Studies of long-term fluctuations in glacier volume and mass are important for understanding past climate change. In this paper, we used Picea schrenkiana to develop a 525-year chronology of latewood blue intensity (LWBI) in the Tianshan Mountains. Relying on temperature as the main controlling factor for tree growth and glacier mass balance (GMB) change, the LWBI chronology was used to reconstruct the summer temperature (JJA, R²_adj = 47%) and the annual glacier mass balance (annual GMB, R²_adj = 39%) in the Tianshan Mountains over the past 400 years. The reconstruction results show that the rapid warming since 1974 has caused the Tianshan No. 1 glacier (TS No.1) to experience an unprecedented melting trend within the last four centuries. The air-sea interaction, solar cycle change, and potential strong volcanic eruption make the glacier mass balance of Tianshan No.1 Glacier fluctuate interannual and interdecadal. It is disturbing that the glacier still remain in an ablation state for the next 80 years under both representative concentration paths (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios, which will exacerbate the adverse environmental impacts of glacial hazards. Our study provides basic data for glacier research in high mountains Asian and shows a window of long-term fluctuations in typical mountain glaciers.

Tree rings; Blue intensity; Glacier mass balance; Tianshan No.1 glacier; Climate change