Glacier changes in the Tien Shan as determined from topographic and remotely sensed data |
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| Authors: | Vladimir B Aizen Valeriy A Kuzmichenok Arzhan B Surazakov Elena M Aizen |
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| Institution: | aDepartment of Geography, College of Science, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 443025, Moscow, Idaho 83844, U.S.A.;bInstitute of Water Problems and Hydro Power, Kyrgyz National Academy of Science, 533 Frunze Str., Bishkek 720033, Kyrgyzstan |
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| Abstract: | This research presents a precise evaluation of the Tien Shan glacier's recession based on data of geodetic surveys 1861–1869, aerial photographs from 1943, 1963, 1977, 1981, 1:25,000 scale topographic maps, SRTM, and ASTER data from 2000/2003 for the Akshiirak glacierized massif in the central Tien Shan with 178 glaciers covering 317.6 km2, and for the Ala Archa glacier basin in the northern Tien Shan with 48 glaciers covering 36.31 km2.The Tien Shan glaciers retreated as much as 3 km from the 1860s to 2003. From 1943 to 1977, Akshiirak and Ala Archa shrunk 4.2% and 5.1% respectively, and from 1977 to 2003 the area shrunk 8.6% and 10.6%, respectively. The volume of the Akshiirak glaciers was reduced by 3.566 km3 from 1943 to 1977 and 6.147 km3 from 1977 to 2000.The total reduction of the Tien Shan glacier is 14.2% during the last 60 yr. The northern and central Tien Shan have not experienced a significant increase of precipitation during the last 100 yr, but they have experienced an increase in summer air temperatures, especially observable since the 1970s, which caused an acceleration of the Tien Shan glaciers recession. |
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| Keywords: | Central Asia Tien Shan glaciers global changes geodetic remote sensed data |
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