The Munku-Sardyk mountain range (3,491 m) represents the territory of the modern glaciation of The East Sayan. Different forms of transformation of nival-glacial geosystems have been preserved in this range. The processes of transformation and self-organization of geosystems are considered on the example of the Radde glacier and the unique stone glacier. Due to climate change, the glacier has shrunk considerably. Its area has decreased over 100 years from 0.3 to 0.19 km2, and over the last 20 years from 0.19 to 0.09 km2. However, the glacier has processes of self-preservation, slowing down the process of melting the glacier. This transformation of the glacier is manifested as the reservation of surface moraines. The peculiarities of the formation of surface moraines are considered. In the past century, the formation rate of moraines was 0.001 km2/year. Recently, the rate of formation of moraines has increased to 0.02 km2/year. In the second case, the unique stone stream (stone glacier) is an example of the transformation of the classical glacier into a new structure, which at this stage does not depend significantly on the observed warming, and can exist as an independent object for quite some time. The material is supplied by the rock of mountain range, and the transport by the ice bed is formed in winter from groundwater at the level of indigenous rocks, like subsurface ice. The structure of this stone stream is presented as an independent geosystem. It is assumed that the nival-glacial geosystems behave like lag systems. From the analysis of freezing and thawing of soils it follows that the increase and degradation of glaciers should be subject to the law of hystiresis.
New Zealand glacier responses to climate change of the past century