MOUNTAIN ICE AND WATER: INVESTIGATIONS OF THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE IN ALPINE ENVIRONMENTS, Chapter 2 - Mountain Area Glaciers of Russia in the 20th and the Beginning of the 21st Centuriesкнига
Аннотация:Contemporary conditions and dynamics of glaciers in mountain areas of Russia have been evaluated based on satellite imagery interpretations and field surveys, analysis of the data of the Glacier Inventory of the USSR, topographic maps and aerial photographs, as well as published research papers. Glacier systems in Russia have been studied unevenly and contemporary data on different glacier areas vary. The largest glacier areas, the Caucasus, the Altai, and Kamchatka, are covered with the most detailed studies. The glacier areas of the Polar Urals, Suntar-Hayata Mountains, as well as Kodar, Kuznetsk Alatau, and East Sayan mountain ranges have been researched in detail and have the best data coverage among the small glacier systems. Analysis of the glacier dynamics in the mountain regions and trends in the main climatic parameters has revealed that although the main trend of glacier retreat in the mountain areas of Russia is determined by changes in climatic factors—temperature and precipitation—the different rates of glacier area recession in different regions depend upon orographic factors such as elevation of ranges, mountain roughness, orientation of mountain ranges toward moisture-bearing air flows, and many other factors.