The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced amplified warming in recent decades, causing glaciers to melt and affecting river runoff. It is well established that the southern and northern areas of the TP have responded to climate changes differently, with the north dominated by a westerly climate and the south by the Indian monsoon. While there are more glaciers in the TP than in any other region outside the polar areas, most of these glaciers are tiny, and only a limited number of them have been monitored to study mass balance and downward runoff. This study used the mass balance measured at two glaciers along with in situ and satellite data to drive a hydrological model called the Alpine Runoff Predictor that includes glacier melt to simulate glacial melting and the accompanying hydrological processes of the two glacierized basins, analyze their contributions to the river runoffs, and investigate their responses to local climate changes. The results show that the glacier meltwater in both river basins showed an increasing trend, with values of 0.001 × 10⁸ m³ a⁻¹ in the Kyanjing River basin and 0.0095 × 10⁸ m³ a⁻¹ in the Tuole River basin. However, their multi-year average contributions to the runoff were 12.5% and 5.6%, respectively. In contrast to the Tuole River basin, where runoff is increasing (0.0617 × 10⁸ m³ a⁻¹), the Kyanjing River basin has decreasing runoff (−0.0216 × 10⁸ m³ a⁻¹) as a result of decreasing precipitation. This result highlights the dominant role played by precipitation changes in the two basins under study, which are characterized by small glacier meltwater contributions.

The climate warming over the Third Pole is twice as large as that in other regions and glacier mass loss is considered to be more intensive in the region. However, due to the vast geographical differences, the characteristics of glacier mass loss might be very different between different parts of the Third Pole, such as between the southern and northern Third Pole. It is, therefore, very important to clarify the characteristics of glacier mass loss between different parts of the Third Pole, particularly between the southern and northern Third Pole. We selected the Yala Glacier in the Central Himalayas and the Qiyi Glacier in the Qilian Mountains to study the different characteristics of glacier mass loss between the southern and northern Third Pole using remote sensing data and in situ data. Based on the results, we found that the Yala Glacier has not only been in a status of mass loss but also in a status of intensive and accelerating mass loss. Our analysis showed that the average multi-year mass loss of the Yala Glacier is −736 mm w.e.a⁻¹, with a maximum of −1815 mm w.e.a⁻¹. At the same time, the Qiyi Glacier has experienced a mild glacier mass loss process compared with the Yala Glacier. The Qiyi Glacier’s mass loss is −567 mm w.e.a⁻¹ with a maximum of −1516 mm w.e.a⁻¹. Our results indicate that the mass loss of the Yala Glacier is much stronger than that of the Qiyi Glacier. The major cause of the stronger mass loss of the Yala Glacier is from the decrease of glacier accumulation associated with precipitation decrease under the weakening Indian monsoon. Other factors have also contributed to the more intensive mass loss of the Yala Glacier.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) has experienced twice as much global warming as other locations, and the region is thought to be experiencing more intense glacier melting than other places. The parameters of glacier melt, for example, may differ significantly between the southern and northern Tibetan Plateaus due to the enormous geographic disparities. Therefore, it is crucial to define the characteristics of melting between various Tibetan Plateau regions, especially between the southern and northern Tibetan Plateau. We investigated the differences in the glacier mass balance and runoff in each region using an ARP model. In each of the southern and northern patterns, where the melting process is less intensive under increasing precipitation and improving westerly winds by the north, we have observed rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation along with a weakening Indian monsoon by the south. Enhanced glacier meltwater does not affect runoff by much because the glacier only covers a small region. The runoff that is dominated by precipitation falls in the southern TP and rises in the northern TP.