Лëд и снег (Nov 2015)
GLACIERS IN THE MEYNYPILGYNSKY RANGE: CURRENT STATE AND DEVELOPMENT FORECAST OF GLACIER SYSTEMS
Abstract
SummaryPaper presents the results of interpretation of space images (from Landsat and World View-2), which made possible to estimate the areal extent of glaciers ofMeynypilgynskyRange, North-East of Koryak Upland, in the early 2000's. Assessments of glaciers were analyzed in comparison with the Glacier Inventory of the region, compiled by R.V. Sedov (2001), as a whole and for groups of glaciers belonging to the selected six glacial systems. After dozens of years since the compilation of the Inventory (1985) and from some glacier data referred to 1967, the glaciers ofMeynypilgynskyRangelost about 30% of the area, mainly due to drying that accompanies climate warming. The analysis of glaciers, which had retreated, was conducted for the groups by the same morphological type, and the same aspect. The largest retreat and area reduction is relevant to valley-corrie and hanging glaciers of eastern aspect. Glaciers facing north less suffered. As a result of application of the developed methodology for assessing the evolution of glacier systems under given climate scenario, the parameters for the state of the glacier systems ofMeynypilgynskyRangeup to the time span 2049–2060 were obtained. The AOGCM–ECHAM 5 (B1) was used as a scenario; it is the optimal for theNorthern Eurasia. It turned out that the glaciers reduction would be catastrophic (about 90%), but nevertheless they would not completely disappeared.
