Mass Balance Factsheet for the Garabashi glacier, North Caucasus
Garabashi glacier is located on the southern slope of the Mt. Elbrus and extends from 4820 to 3300 m a.s.l. with the surface area of 4.05 km2 (in 2019). Mean annual air temperature at the ELA (ca. 3900 m a.s.l. for balanced conditions) is -6 to -8 °C. Average accumulation is about 1200 mm w.e. For additional information on the status of the glacier and on data relating to annual mass balance and other measurements, visit the WGMS Fluctuations of Glaciers Browser.
FACTS:
- Political unit: RU
- WGMS ID: 761
- Latitude: 43.18°N
- Longitude: 42.28°E
- Height min: 3300 m a.s.l.
- Height max: 4820 m a.s.l.
- Measurement types: MASS BALANCE, THICKNESS CHANGE & FRONT VARIATION
- Current Principal Investigator: Stanislav Kutuzov, Gennady Nosenko & Colleagues
- Current Sponsoring Agency: INSTITUTE OF GEOGRAPHY RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (MOSCOW, RU)
Garabashi glacier in August 2009 (taken from helicopter by Ivan Lavrentiev on 25/08/2009)
Terrestrial and satellite map of Garabashi glacier (Google Maps)
Garabashi glacier Annual Mass Balance (WGMS, 2018)
Continuous Mass Balance (MB) measurements since 1983/84:
Additional data available: Front Variation (FV) and Thickness Change (TC):
Selected references:
Rototaeva O.V., Nosenko G.A., Kerimov A.M., Kutuzov S.S., Lavrentiev I.I., Nikitin S.A., Kerimov A.A., Tarasova L.N.: Changes of the mass balance of the Garabashy Glacier, Mount Elbrus, at the turn of 20th and 21st centuries Ice and Snow. 2019;59(1):5-22. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15356/2076-6734-2019-1-5-22