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As the major water resource of the Tarim River, glaciers in the Tomor region have suffered major losses of ice in the last several decades.Based on comparing topographic maps, high-resolution remote sense image and the field survey data, spatially distributed changes of ice-surface elevation, terminus position and area of four selected glaciers in the Tomor region (Qingbingtan glacier No.72, Qingbingtan glacier No.74, Keqikekuzibayi glacier and Tomor glacier) over the period 1964-2009 have been computed in this study.The ice surface-elevation changes of Qingbingtan glacier No.72 had been studied by comparing DEMs derived at different periods.This approach allowed the determination of ice surface-elevation changes between 1964 and 2008, yielding a mean thinning rate of-0.22±0.14 m a-1 for the tongue area.From 1964 to 2009, Qingbingtan glacier No.72, Qingbingtan glacier No.74, Keqikekuzibayi glacier and Tomor glacier retreated by 1852 m, 1350 m, 985 m and 135 m with an annual retreat of 41.1 m, 30.0 m, 22.9 m and 3.0 m, respectively.The 21.5 %, 14.7 %, 4.1% and 0.3 % area reduction as observed over the past ~50 years corresponds to the area reduction rate of 0.034 km2 a-l, 0.031 km2 a-1, 0.041 km2 a-1 and 0.021 km2 a-1 for Qingbingtan glacier No.72, Qingbingtan glacier No.74, Keqikekuzibayi glacier and Tomor glacier, respectively.This dramatic ice thinning and the related terminus retreat and area loss of the four glaciers suggests that glaciers in the Tomor region might currently be suffering negative mass balance in response to the ongoing climatic changes, especially the temperature rising, as well as debris cover would not prevent the glaciers from a fast reaction to climate forcing.