COORDINATES: 39° 38' N / 71° 34' E
Photo taken by G.M. Kamnyanskiy in 1978.
COORDINATES: 39° 38' N / 71° 34' E
Photo taken by G.M. Kamnyanskiy in 1978.
The valley-type glacier of the Amudarya river basin is located in the southern Alai Range and extends from 4,960 to 3,625 m a.s.l. Its surface area is 26.21 km2 and the exposure is N. Annual mean air temperature at the equilibrium line of the glacier (around 4,200 m a.s.l.) is -6.5 to -8 °C. The glacier has a temperate accumulation zone but cold ice near the surface of the ablation area. Periglacial permafrost is probably discontinuous. Average annual precipitation as measured at 3,840 m a.s.l. is about 750 mm.
The amount of precipitation during the cold season (October-May) of 1993/94 was 13% more than the long-term mean value. During summer period (June-September) precipitation was about 12% less than the long-term mean value for the corresponding period. Summer air temperature measured at the base station was rather high and equals 5.3 °C. The difference to the long-term average value turns out to be 0.9°C, which corresponds to a standard deviation of 1.0. Such weather conditions caused a distinctly negative glacier mass balance of -750 mm. The equilibrium line reached an altitude of 4280 m a.s.l. Approximately the same picture was observed during 1994/95. Precipitation was close to average, but summer temperature was 0.8°C higher than normal. As a result, the equilibrium line rose up to 4260 m a.s.l. and the glacier lost -780 mm water equivalent of ice mass.
