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Spatial and Temporal Variations of Snow Accumulation on the Western Elbrus Plateau, the Central Caucasus

  • GLAСIERS AND ICE SHEETS
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Abstract

The data of ground-based high-frequency radar survey on the Western Elbrus plateau (Central Caucasus) in the summer of 2017 showed that snow accumulation in the summit area is characterized by great variability and also has seasonal differences. Analysis of the accumulation fields showed that less snow accumulates in the middle part of the plateau than in the eastern and western parts, and that its distribution over the plateau area is similar. In the warm period of the year, snow accumulation is on average higher than in the cold period, occurs more uniformly over the plateau area, and its distribution is more stable from year to year.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are grateful to P. Ginot (ISTerre, Grenoble, France) for chemical analyses of snow and firn samples from a shallow core drilled in 2017.

Funding

Field studies were carried out with the support of the Russian science foundation, Grant no. 17-17-01270, cartographic work was funded within the State assignment scientific theme (no. 0148-2019-0004) and interpretation of an ice core drilling data was carried out within the framework of the Megagrant (Agreement no. 075-15-2021-599 dated 06/08/2021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119017, Moscow, Russia

    I. I. Lavrentiev, S. S. Kutuzov & V. N. Mikhalenko

  2. Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    M. S. Sudakova

  3. Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, 199397, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. V. Kozachek

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  1. I. I. Lavrentiev
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  2. S. S. Kutuzov
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  3. V. N. Mikhalenko
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  4. M. S. Sudakova
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  5. A. V. Kozachek
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Correspondence to I. I. Lavrentiev.

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Lavrentiev, I.I., Kutuzov, S.S., Mikhalenko, V.N. et al. Spatial and Temporal Variations of Snow Accumulation on the Western Elbrus Plateau, the Central Caucasus. Water Resour 49 (Suppl 1), S1–S11 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0097807822070090

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