Glaciers and permafrost as water resource in Kyrgyzstan : distribution, recent dynamics and hazards, and the relevance for sustainable development of Central Asian semiarid regions
The Kyrgyz Republic is the only Central Asian state, where the water resources are fully generated on its own territory. The water originates from the often glacier covered mountain ranges and its abundance is a vital component for the agriculture and the production of hydro-electric power. The moun...
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| Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
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| Online Access: | http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hebis:26-opus-109629 https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de//handle/jlupub/10251 https://doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-9635 |
| Summary: | The Kyrgyz Republic is the only Central Asian state, where the water resources are fully generated on its own territory. The water originates from the often glacier covered mountain ranges and its abundance is a vital component for the agriculture and the production of hydro-electric power. The mountainous Kyrgyz Republic is an essential water tower for irrigated arable farming on arid plain territories. In view of the climate change discussion, this study investigates the water resources of the Naryn catchments in form of glaciers and permafrost (ground ice), and its relevance as water resource and hazard factor for the development of Central Asian semiarid regions.Detailed studies showed a significant decrease of the total glacier area in the up-stream Naryn area by 21.3% (1965 to 2010), due to increasing summer temperatures and decreasing precipitation. The largest glacier shrinkage occurred in the Naryn range (28.9%) because of the dominance of small-scale glaciers on north-facing slopes. Continuing glacier shrinkage will result in water and energy deficiencies in the region. Strong glacier retreat can also produce glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which may cause hazards in downstream areas. The state of these glaciers needs to be monitored scientifically for a sustainable use of regional water resources, and for the economic planning.The current climate is also favorable for the development and existence of permafrost and ground ice. During the period 1930 to 2010, the mean annual air temperature was -7.6°C at an altitude of 3614 meters in the Naryn catchment. Detailed field studies proved, that permafrost is wide-spread above 3300 meters. However, permafrost islands can exist on steep northern slopes down to an altitude of 2700 meters. At altitudes of 3000 to 4000 meters, the active layer thickness is extremely variable depending of the location, exposure, slope and material. It varies from about 30 cm up to about three meters. Large cryogenic forms are connected genetically with massive ground ice. ... |
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