摘要：This study focuses on ice thickness distribution and calculation of the area, terminus, and velocity changes of Haxilegen Glacier No. 51 in the Kuytun River Basin of the eastern Tianshan Mountains, during 1964–2010. The ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey indicated that the maximum and the mean thicknesses are 73 m and 39 m for this glacier, respectively. The glacier area decreased from 1.48 km 2 to 1.32 km 2 (10.8%), and its terminus retreated with a rate of 2.3 m a −1 between 1964 and 2010. The area change of this glacier is smallest in the eastern Tianshan Mountains, but it experienced a large volume decrease, nearly 30% mass loss during the period 1980s–2010. The ice velocity is within a range of 1.5–3.1 m a −1 for the observation period of 2000–2006. The persistent glacier shrinkage is mainly attributed to intensive rise of the local temperature and has an important impact on river runoff.
