Geografie 2014, 119, 320-341
Hydrological regime of Adygine lake, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan
This article provides a detailed analysis of the hydrological regime of the Adygine glacial lake in Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, and of the specific factors which affect it. Glaciers of central Tien Shan are considered to be very sensitive indicators of climate change. The studied lake belongs to a system of relatively recently formed lakes situated near the front of the retreating glacier and is numbered amongst the potentially dangerous. The lake’s water level and its dependence on the development of climatic conditions in the area were monitored in detail in 2007–2012. A substantial part of this paper is the evaluation of the inflow and outflow balance of the lake’s basin. The results confirmed that the hydrological regime is glacial and exhibits its typical characteristics, such as a seasonal evolution of runoff delay or significant diurnal fluctuation of the lake’s water level. During the monitored period, no major changes in annual lake level fluctuation were recorded.
Keywords
hydrological regime, glacial lake, glacier melt, water level fluctuation, surface outflow, hydrological balance.
Funding
Created with support of GA UK project No. 619112 “Risk analysis of glacial outburst lakes in Adygine area (Tien Shan Mts, Kyrgyzstan)”, NATO CLG Project “Glacier hazards in Kyrgyzstan: implications for resource development and water security in Central Asia” and project of specific university research No. 3300-244-267 202 1. Outputs of Czech development cooperation project 194/07-09/MŽP/B (RP/9/2007) “Analysis of the risk of failure of alpine lake dams and the mitigation of the consequent impacts; Kyrgyz Republic” were also used in this article.
