⚠️ Deze grotten zijn adembenemend, maar ook gevaarlijk. De wanden staan onder spanning, lamella collapses (instortende ijslagen) kunnen zonder waarschuwing gebeuren.

💙 Hun blauwe gloed blijft fascinerend: het dichte ijs filtert zonlicht en laat enkel blauw licht weerkaatsen.

🌡️ Door warmere zomers smelt het oppervlak dieper in. Dat water stroomt via spleten naar beneden en graaft tunnels onder het ijs. Die worden met de tijd groter en zichtbaar aan het gletsjerfront, indrukwekkende “gletsjerportalen” die tonen hoe het ijs van binnenuit afsterft.

From early next week, however, a marked cooling is expected, with snowfall from around 3,800 m. This could (largely) bring the melt season to a halt.

This is driven by persistently high temperatures and a lack of snowfall in the Central Tien Shan. Satellite imagery confirms it: on many glaciers, there is no accumulation area left at all.

The 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗱𝗼𝘃 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗿 is more than ice, it’s a case study of how human activity + climate shape our future.

Curious? Dive into our full study agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Or reach out, happy to discuss!

What we studied: With our 3D glacier model, we tested:
🔹 Past & present impact of mining
🔹 Future retreat if mining stops
🔹 How long until mine shafts flood without pumping
🔹 Hypothetical regrowth if we returned to 1850 climate

Human vs climate: The 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗱𝗼𝘃 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗿 shows how 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, alongside 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲, can drive a direct and large-scale loss of ice. They removed 160 million m3 of ice and shorted the glacier by 2 km.

The unusual story: 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝘆𝗱𝗼𝘃 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗿 lies in the 𝗔𝗸-𝗦𝗵𝘆𝗿𝗮𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗳, rich in gold. After Soviet explorations, large-scale mining began in the 1990s. To reach the ore, the glacier itself was cut back. Mining now accounts for ~𝟮𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝘆𝗿𝗴𝘆𝘇 𝗚𝗗𝗣.

No, we set it every year at 1 October to zero to define the balance year of the glacier and see how much ice was lost in 1 year