Region-wide glacier mass budgets for the Tanggula Mountains between ∼1969 and ∼2015 derived from remote sensing data

Temporal changes in the properties of glaciers located on the central Tibetan Plateau are a sensitive indicator of climate change and the water supply. To estimate the region-wide glacier budgets for three study sites covering the region extending from West-Geladandong to Bugyai Kangri, we compared 1968/1969 topographic maps, the 2000 SRTM DEM, and recent ASTER DEMs for glacier mass budget calculations. Between similar to 1969 and similar to 2015, the specific mass budget was -0.31 +/- 0.05 m w.e. a(-1) for the entire Tanggula Mountains, which is lower than the global average. This ongoing mass loss is mainly caused by increasing summer temperatures since the 1960s. Heterogeneous glacier behavior can be explained by a combination of factors, including meteorological conditions, proglacial lakes, and surge-type glaciers.