Glacier characteristics and changes in the Sary-Jaz River Basin (Central Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan) – 1990–2010

Between 1990 and 2010, glaciers in the Sary-Jaz River Basin of Kyrgyzstan's Central Tien Shan shrank by only 3.7 ± 2.7%, a significantly lower rate than elsewhere in the Tien Shan range. This basin, which covers 18% of the region and feeds the arid Tarim Basin in China, lost approximately 77.1 ± 57.1 km² of glacial area during this period. Debris-covered glaciers retreated less than clean-ice ones, and a few exhibited surge-like advancements. Climate data from a nearby weather station showed no significant long-term trends. The study used Landsat TM/ETM+ satellite imagery to analyze changes in 1310 glaciers (>0.1 km²) across the basin.

Osmonov, A., Bolch, T., Xi, C., Kurban, A., & Guo, W. (2013). Glacier characteristics and changes in the Sary-Jaz River Basin (Central Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan) – 1990–2010. Remote Sensing Letters, 4(8), 725–734. https://doi.org/10.1080/2150704x.2013.789146