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Project
Observation and modelling of glaciers in the western Tien Shan (Central Asia). (FWOTM982)
Glaciers worldwide are shrinking dramatically in response to increasing temperatures. About 25% of all glaciers on earth are located in Central Asia, however the actual state and future evolution of these glaciers remain particularly poorly known.
This project aims at a better understanding of the amount, sensitivity, and evolution of glacier ice in the western Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan. It builds on ongoing fieldwork measuring the ice thickness, surface elevation, ice flow, and mass balance of several benchmark glaciers. These geophysical observations will serve as input in a 3-D glacier flow model to simulate the ice dynamics and time evolution of these individual glaciers in great detail. The findings will then be generalized to optimise model input for all glaciers in the western Tien Shan using satellite-based information on glacier outline, glacier hypsometry, and glacier geodetic mass balance.
The cornerstone of the project will be the implementation and improvement of the recently extended Global Glacier Evolution Model to include ice flow in a simplified way (GloGEMflow) to all of
the western Tien Shan. For these simulations, we will rely directly on the latest generation of regional climate change projections from the CORDEX ensembles over Central Asia. The research will provide a better understanding of the present and future glacier state, and is anticipated to be of large importance for the hydrology, natural hazards, and water management of the area.
This project aims at a better understanding of the amount, sensitivity, and evolution of glacier ice in the western Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan. It builds on ongoing fieldwork measuring the ice thickness, surface elevation, ice flow, and mass balance of several benchmark glaciers. These geophysical observations will serve as input in a 3-D glacier flow model to simulate the ice dynamics and time evolution of these individual glaciers in great detail. The findings will then be generalized to optimise model input for all glaciers in the western Tien Shan using satellite-based information on glacier outline, glacier hypsometry, and glacier geodetic mass balance.
The cornerstone of the project will be the implementation and improvement of the recently extended Global Glacier Evolution Model to include ice flow in a simplified way (GloGEMflow) to all of
the western Tien Shan. For these simulations, we will rely directly on the latest generation of regional climate change projections from the CORDEX ensembles over Central Asia. The research will provide a better understanding of the present and future glacier state, and is anticipated to be of large importance for the hydrology, natural hazards, and water management of the area.
Date:1 Nov 2019 → 31 Oct 2023
Keywords:Glaciers, Ice Volume, Central Asia
Disciplines:Meteorology, Climate change, Glaciology, Remote sensing, Physical geography and environmental geoscience not elsewhere classified