Spatial Variation in Spring Surface Temperature of the Qiumianleiketage Glacier in the Kunlun Mountains,Tibetan Plateau, and Their Influencing Factors

Based on the measured surface temperature data on the Qiumianleiketage Glacier in the Kunlun Mountains,Tibetan Plateau,in the spring of 2013,it was found that:1)the glacier surface(covered by firn)temperature was lower in the clear day than in the cloudy or overcast day,which might be caused by that some parts of energy absorbed by the glacier surface were consumed for the firn surface melting rather than for the firn surface temperature increasing in the clear day;2)the glacier surface temperature decreased with increasing altitude with a lapse rate of 0.58 ℃·(100m)-1 in the clear day,which is slightly lower than the local free-air lapse rate;3)the depth of firn on the glacier surface could exert an important influence on the surface temperature in the clear day,and there was a significant positive relationship between them,which showed that the firn surface temperature increased by 0.46℃ while the depth of firn increased by 10cm.By comprehensive analysis of the surface temperature data from the glaciers over the Tibetan Plateau,it was revealed that the diurnal amplitude of glacier surface temperature was small,only about several degrees,under the condition that the melting occurred on the glacier surface.