the effect of the short-term climatic variation is larger than that of topographical one, while in the low value zone the topographical effect is larger than the climatic variation.
Key words: Mizuho Plateau, mass balance
