Remote Sensing Monitoring of Advancing and Surging Glaciers in the Tien Shan, 1990–2019

The advancing of glaciers is a manifestation dynamic glacial instability. Glaciers in the Tien Shan region, especially Central Shan, show instability, and have been recently detected. In this study, we used Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI remote sensing images to identify region from 1990 2019 found that 48 advanced. Among them, thirty-four exhibited terminal advances, 14 experienced advances on tributary or trunk. Ten experiencing identified as surging glaciers. These are distributed western part Halik Kungey Mountain Ranges Fergana Mountains Western indicating also one regions where active. From 2019, total 169 times occurred 34 region; highest number July (26 times, respectively). With reference existing literature present surge cycle longer than other at high latitudes Asia, lasting about 35–60 years. Surging may be affected by combination thermal hydrological control. An increase temperature precipitation drives glaciers, but change mechanism still difficult explain based changes single climate variable, such precipitation.