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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 30, NO. 16, 1863, doi:10.1029/2003GL017233, 2003

Late-twentieth century changes in glacier extent in the Ak-shirak Range, Central Asia, determined from historical data and ASTER imagery

T. E. Khromova

Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia


M. B. Dyurgerov

Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA


R. G. Barry

National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA


Abstract

Global analysis of glacier regimes reveals widespread wastage since the late 1970s, with a marked acceleration in the late 1980s. We investigate changes in the heavily glacierized Ak-shirak Range, central Tien Shan plateau (43°N, 75°E) using air photo mapping surveys (1943 and 1977), an ASTER imagery (2001), and long term glaciological and meteorological observations. The wasting of the Ak-shirak glacier system features a decrease in average glacier size, and an increase in the area of outcrops. A small shrinkage during 1943–1977 was followed by a greater than 20% reduction during 1977–2001 in response to increases in summer and annual air temperature and decreases in annual precipitation.

Received 28 February 2003; accepted 20 May 2003; published 28 August 2003.

Index Terms: 1863 Hydrology: Snow and ice (1827); 1640 Global Change: Remote sensing; 1827 Hydrology: Glaciology (1863).

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Citation: Khromova, T. E., M. B. Dyurgerov, and R. G. Barry (2003), Late-twentieth century changes in glacier extent in the Ak-shirak Range, Central Asia, determined from historical data and ASTER imagery, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(16), 1863, doi:10.1029/2003GL017233.