Geographers from St Petersburg University discover that the Altai glaciers have declined by 50 percent
Scientists from St Petersburg University, the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Altai State University have investigated the size of the North-Chuya Ridge glaciers from the mid-19th century to the present day. It turned out that the area of glaciers had decreased by half on average and continued to decline.
The Altai Mountains are one of the most important mountain systems in the south of Siberia and Central Asia. This is not only the tourist centre of Western Siberia, but also a most important geographical, geological, cultural and historical area. A significant part of the Altai Mountains is covered with glaciers, which are mainly located on the North-Chuya Ridge. As part of a project supported by the Russian Science Foundation, St Petersburg University scientists are studying the North-Chuya Ridge, in particular the Maashei River valley. According to their findings, the area of the glaciers has significantly decreased over the past 150 years.
The research findings are published in the Remote Sensing scientific journal.
’We found that since the mid-19th century, those glaciers had declined by over 50 percent. It is more than in other regions of Altai. Over the last decade, the retreat of large glaciers has accelerated. Until 2010, the Bolshoi Maashei glacier, where we conducted our fieldwork, had been shrinking by 6 to 7 metres per year, while after 2010 its edge has been retreating by an average of 14 metres per year,’ said Dmitry Ganyushkin, Professor in the Department of Physical Geography and Landscape Planning at St Petersburg University.
To investigate the dynamics of changes in the glaciers, the geologists have applied a set of research methods. In particular, the marks of the glacier boundaries, which had been made from the first half of the 20th century, were studied. At the same time, the geographers obtained and studied data on the dynamics of temperature and precipitation in this area. In addition, the contributors to the study used satellite imagery data. Not only information for the last few years was found, but also data for the year 2000 and images from the mid-20th century, taken by the American reconnaissance satellite Corona, which have only recently been disclosed.
The study of the Altai glaciers was carried out within the framework of the project ’Changes in climate, glaciers and landscapes of the Altai-Sayan in the past, present and future as the basis for the model of adaptation of the population of the inland mountainous regions of Eurasia to climate-induced environmental changes’, supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.
St Petersburg University, the oldest university in Russia, was founded on 28 January (8 February) 1724. This is the day when Peter the Great issued a decree establishing the University and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Today, St Petersburg University is a world-class scientific, educational and cultural centre. In 2024, St Petersburg University will celebrate its 300th anniversary.
The plan of events during the celebration of the anniversary of the University was approved at the meeting of the Organising Committee for the celebration of St Petersburg University’s 300th anniversary. The meeting was chaired by Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. Among the events are: the naming of a minor planet in honour of St Petersburg University; the issuance of bank cards with a special design; the creation of postage stamps dedicated to the history of the oldest university in Russia; and the branding of the aircraft of the Rossiya Airlines to name just a few. In addition, the University has launched a website dedicated to the upcoming holiday. The website contains information about outstanding University staff, students, and alumni; scientific achievements; and details of preparations for the anniversary.
According to the scientists from St Petersburg University, the recession of glaciers is an important factor in mountainous areas. Not only does it contribute to the expansion of the forest belt and the rise of the vegetation boundary, but it can also affect economic activities and even threaten people. Thus, the recession of glaciers leads to a change in the temporal distribution of water in mountain rivers throughout the year. In addition, the melting of glaciers can trigger mechanisms associated with the activation of slope processes and erosion of loose rocks. It can cause mudflows, rock falls or breakthroughs of reservoirs.
Such breakthrough occurred in the area of the North-Chuya Ridge in 2012, when, after prolonged rains, a natural dam was washed out and Maashei Lake was completely drained. As a result of the incident, no one was injured. The lake, however, which previously attracted a large number of tourists, no longer exists here. The bridges were destroyed, so the logistics in the area is cumbersome now.