Measuring and inferring the ice thickness distribution of four glaciers in the Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Lander Van Tricht, Philippe Huybrechts, Jonas Van Breedam, Johannes J. Fürst, Oleg Rybak, Rysbek Satylkanov, Bakyt Ermenbaiev, Victor Popovnin, Robbe Neyns, Chloë Marie Paice, Philipp Malz
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2021
• Subjects: Glacier mapping; glacier volume; ice thickness measurements; mountain glaciers; radio-echo sounding; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.104; https://doaj.org/article/0c02f91ebced4ca1833a10355732b087

Glaciers in the Tien Shan mountains contribute considerably to the fresh water used for irrigation, households and energy supply in the dry lowland areas of Kyrgyzstan and its neighbouring countries. To date, reconstructions of the current ice volume and ice thickness distribution remain scarce, and accurate data are largely lacking at the local scale. Here, we present a detailed ice thickness distribution of Ashu-Tor, Bordu, Golubin and Kara-Batkak glaciers derived from radio-echo sounding measurements and modelling. All the ice thickness measurements are used to calibrate three individual models to estimate the ice thickness in inaccessible areas. A cross-validation between modelled and measured ice thickness for a subset of the data is performed to attribute a weight to every model and to assemble a final composite ice thickness distribution for every glacier. Results reveal the thickest ice on Ashu-Tor glacier with values up to 201 ± 12 m. The ice thickness measurements and distributions are also compared with estimates composed without the use of in situ data. These estimates approach the total ice volume well, but local ice thicknesses vary substantially.