Abstract
AbstractGlaciers in the Tien Shan mountains contribute considerably to the fresh water used for irrigation, households and energy supply in the dry lowland areas of Kyrgyzstan and its neighbouring countries. To date, reconstructions of the current ice volume and ice thickness distribution remain scarce, and accurate data are largely lacking at the local scale. Here, we present a detailed ice thickness distribution of Ashu-Tor, Bordu, Golubin and Kara-Batkak glaciers derived from radio-echo sounding measurements and modelling. All the ice thickness measurements are used to calibrate three individual models to estimate the ice thickness in inaccessible areas. A cross-validation between modelled and measured ice thickness for a subset of the data is performed to attribute a weight to every model and to assemble a final composite ice thickness distribution for every glacier. Results reveal the thickest ice on Ashu-Tor glacier with values up to 201 ± 12 m. The ice thickness measurements and distributions are also compared with estimates composed without the use of in situ data. These estimates approach the total ice volume well, but local ice thicknesses vary substantially.
Highlights
Glaciers are shrinking on the global scale at an accelerated rate in response to increasing air surface temperatures (Zemp and others, 2019)
The goal of this research was to obtain an accurate and highly detailed ice thickness distribution of Ashu-Tor, Bordu, Golubin and Kara-Batkak glaciers in the Kyrgyz Tien Shan mountains, which can be used for glacier modelling and to assess water storage
Since the modelled ice thicknesses differed considerably and no preferred method could be determined for all four glaciers, a weighted average was assembled to obtain a composite ice thickness distribution
Summary
Glaciers are shrinking on the global scale at an accelerated rate in response to increasing air surface temperatures (Zemp and others, 2019). Consistent with the global trend, an accelerated retreat of glaciers in the Tien Shan has been observed during the last several decades (Solomina and others, 2004; Hagg and others, 2013; Farinotti and others, 2015; Petrakov and others, 2016; Kraaijenbrink and others, 2017; Shahgedanova and others, 2020). In this region, glaciers are vital to the life of millions of people (Bolch, 2007; Immerzeel and others, 2010; Sorg and others, 2012; Pritchard, 2019). Differences in the amount of glacier ice reduction and the sensitivity of individual glacier basins to climate change remain large
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