About the center
Originally, it was the Laboratory of Glaciology, with A.A. Kreiter as its head, created at the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR within the framework of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) on the basis of the expedition to the Fedchenko Glacier. In 1963, the Laboratory was transferred to the Institute of Geology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, after which it was renamed to the Institute of Geology and Geophysics named after Kh.M. Abdullaev. The Laboratory of Glaciology itself became part of the Department of Regional Geology, which was headed by M.A. Akhmedzhanov.
Laboratory Directors:
- Kreiter Alexander Alexandrovich (1963-1986) – Candidate of Geographical Sciences, glaciologist;
- Ni Anatoly Alexandrovich (1986-2003) – Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, climatologist, hydrologist, glaciologist;
- Petrov Maxim Anatolyevich (2003 – present) – candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, glaciologist and specialist in glacial geomorphology.
The main strategic area of work
The main strategic area of work of the Centre is the monitoring of mountain glaciers and glacier lakes in the territory of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Relevance of the center's activities
Degradation of glaciers in the mountain ranges of Central Asia, which has been observed in recent decades, will cause a shortage of water resources for the region in the future. This shortage will be most noticeable during the season of vegetation of agricultural crops, when the contribution of glacial runoff in rivers that have it reaches its annual maximum.
Lakes of glacial origin, formed as a result of increased liquid runoff from glaciers and the formation of glacial deposits (moraines), can present the danger of outburst. This necessitates monitoring the condition of these lakes and their dams, especially in the context of the existing strategy for expanding hydroelectric infrastructure and creating new reservoirs in mountainous areas in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The transporting activity of glaciers also contributes to the transfer of chemical elements and the creation of geochemical barriers in the nival-glacial zone, which, in turn, can play a significant role in geological exploration. Information on the isotopic, gas and chemical composition of atmospheric precipitation and dust microparticles accumulated in glaciers contains continuous and unique information on temperature, balance, geochemical and other processes that have occurred in the atmosphere over the past millennia.
The study of glacial landforms also allows us to form a more detailed picture of the history of climate and landscape dynamics in a given region. Thus, a comprehensive study of the climate, hydrological regime, geological, geomorphological and geochemical activity of glaciers and their mass balance remains a pressing issue that requires both regular expeditionary research and the use of modern methods of remote sensing of the Earth.
The main areas of scientific research are
- monitoring of glacier mass balance;
- mountain hydrology, in particular – hydrological regime of glacier-derived rivers and the chemical composition of their waters;
- monitoring of the lakes of glacier origin;
- meteorological surveys in the nival-glacial zone;
- geological and geochemical analysis of glacier deposits;
- glacial geomorphology – study of the role of geological environment in the formation and evolution of glaciers and their terraforming activity;
- modeling of the future state of glaciers based on data about mass balance, meteorological and hydrological regime;
- application of geoinformation technologies in monitoring and cataloguing nival-glacial systems.
The Center's expeditionary research
The Center’s expeditionary research is taking place mainly in the mountainous regions of the north-eastern and south-eastern parts of the Republic of Uzbekistan but is not limited to them. As an example, we can cite the unique fundamental studies of the Aral Sea, coordinated by the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in which the employees of the Center for Glacial Geology took direct part. As a result of many years of work, in 2012 the monograph “The Great Aral Sea at the Beginning of the 21st Century: Physics, Biology, Chemistry” was published by the “Nauka” publishing house.
Currently working in the Centre are: 1 candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, 1 candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, 3 junior research associates, 1 research intern gaining experience, and 1 geological technician. Since the second quarter of 2022, work has been carried out under the geological exploration program within the framework of the topic “Study of the geological features of glacial deposits and mineralization forecast”. Within the framework of this topic, during 2022-2024, the Center’s staff presented reports at several international conferences, published scientific articles in local and international journals. The Center’s staff also successfully completed their work within the framework of the grant “Development of a system for monitoring changes in the mass balance of mountain glaciers and technologies characterizing their future state under global climate change”, announced by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The Center’s staff participates in a number of international projects, such as GLOFCA (dedicated to monitoring glacial lakes with the potential for outburst) and “Cryosphere” (dedicated to monitoring the cryosphere of Central Asia in general and monitoring the mass balance of glaciers in particular), carried out under the auspices of UNESCO. The Center for Glacial Geology signed memorandums with scientific and higher education institutions of a number of countries, including: the University of Reading (England), the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), the Aix-Marseille University (France) and the Kazakh National University named after Al-Farabi (Kazakhstan). The goal of this fruitful cooperation is the further development of glaciology and glacial geology in the Republic of Uzbekistan.