The Greater Caucasus Glacier Inventory (Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan)

• Main Authors: L. G. Tielidze, R. D. Wheate
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2018-01-01
• Series: The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/81/2018/tc-12-81-2018.pdf

There have been numerous studies of glaciers in the Greater Caucasus, but none that have generated a modern glacier database across the whole mountain range. Here, we present an updated and expanded glacier inventory at three time periods (1960, 1986, 2014) covering the entire Greater Caucasus. Large-scale topographic maps and satellite imagery (Corona, Landsat 5, Landsat 8 and ASTER) were used to conduct a remote-sensing survey of glacier change, and the 30 m resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM; 17 November 2011) was used to determine the aspect, slope and height distribution of glaciers. Glacier margins were mapped manually and reveal that in 1960 the mountains contained 2349 glaciers with a total glacier surface area of 1674.9 ± 70.4 km². By 1986, glacier surface area had decreased to 1482.1 ± 64.4 km² (2209 glaciers), and by 2014 to 1193.2 ± 54.0 km² (2020 glaciers). This represents a 28.8 ± 4.4 % (481 ± 21.2 km²) or 0.53 % yr⁻¹ reduction in total glacier surface area between 1960 and 2014 and an increase in the rate of area loss since 1986 (0.69 % yr⁻¹) compared to 1960–1986 (0.44 % yr⁻¹). Glacier mean size decreased from 0.70 km² in 1960 to 0.66 km² in 1986 and to 0.57 km² in 2014. This new glacier inventory has been submitted to the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) database and can be used as a basis data set for future studies.