Abstract
The paper describes the characteristics and behavior of unstable glaciers in the Pamirs, central Asia, over the last 30 years. These glaciers are divided into three groups: glaciers with registered surges; glaciers with signs of current instability; glaciers with signs of instability in the recent past. Examples are given to illustrate the nature of glacier fluctuations at a time of general glacier retreat in the Pamirs. A description is given of the evolution of Medvezhiy surging glacier, which was the subject of detailed annual observation from 1963 to 1991. Comparative characteristics of two building-up stages of this glacier, 1964–72 and 1974–88, are produced. On the basis of aerotopographic monitoring and with the aid of computer analysis, the kinematics of the glacier surface during the 1988–89 surge are traced in detail and the role of microsurges in the course of glacier build-up and the glacier surge is established.
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