Bulletin of Glaciological Research ,0 (,**2) --ῌ.*ῌJapanese Society of Snow and Ice

Miaoergou Glaciers in the Kalik Mountains, western China: Report of areconnaissance for future ice core drilling and biological study
Nozomu TAKEUCHI+, Masayoshi NAKAWO,, Hideaki NARITA- and Jiankang HAN,+ Department of Earth Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Chiba University, +ῌ--, Yayoicho, Inage-ku, Chiba-city, Chiba,,0-ῌ2/,,, Japan, National Institutes for the Humanities, Kamiyacho Central Place, .ῌ-ῌ+-, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo +*/ῌ***+, Japan- Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-+3, Nishi-2, Kita-ku, Sapporo, *0*ῌ*2+3, Japan. Research Institute of Environment and Resources, Hunan Normal University, Changsha .+**2+, Hunan, China(Received July ,,, ,**2; Revised manuscript accepted September +, ,**2)

Abstract
Glaciological ﬁeld studies on Miaoergou Glaciers in the Kalik Mountains, western China werecarried out in ,**- and ,**. to investigate the possibility of future ice core drilling and biologicalobservation. Two glaciers, which have dome-shaped accumulation areas at an elevation of approximately ./** m a.s.l., were investigated. Radio-eco soundings showed that the ice thickness at the topof the two glaciers was .-.1 and ,3.0 m, respectively. Snow-pit observations revealed that superimposed ice appeared at ,*ῌ/* cm below the surfaces at the top of both glaciers, indicating thatsigniﬁcant melting had occurred during summer. Analyses of a ,-m-depth ice core drilled on one of
the glaciers showed that it consisted mostly of continuously refrozen ice and that the d+2O varied from
ῌ+/.1῍ to ῌ1.,῍ with a mean of ῌ+*.,῍. In the ice core were three visible dust layers, one of whichcontained various microbes including cyanobacteria. Whereas the d+2O record had proved ratherunsatisfactory as an air temperature proxy due to melt water runo#, a reconstruction of dust
deposition and biological activity on the glacier might be possible using an ice-core study.

+.

Introduction

Several ice cores have been drilled on glaciers inhigh Asian mountains since the late +32*s. These
cores have revealed environmental conditions datingback hundreds to thousands of years in this region
and have signiﬁcantly contributed to our understanding of the climate system in that region (e.g. Thompsonet al., ,**0). These cores have also revealed geographical variations in the climate history of theAsian high plateau. For example, there have been
antisynchroneities in stable isotopes between the eastern and western Tibetan Plateau (Lin et al., +33/), as
well as in accumulations between the eastern andwestern Himalayas (Kaspari et al., ,**2) for the lastthousand years. In order to understand the spatialvariations in former environments and climates in theAsian high plateau, more ice cores need to be recovered from new locations.
Geographical variations can also be made apparent by studying microbial communities living on
those glaciers. Recent studies have revealed diverse
biological communities on many glaciers across theworld (e.g. Kohshima, +321). Such communities usually consist of snow algae, bacteria, micro animals,and insects. These are specialized species that haveadapted to live on snow and ice environments. Community structure and biomass vary among glaciers in
di#erent geographical locations. For example, snow
algal communities di#er on glaciers from northern
Asia (Altai), middle (Tibet), and southern Asia (Himalayas; Takeuchi et al., ,**0). The characteristics oforganic matter derived from such biological activities
also vary on di#erent Asian glaciers (Takeuchi, ,**,b). The biogenic material is usually composed of adark sediment called cryoconite (e.g. Takeuchi et al.,,**+a). These geographical variations in biologicalcommunities and biogenic materials may be due todi#erences in the physical and/or chemical conditions
on glaciers, but they need to be better understood for
future studies of glacial eco-systems and the usefulness of biogenic materials for ice core analysis.
The Kalik Mountains are located at the easternboundary of the Tien Shan Mountains of western
China at elevations up to approximately .2** m a.s.l.
There are more than -* small glaciers in this mountain range, some of which appear promising sites for