Recent glacier variations in Mongolia

AbstractGlacier monitoring enables us to detect influences of global warming in high mountain regions. To initiate the establishment of a glacier-monitoring network in northern Eurasia, we studied recent glacier variations in Mongolia using topographical maps, aerial photographs and satellite images (Corona and Landsat). Glaciers in Mongolia exist in the Altai mountains which span approximately 1400 km within Russia, China and Mongolia. Four regions were selected to form the study area: Tavan Bogd region, Turgen massif, Kharkhiraa massif and Tsambagarav massif. During the period from the 1940s to 2000 or from 1968 to 2000, the glaciers in these regions lost 10.2%, 19.3%, 28.0% and 28.8% of their area respectively. The glaciers in the Tavan Bogd, Kharkhiraa and Turgen regions were found to have been almost stationary since 1987/88, while those in Tsambagarav massif showed no significant change in area since 1963. Shrinkage of the glaciers occurred between 1945/68 and 1987/88 in the former regions and between 1948 and 1963 in the latter. Mongolian glaciers seem to behave differently from other glaciers which have been experiencing steady shrinkage recently.