Altai-Sayan Glaciers

Synonyms

Alpine glaciers; Altai-Sayan; Glaciers of central Asia; Glaciers of mid-latitudes; Glaciers of south Siberia, Russia, Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan; Glaciers in Ob’ and Yenisei river basins

Definition

Altai-Sayan glaciers are the alpine glaciers of the mid-latitudes that are existing in the Altai-Sayan high mountains in south Siberia and north-western Mongolia continental climate.

The Altai-Sayan mountain system stretching between 45°–54°N and 84°–103°E. Glaciers of Altai-Sayan mountains are located in the most northern periphery of the central Asian mountain system and the southern periphery of the Asian Arctic basin (Figures 1 and 2). The highest part of the Altai-Sayan mountains (Katun, South Chuya, and North Chuya ridges) hold 70% of all south Siberian glaciers. The latest investigation in Altai-Sayan mountains based on remote sensing data numbers 2,340 glaciers with total area of 1,562 km² (Surazakov et al., 2010). Altai-Sayan glaciers feed the major Siberian Rivers...