Assessment of area, volume and ELA of glacial systems in Northeast Russia from satellite images in the beginning of XXI century

• Main Author: M. D. Ananicheva
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Nauka 2015-03-01
• Series: Lëd i Sneg
• Subjects: aspect of glacier; equilibrium line altitude; glacier area; morphological type; space image; the ussr glacier inventory
• Online Access: https://ice-snow.igras.ru/jour/article/view/22

The paper compares remotely sensed glacier inventories of the Byrranga, Suntar-Khayata, and Chersky ranges (2003), Koryak Highland and Chukotka mountains (2008) with data from the Inventory of Glaciers of the USSR (1945–1985). We studied changes in glacier area since the Inventory, which was primarily based on aerial photos and field research. The glaciers have been classified by orientation (aspect) and morphological type. Overall the glacierization of the Chersky Range (1970–2003), Suntar-Khayata (1945–2003), Byrranga (1967–2003), Koryak Highland (1950–2003) and Meynypilginsky Range (1984–2008) reduced by about 30, 20, 15, 60 (debatable value) and 25% respectively due to summer temperature rise. Calculation of glacier volumes for the dates indicated in the USSR Glacier Inventory and satellite imagery: during this period in sum for 5 studied glacier regions the area, covered by ice, has decreased by 225.2 km², and ice volume – by 8.7 Gtg. Construction of spatial patterns (maps) of current ELA for 3 different by climate mountain regions – the Suntar-Khayata Mountains– Chersky Range, and Meynypilgynsky Range ( North Far East), showed that despite of retreat of the glaciers, the mean ELA change for the first studied region is not large compared with the data from the Glacier Inventory (100 m ), and significant for the second (100–150 m).