Papers by Gennady Nosenko
Atmosphere
Glaciers and snow in the Caucasus are major sources of runoff for populated places in many parts ... more Glaciers and snow in the Caucasus are major sources of runoff for populated places in many parts of this mountain region. These glaciers have shown a continuous area decrease; however, the magnitude of mass balance changes at the regional scale need to be further investigated. Here, we analyzed regional changes in surface elevation (or thickness) and geodetic mass balance for 1861 glaciers (1186.1 ± 53.3 km2) between 2000 and 2019 from recently published dataset and outlines of the Caucasus glacier inventory. We used a debris-covered glacier dataset to compare the changes between debris-free and debris-covered glaciers. We also used 30 m resolution ASTER GDEM (2011) to determine topographic details, such as aspect, slope, and elevation distribution of glaciers. Results indicate that the mean rate of glacier mass loss has accelerated from 0.42 ± 0.61 m of water equivalent per year (m w.e. a−1) over 2000–2010, to 0.64 ± 0.66 m w.e. a−1 over 2010–2019. This was 0.53 ± 0.38 m w.e. a−1 i...
ABSTRACT This paper examines climatology of dust deposition events in the Caucasus Mountains, pre... more ABSTRACT This paper examines climatology of dust deposition events in the Caucasus Mountains, presents a multi-disciplinary set of techniques used for dating and provenancing dust deposition events, and compares the observations with simulations by HiGAM model. Samples of desert dust were obtained for 2009-2011 from snow pits and shallow ice cores at the Grabashi Glacier, Mt Elbrus (43°18'16.8''N, 42°27'48,4''E) at the altitudes between 3860 and 5000 m above sea level. Desert dust deposition was recorded 3-4 times a year, mostly between March and June. Analysis of SEVIRI satellite imagery and back trajectory data revealed two main source regions of desert dust deposited on Mt Elbrus: the Saharan foothills of the Akhdar Mountains in northern Libya and the Arabian Peninsula. Transportation of dust from North Africa is associated with the Saharan depressions migrating north-east along the Mediterranean coast and across Syria and Iraq. Transportation of dust from the Arabian peninsula is associated with the extensions of the Siberian anticyclone north-west of the Caspian Sea. Dust deposition at Mt Elbrus occurred when the dust-containing air masses mixed with precipitation-bearing frontal systems. Analysis of volumatic particle size distribution indicated that that silt dominates and revealed significant presence of fine sand. The obtained climatology of frequency and pathways of desert dust and particle size distributions were in good agreement with HiGAM simulations. From this study, we conclude that dust deposition events in the high-altitude region of the Caucasus occur as frequently as in the European Alps and that both timing and intensity of dust deposition events may have significant impact on glacier energy balance and enhance glacier melt.
<p>The new glacier inventory created recently at the Institute of Geography of the Russian ... more <p>The new glacier inventory created recently at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences made it possible to study the current state and recent changes of glacial systems in Russia, where now there are 22 glacial systems. The total area of &#8203;&#8203;glaciation on this territory is 54,531 km2 based on Sentinel 2 images obtained mainly in 2016-2019. This area is occupied by 7478 glaciers. The largest glacial system in area is located on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago (22,241.37 km2). It is followed by Severnaya Zemlya (16491.81 km2) and Franz Josef Land (12530.03 km2). The next largest glacial systems are locate on the Caucasus Mountains (1067.13 km2), Kamchatka (682.8 km2) and Altai (523.14 km2). The area of &#8203;&#8203;glaciers on the Arctic island of Ushakov (283, 09 km2), in the Suntar Khayata mountains (132, 97 km2) and the Koryak Upland (254.1 km2) occupies a range from 100 to 300 km2.</p><p>The largest group is small glacial systems, the area of &#8203;&#8203;which does not exceed 100 km2. They are located in different glaciological zones: the De Long Islands (65, 2 km2), &#160;the Urals (10.45 km2), the Putorana Plateau (11.36 km2), the Byranga Mountains (29.94 km2), the Chersky Ridge (86.37 km2), the Chukotka Upland (15.98 km2). Northeast of the Koryak highlands (42.19 km2), Kodar Ridge (16.22 km2), Eastern Sayan (12.88 km2).</p><p>The remaining four regions are characterized by the smallest glacial systems. These are the Orulgan ridge (9.82km2) and the Kolyma Upland (6.62 km2), the Kuznetsk Alatau (3.42km2), the Barguzinsky (0.09) and Baikalsky ( 0.65km2) ridges. Despite their small size, these glacial systems are important from indicative point of view, fixing the zone of spatial distribution of glaciation. They indicate the growth points in the event of a change in climatic conditions according to a scenario favorable for glaciers.</p><p>The glacier area has decreased since the compilation of the USSR glacier Inventory (1965-1982) by 5603.9 km2 or 9.3%. The area of &#8203;&#8203;polar glaciers has decreased less than glaciers in mountainous regions. Values &#8203;&#8203;range from 5.44% (Novaya Zemlya) to 19.11% (De Longa Islands). Small glaciers were not found in the Khibiny. Glaciers in the Urals have reduced their area by 63%. The subpolar glacier systems of the Orulgan (46.6%), Chersky (44.4%), and Suntar-Khayata (34%) ridges reduced the area a little less. Reduction in the area of &#8203;&#8203;glacial systems in the temperate belt ranges from 57% (Eastern Sayan) to 13% (Kodar). The largest glacial systems in the Caucasus, Kamchatka and Altai have reduced their areas by 25, 22 and 39 percent, respectively.</p><p>The results of our studies confirm the tendencies for the reduction of the glacier area throughout Russia. The exception is the glaciers of the volcanic regions of Kamchatka, which increased their size or remained stationary. The magnitude and rate of changes depend on the local climatic and orographic features.</p><p>The presentation includes the results obtained in the framework of the following research projects: &#8470; 0148-2019-0004 of the Research Plan of the Institute of Geography of RAS, &#8470; 18-05-60067 supported by RFBR. </p>
Developments in earth surface processes, 2016
The retreat of glaciers of the Greater Caucasus in the second half of the 20th and early 21st cen... more The retreat of glaciers of the Greater Caucasus in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries was recorded by a variety of methods, including both direct instrumental observations and remote sensing. It is natural to expect that in the conditions of a gradually warming climate, the general trend of glacier retreat will continue in the future.
Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) is an international project with the goal of surv... more Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) is an international project with the goal of surveying a majority of the world&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s estimated 160,000 glaciers. GLIMS uses data collected primarily by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument aboard the Terra satellite and the LandSat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and
Snow and Ice-Related Hazards, Risks, and Disasters
Горный Алтай, космические снимки, сокращение ледников. Altay Mountains, shrinkage of glaciers, sp... more Горный Алтай, космические снимки, сокращение ледников. Altay Mountains, shrinkage of glaciers, space images. Рассматривается изменение площади и объёма ледников Горного Алтая с начала каталогизации ледников СССР по настоящее время. Для оценки изменений площади ледников использованы данные Каталога ледников СССР и космические снимки со спутников CORONA, ALOS PRISM, Landsat и ASTER. К 2008 г. ледники Катунского, Северо-и Южно-Чуйского хребтов потеряли 172,4 км 2 площади, или 27,4%. Суммарное сокращение объёма ледников составило 8,9 км 3. Объёмы ледников вычислены с помощью корреляционных зависимостей, полученных по данным полевого радиолокационного зондирования алтайских ледников. Сравнение космических снимков 2004 и 2012 гг. с данными середины прошлого века позволило сделать вывод об увеличении скорости сокращения площади ледников в последнее десятилетие в 1,5-2 раза. The paper examines changes in the area and volume of the Katun river basin glaciers, North and South Chu glaciers of the Altai Mountains since the beginning of the USSR glaciers inventarization to the present. For this purpose, we used USSR Glaciers Inventory data, space imagery-CORONA, ALOS PRISM, Landsat and ASTER. In total, glaciers have lost 172.4 km 2 (27.4%) of its area.
Doklady Earth Sciences, 2011
Recent decades are characterized by progressively increasing cosmic information on glacier sizes.... more Recent decades are characterized by progressively increasing cosmic information on glacier sizes. The effectively used satellite images obtained by the LANDSAT/TM, SPOT/HRV, JERS/OPS, and ASTER systems [1] are now supplemented with high� resolution satellite information: Ikonos, QuickBird, EROS, OrbVie, WorldView, ALOS, Cartosat, and Tet�
. An updated glacier inventory is important for understanding glacier behavior given the accelera... more . An updated glacier inventory is important for understanding glacier behavior given the accelerating glacier retreat observed around the world. Here, we present data from new glacier inventory at two time periods (2000, 2020) covering the entire Greater Caucasus (Georgia, Russia, and Azerbaijan). Satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel, SPOT) was used to conduct a remote-sensing survey of glacier change. The 30 m resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER GDEM; 17 November 2011) was used to determine aspect, slope and elevations, for all glaciers. Glacier margins were mapped manually and reveal that in 2000 the mountain range contained 2186 glaciers with a total glacier surface area of 1381.5 ± 58.2 km2. By 2020, glacier surface area had decreased to 1060.9 ± 33.6 km2. Of the 2223 glaciers, fourteen have an area &gt; 10 km2 resulting the 221.9 km2 or 20.9 % of total glacier area in 2020. The Bezingi Glacier with an area of 39.4 ± 0.9 km2 was the largest glacier mapped in 2020 database. Our result represents a 23.2 ± 3.8 % (320.6 ± 45.9 km2) or −1.16 % yr−1 reduction in total glacier surface area over the last twenty years in the Greater Caucasus. Glaciers between 1.0 km2 and 5.0 km2 account for 478.1 km2 or 34.6 % in total area in 2000, while it account for 354.0 km2 or 33.4 % in total area in 2020. The rates of area shrinkage and mean elevation vary between the northern and southern and between the western, central, and eastern Greater Caucasus. Area shrinkage is significantly stronger in the eastern Greater Caucasus (−1.82 % yr−1), where most glaciers are very small. The observed increased summer temperatures and decreased winter precipitation along with increased Saharan dust deposition might be responsible for the predominantly negative mass balances of two glaciers with long-term measurements. Both glacier inventories are available from the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) database and can be used for future studies.
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp... more &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;We present new Glacier Inventory of the Russian glaciers based on Sentinel images (2017/2018).&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The modern reduction in the size of glaciers is accompanied by the activation of natural processes leading to catastrophic consequences, changes in landscapes and prevailing nature management practices. To reduce risks and adapt to the consequences of ongoing changes, relevant data on the state of glacial systems are needed. In Russia, extensive glaciation is present in the Arctic zone, and in its continental part there are 18 mountain-glacial systems. According to the Glacier Inventory of the USSR in the mid-twentieth century in Russia there were 7167 glaciers with a total area of &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8203;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8203;60103, 99 km2. Of these, 685 glaciers with an area of &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8203;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8203;56,127.2 km2 accounted for the Arctic archipelagos. Despite the ever-increasing amount of information from space, and experimental studies in a number of glacial regions, a complete and reliable picture of the state of glaciation in Russia at the beginning of the 21st century has not been available to date.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The project aims to develop and create a unified information basis for the study of glacial regions of Russia using geoinformation technologies. The initial data were collected and systematized to assess the current state of Russia&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s glaciers: data from previous inventories, maps, historical and modern aerial and space images, digital elevation models. A classification of possible catastrophic phenomena of glacial genesis was developed: dynamically unstable glaciers, glacier lakes, icebergs, etc. The structure of the database for the study of Russian glaciers is developed, compatible with world and national data archives. Implementation of the project allowed to gain new knowledge about the state of Russian glaciers.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The presentation includes the results obtained in the framework of the following research projects: &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8470; 0148-2019-0004 of the Research Plan of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8470; 05/2019/RGS-RFBR supported by the Russian Geographical Society, &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8470; 18-05-60067 &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#160;supported by RFBR.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp... more &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The ice-covered Europe&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s largest volcanic massif Elbrus (5,642 m) is a unique object for studying the reaction of mountain glaciers to climate changes. Elbrus glacial system contains more than 10% of the total ice volume in the Greater Caucasus. Elbrus glaciers influence on the recreation development. The rivers runoff from the Elbrus glaciers irrigates agricultural lands on steppe plains of the North Caucasus.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The rate of glacier reduction in the late XX - early XXI centuries has increased significantly and in 1997-2017 Elbrus have lost 23% of its volume. Despite a number of glacier studies the mechanisms and quantitative characteristics surface mass exchange on Elbrus are still uncertain. Mass balance calculations were based on limited data. In particular, amount and distribution of snow accumulation, mass balance sensitivity to meteorological parameters under dramatic climate changes and other parameters remained unknown.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Here we present the results of the detailed analysis of Garabashi glacier mass changes in 1982-2019 using glaciological and geodetic methods. Based on the new data of snow and ablation distribution the mass balance measurement system of Garabashi glacier was improved in 2018-2019. The mass balance over the studied period was also modelled using both temperature-index and distributed energy mass balance models calibrated by in situ measurements and albedo estimates from the remote sensing.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The mass balance of the Garabashi glacier was close to zero or slightly positive in 1982-1997 and the cumulative mass balance was 1 m w.e. in this period. In 1997-2017 Garabashi glacier lost 12.58 m w.e. and 12.92 &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#177; 0.95 m w.e. (&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8722;0.63 and &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8722;0.65 &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#177; 0.05 m w.e. a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#8722;1) estimated by glaciological and geodetic method, respectively. Additional -1.7 m w.e. were lost in 2018-2019. This resulted in an area reduction by 14% and a loss of 27% of glacier volume. The observed glacier recession is driven by the pronounced increase in summer temperatures, especially since 1995, which is accompanied by nearly consistent precipitation rates The increase in incoming shortwave radiation, also played a significant role in the accelerated mass loss of glaciers in Caucasus. This study was supported by the RFBR grant 18-05-00838 a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
Water
The highly dynamic nature of snow requires frequent observations to study its various properties.... more The highly dynamic nature of snow requires frequent observations to study its various properties. Keeping this in mind, the present investigation presents results from the analysis of fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) parameters for the development of a snow depth (SD) inversion model for SD retrieval. Snow depth retrieved using ground penetrating radar (GPR) at 500 MHz over Austre Grønfjordbreen in the Svalbard region was used to understand the behaviour of certain polarimetric parameters. A significant correlation was found between field-measured SD and POLSAR parameters, namely coherence and normalized volume scattering power (R2 = 0.84 and R2 = 0.73, respectively.) Using the POLSAR scattering powers obtained from the six-component model-based decomposition (6SD), the heterogeneity and anisotropic behaviour in the firn areas are also explained. Further, based on the analyses shown in this work, a polarimetric parameter-based SD inversion algorithm have been pro...
Frontiers in Earth Science
This study describes the analysis of changes in area and volume of the Mt.Elbrus glacier system, ... more This study describes the analysis of changes in area and volume of the Mt.Elbrus glacier system, Central Caucasus from 1997 to 2017. It is based on helicopter-borne ice thickness measurements, comparison of high-resolution imagery and two digital elevation models (DEMs) with 10 m resolution. More than 250 km of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles of ice thickness with reliable reflections were obtained. The total volume of Mt. Elbrus glaciers was 5.03 ± 0.85 km 3 of ice in 2017. Our results show that 68% of the total ice volume is concentrated below 4,000 m a.s.l. where the average ice thickness was 44.6 ± 7.3 m, 18% of the volume lies within 4,000-4,500 m a.s.l. (thickness of 41.2 ± 7.3 m), and just 14% lies above 4,500 m a.s.l. (thickness of 29.7 ± 6.7 m). The glacier-covered area of Mt. Elbrus decreased from 125.76 ± 0.65 km 2 in 1997 to 112.20 ± 0.58 km 2 in 2017, a reduction of 10.8%. Over the same period the volume decreased by 22.8%. The mass balance of the Elbrus glaciers decreased by −0.55 ± 0.04 m w.e. a −1 from 1997 to 2017. Mass balance on west-oriented glaciers is less negative than on east-and south-oriented glaciers where mass balance is most negative. The mass balance of the east-oriented Djikiugankez glacier decreased at the fastest average rate (−0.97 ± 0.07 m w.e. a −1). This glacier contains 28% of the total Elbrus glacier system ice volume, most of which is concentrated below 4,000 m a.s.l. Only one small glacier on the western slope demonstrated mass gain. Our results match well with the long term direct mass balance measurements on the Garabashi glacier on Elbrus which lost 12.58 m w.e. and 12.92 ± 0.95 m w.e.
Ice and Snow
The process of filling the bed with ice with steep lateral tributaries, which lost support, began... more The process of filling the bed with ice with steep lateral tributaries, which lost support, began almost immediately after the catastrophe on the Kolka Glacier in 2002. Currently, three streams of ice have closed in the rear zone of the circus, forming a single ice massif on the bed. The dimensions of the glacier vary under the influence of both new conditions for the accumulation and melting of ice, and the features of the dynamics of the ice masses filling the vacated bed. This paper describes the next stage of the state of the new Kolka glacier-relative stabilizationand analyzes the features of the process of its recovery based on ground-based observations, modern space imagery materials, and calculations of changes in summer air temperatures and winter precipitation in the glacier area at the beginning of the 21st century. In recent years, the rate of increase in the area of the glacier does not exceed 0.015 km 2 per year. By September 2016, its area reached 1.11 km 2 , the volume-about 0.044 km 3. The conditions for the formation of a new glacier on the empty bottom of the circus differ significantly from the previous oneswhen Kolka was restored in the 1970s after a pulsation. In addition to the background increase in summer temperatures, the thermal balance in the circus has changed due to an increase in the area of the open surface of the bed and lateral moraine, which increases the melting of ice. At the same time, the growth of the moraine cover on the glacier restrains the melting process. Rockfalls and avalanches enrich the glacier with detrital material with greater intensity than in the 1970s. The conditions of accumulation also changed-the volume of food supplied from the hanging glaciers decreased from the previous 31% to 17%. Fumarolic activity in the crown area of the starboard side of the circus is preserved and this prevents the restoration of these glaciers.
The Cryosphere Discussions, 2016
Changes in glacierized area in the Kazakhstani sector of the Tekes River basin were assessed usin... more Changes in glacierized area in the Kazakhstani sector of the Tekes River basin were assessed using Landsat and KH-9 imagery from 2013, 1992 and 1976. Between 1992 and 2013, the combined area of 118 glaciers declined from 121.4 ± 9.2 km<sup>2</sup> to 105.0 ± 5.5…
Regional Environmental Change
Uploads
Papers by Gennady Nosenko