You are browsing the archive for Caucasus glacier retreat Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.
May 15, 2017
Azaubashi Glacier Fragmenting, Mount Elbrus, Russia
Azaubashi Glacier (W) and Azau Glacier (A) in 1985 Landsat and 2016 Sentinel Image. Orange arrows indicate particular areas of fragmentation and bedrock expansion. Pink arrows indicate connection with Azau Glacier the terminus of which in 1985 is at red arrow and in 2016 is at yellow arrow. Azaubashi Glacier is on the southwest side of Mount Elbrus, Caucasus Mountains of Russia, merging with the Greater Azau Glacier. The glacier drains …
June 27, 2016
Suatisi Glacier Retreat, Mount Kazbek, Georgia
Comparison of Suatisi Vost (SV) and Suatisi Sredny (SS) in 1986 and 2015 Landsat images. The red arrow is the 1986 terminus and the yellow arrows the 2015 terminus. Point A and B are to areas of expanding bedrock amidst the glacier. Suatisi Vost and Suatisi Sredny Glacier are two glaciers on the south flank of Mount Kazbek in northern Georgia. The region is prone to landslides and debris flows. On …
April 20, 2015
Dzhikiugankez Glacier Poised to Melt Away, Mount Elbrus, Russia.
Dzhikiugankez Glacier (Frozen Lake) is a large glacier on the northeast side of Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in the Caucasus Range. The primary portion of the glacier indicated in the map of the region does not extend to the upper mountain, the adjoining glacier extending to the submit is the Kynchyr Syrt Glacier. The glacier is 5 km long extending from 4000 m to 3200 m. Shahgedanova et al …
March 2, 2014
Kluhor Glacier Retreat, Caucasus Mountains, Russia
Kluhor (Klukhor) Glacier is in the Caucasus Mountains west of Mount Elbrus. It drains into the Teberda River and then the Kuban River and eventually Krasnodar Reservoir and the Black Sea. The Krasnodar Reservoir is primarily a flood control and irrigation management reservoir. Here we examine three glaciers each experiencing the familiar pattern in the Caucasus Mountains of retreat with expansion of proglacial lakes. As the area and number of …
February 27, 2014
Khimsa Glacier Retreat, Georgia
Khimsa Glacier is a rare significant glacier south of the main crest of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. The glacier drains north to the Bzyb River, and then the Black Sea. The rivers upper reach is quite undeveloped and there is no hydropower along the river to date. The glacier flows from an elevation of 3000 m to 2650 m. In 1998 the glacier was 1.6 km long with a …
November 10, 2013
Greater Azau Glacier, Mount Elbrus, Russia
Greater Azau Glacier is on the south slopes of Mount Elbrus, Caucasus Mountains of Russia. The glacier is just west of the ski complex at Prielbrusye, that has lifts from Azau at 2300 m to Krugozor at 3000 m and Mir at 3500 m. This glacier like others on Mount Elbrus and in the Caucasus Mountains is retreating. Shahgedanova et al (2014) of the glaciers on the mountain indicate a 5% …
November 7, 2013
Gora Bashkara Region Glacier Retreat, Western Caucasus, Russia and Georgia
In the vicinity of Bashkara Glacier in the Western Caucasus we examine using Landsat imagery the response of several glacier over the 1998 to 2013 period. This region has been experiencing widespread significant retreat (Shahgedanova et al 2009), with average retreat of 8 m per year due in large part to increased summer temperatures. This region has been an area of increased proglacial lake formation as well Stokes et al …
December 17, 2012
Kirtisho Glacier Retreat, Georgia
The southern flank of the Caucasus Mountains is in the nation of Georgia. Ten kilometers southwest of the Lednik Karaugom Glacier, Russia from the previous post is Kirtisho Glacier a 4.5 km long valley glacier, a small subglacier KS is also examined in this post. The glaciers in the Causcasus Mountains have been undergoing a significant retreat, the USGS, (2010) Satellite Image Atlas of Asia, noted that nearly all of …
December 14, 2012
Lednik Karaugom Glacier Retreat Caucasus Mountains, Russia
Lednik Karaugom Glacier is a large 13 km long, valley glacier in the Caucasus Mountains of Northern Ossetia, Russia. The glacier drains into the Urukh River which joins the Terek River and then flows into the Caspian Sea. This post compares Landsat imagery from 1986, 2010 and 2012, an image from the USGS in 2002 and Google Earth imagery from 2009. This glacier has experienced a general retreat like all …
February 13, 2011
Lednik “Fytnargin” Retreat, Caucasus Range
Most alpine glaciers in the world remain unnamed, many of these are small, but some are just remote. Their story is no different from the named glaciers. An example is the glacier that drains the north side of Gora Fytnargin (4123 m). I will designate this Lednik “Fytnargin” for the purposes of this discussion. This glacier drains north from the boundary of Georgia and North Ossettia, Russia. The terminus is …
Dean of Academic Affairs at Nichols College and Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts since 1989. Glaciologist directing the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project since 1984. This project monitors the mass balance and behavior of more glaciers than any other in North America.