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Abstract:
Glaciers play an important role in the water cycle of many regions of the world, especially in dry regions such as Central Asia. Glaciers can store water over decades and transfer winter precipitation into the summer months by releasing the accumulated snow and ice as melt water. The question about the state of the glaciers within a region is therefore intrinsically linked to questions about water availability and food security. We assess the current state of all glaciers of the Tien Shan (the main mountain range in Central Asia, feeding its waters to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China) by three different groups of methods. We considered measurements of the Earth’s gravity field, laser altimetry, and direct glaciological measurements, and assessed uncertainties in an ensemble-like approach. The results of all three methods agree well, increasing the confidence in the final estimate. The results indicate that during the period 2003-2009, the glaciers of the Tien Shan were losing mass at a rate of 7.1 ±5.6 gigatons per year. Cumulated over the period, this corresponds to the water volume stored in Lake Constance (Bodensee).
