Glaciers of Kamchatka celebrated the first “professional” holiday
On March 21, World Glacier Day was celebrated for the first time. In Kamchatka, some of the largest volcanoes are located near the Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes: the Ermana, Bogdanovich, Ushkovsky and Sredny glaciers, Kamchatka.Today reports.
According to the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, the United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Glacier Conservation. The aim is to draw attention to the crucial role of glaciers, snow and ice in the climate system of the planet.
Kamchatka’s glaciers are unique natural features and an important part of the peninsula’s ecosystem. The total area of glaciation is about 874 square kilometers, more than 10% falls on the territory of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. 46 glaciers form a huge glacial system with an area of 110 square kilometers.
The first descriptions of glaciers in the reserve were made almost 100 years ago, but most of them are still poorly understood due to their inaccessibility. Observations from space are helping to solve this problem today. For example, satellite images can quickly and accurately calculate the area and size of a glacier.
“Remote monitoring of the state of glaciers in the reserve has been conducted since 2015. But for more accurate measurements of a number of indicators, field research is needed,” explained Ekaterina Shitz, a researcher at the reserve.
According to her, this year, after a long break in inpatient observations, field work is scheduled to resume in August and September. The research is planned to be carried out on the glaciers of the Bolshoy Semyachik and Townshits volcanoes.
According to the reserve, glaciers and their snow cover are of great importance for the conservation of water resources. They can be called “water towers”. These ice giants are the most important components of the global water cycle, providing fresh water supplies and helping to regulate the level of the world’s oceans.
However, since the beginning of the 20th century, most of the world’s glaciers have begun to retreat due to rising global temperatures caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions. Melting has a significant impact on sea levels, ecosystems, and the world’s population.
Photo of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve.