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Proglacial river sediment fluxes in the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau: Ming Yong Glacier in the Upper Mekong River
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  • XiXi Lu,
  • Ting Zhang,
  • Boey Lai Hsia,
  • Dongfeng Li,
  • Heather Fair,
  • Samuel Chua,
  • Li Li,
  • Shaojuan Li
XiXi Lu
National University Singapore Department of Geography

Corresponding Author:geoluxx@nus.edu.sg

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Ting Zhang
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Boey Lai Hsia
Yunnan University of Finance and Economics
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Dongfeng Li
National University Singapore Department of Geography
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Heather Fair
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
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Samuel Chua
National University Singapore Department of Geography
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Li Li
Yunnan University of Finance and Economics
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Shaojuan Li
Yunnan University of Finance and Economics
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Abstract

Glacial and proglacial erosion are important sediment sources in a river basin. The retreat of many glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau has important implications on the supply of fresh water and sediment dynamics for downstream river basins. Despite the importance of water and sediment dynamics at these catchments, existing quantification of suspended sediment fluxes from glacial catchments on the Tibetan Plateau is limited due to poor accessibility and challenging environments. This study presents the results of in-situ investigations of water discharge and suspended sediment fluxes from the Ming Yong glacial catchment in Yunnan, Southwest China, between August 2013 and July 2017. The results show that the variation in water discharge and suspended sediment was highly seasonal. The variation of average suspended sediment concentration was large – 69±45 mg/L; 119±104 mg/L; 94±97 mg/L in 2013, 2015, 2016, respectively. We estimate that the sediment yield from Ming Yong catchment was highly variable ranging from 1104 t/km 2/year in 2013to 2281 t/ km 2/year in 2016, with 65-78% of the total annual sediment load occurring during summer (June to August). These annual variations in the sediment yield can be attributed largely to precipitation patterns, or otherwise, extreme melting events. This study has provided a benchmark dataset that can be used for further works that investigate the impact of climate change on sediment dynamics in glacierized catchments in the Tibetan Plateau. Subsequently, the study let us better understand the increasing sediment supply to the Upper Mekong River from glacierized catchments.
28 Mar 2022Submitted to Hydrological Processes
28 Mar 2022Submission Checks Completed
28 Mar 2022Assigned to Editor
28 Mar 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
25 Jul 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
21 Sep 20221st Revision Received
21 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
21 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
21 Sep 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
28 Sep 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
25 Oct 2022Editorial Decision: Accept