Abstract
An updated glacier inventory is important for understanding glacier behavior given the accelerating glacier retreat observed around the world. Here, we present data from new glacier inventory at two time periods (2000, 2020) covering the entire Greater Caucasus (Georgia, Russia, and Azerbaijan). Satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel, SPOT) was used to conduct a remote-sensing survey of glacier change. The 30 m resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM; 17 November 2011) was used to determine aspect, slope and elevations, for all glaciers. Glacier margins were mapped manually and reveal that in 2000 the mountain range contained 2186 glaciers with a total glacier surface area of 1381.5 ± 58.2 km2. By 2020, glacier surface area had decreased to 1060.9 ± 33.6 km2. Of the 2223 glaciers, fourteen have an area > 10 km2 resulting the 221.9 km2 or 20.9 % of total glacier area in 2020. The Bezingi Glacier with an area of 39.4 ± 0.9 km2 was the largest glacier mapped in 2020 database. Our result represents a 23.2 ± 3.8 % (320.6 ± 45.9 km2) or −1.16 % yr−1 reduction in total glacier surface area over the last twenty years in the Greater Caucasus. Glaciers between 1.0 km2 and 5.0 km2 account for 478.1 km2 or 34.6 % in total area in 2000, while it account for 354.0 km2 or 33.4 % in total area in 2020. The rates of area shrinkage and mean elevation vary between the northern and southern and between the western, central, and eastern Greater Caucasus. Area shrinkage is significantly stronger in the eastern Greater Caucasus (−1.82 % yr−1), where most glaciers are very small. The observed increased summer temperatures and decreased winter precipitation along with increased Saharan dust deposition might be responsible for the predominantly negative mass balances of two glaciers with long-term measurements. Both glacier inventories are available from the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) database and can be used for future studies.
Highlights
Glaciers are retreating and losing mass in most regions of the world, largely in response to the ongoing atmospheric warming (Hock et al, 2019; Zemp et al, 2019; Hugonnet et al, 2021)
In this study we present two new glacier inventories for the Greater Caucasus region derived from multi-temporal optical satellite images (Landsat, Sentinel2, SPOT 6/7) in combination with digital elevation models (DEMs) along with the observed changes
We have presented the new Caucasus glacier inventory derived from manual delineation of glacier outlines based on medium-resolution (Landsat, Sentinel) and high-resolution (SPOT) satellite imagery acquired around 2000 and 2020
Summary
Glaciers are retreating and losing mass in most regions of the world, largely in response to the ongoing atmospheric warming (Hock et al, 2019; Zemp et al, 2019; Hugonnet et al, 2021) This knowledge can only be obtained when a baseline dataset (a glacier inventory) is available to calculate glacierspecific information. Glaciers play a significant role in the economy of the Caucasus countries as a major tourist attraction with thousands of visitors each year They are the source of or contribute to severe natural hazards in this region (complete detachment of ice and rock, glacier surging, glacier lake outburst floods) (Evans et al, 2009; Chernomorets et al, 2018; Tielidze et al, 2019), requiring a good understanding of related processes to reduce the impact of future events on human well-being. The comprehensive study of the Caucasus glaciers is crucial for the scientific study of climate change impacts and for societal applications or sustainable regional development
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