scholarly journals Late-20th-century changes in glacier extent in the Caucasus Mountains, Russia/Georgia

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (176) ◽  
pp. 99-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris R. Stokes ◽  
Stephen D. Gurney ◽  
Maria Shahgedanova ◽  
Victor Popovnin

AbstractGlaciers occupy an area of ~1600km2 in the Caucasus Mountains. There is widespread evidence of retreat since the Little Ice Age, but an up-to-date regional assessment of glacier change is lacking. In this paper, satellite imagery (Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) is used to obtain the terminus position of 113 glaciers in the central Caucasus in 1985 and 2000, using a manual delineation process based on a false-colour composite (bands 5, 4, 3). Measurements reveal that 94% of the glaciers have retreated, 4% exhibited no overall change and 2% advanced. The mean retreat rate equates to ~8ma–1, and maximum retreat rates approach ~38 m a–1. The largest (>10 km2) glaciers retreated twice as much (~12ma–1) as the smallest (<1 km2) glaciers (~6ma–1), and glaciers at lower elevations generally retreated greater distances. Supraglacial debris cover has increased in association with glacier retreat, and the surface area of bare ice has reduced by ~10% between 1985 and 2000. Results are compared to declassified Corona imagery from the 1960s and 1970s and detailed field measurements and mass-balance data for Djankuat glacier, central Caucasus. It is concluded that the decrease in glacier area appears to be primarily driven by increasing temperatures since the 1970s and especially since the mid-1990s. Continued retreat could lead to considerable changes in glacier runoff, with implications for regional water resources.

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-92
Author(s):  
Chen Bram ◽  
Meir Hatina

This article examines aspects of cultural exchange between the Middle East and the West in which Sufism, Christianity, the traditions of the Circassians and New Age concepts played a central role. It focuses on the teaching of Murat Yagan, of Abkhaz-Circassian origin who grew up in Turkey and immigrated to Canada in the 1960s, where he developed his philosophy, Ahmsta Kebzeh (“the knowledge of the art of living”). The Kebzeh way of life emphasizes modesty, mutual responsibility and compassion. Yagan linked these values to the ancient ethos of the Caucasus Mountains which he sought to revive as the basis of a universal vision. The nature of Kebzeh was influenced by the cosmopolitan environment in which Yagan was educated in Turkey; by his enrollment with Sufi circles in North America; and by the multicultural Canadian atmosphere. These diverse influences enabled him to devise an ecumenical model of dialogue between cultures. The article provides a first-time survey and analysis of Kebzeh ideological and communal features. It sheds new light on the role of ethnicity and cultural heritage in immigrant societies in the context of the evolution of spirituality in Canada, a relatively unexplored milieu in comparison to the United States and Europe.


Author(s):  
W.A. Jacques

YORKSHIRE FOG probably has its origin in the Iberian Peninsula (Vinal and Hein, 1937) but, as a result of continued colonization since the end of the ice age, is now found throughout Europe from the limiits of northern Scandinavia and Iceland to the Caucasus Mountains and North West Africa (Beddows, 1961; Hulten, 1950; Bother and Larsen, 1958). Under the influence of human pastoral activities, the species has spread to all of the more recently developed farming areas in the temperate regions of the Americas, South Africa and Australasia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41
Author(s):  
A.A. Tishkov ◽  
◽  
E.A. Belonovskaya ◽  
A.N. Krenke ◽  
S.V. Titova ◽  
...  

The authors compare current productivity estimates with the data obtained in the 1960s and 1970s for the ecosystems of the Russian Arctic in the course of the International Biological Program. This makes it possible to identify objectively climate-related trends in their productivity in the 21st century. The authors used archives and current satellite data for the Russian Arctic, including AVHRR, LANDSAT, MODIS TERRA, and others, represented by periods of 30 years or more. They have revealed that by the 21st century, the phytomass stocks (reserves) of zonal ecosystems increased on average by 15—30%, and primary production by 10—15%. Compared with field measurements of the 1960—1970s at specific points, this growth reached 50% or more. In terms of productivity growth, the ecosystems of the Arctic European sector are leading, although in the 21st century the warming trend is not the highest here (0.4—0.5 °С/10 years). The production forecast of the Arctic land ecosystems for 2025 (deviation of the linear trend in comparison with 2000—2019) showed its continued growth in the Kola Peninsula, in the Bolshezemelmkaya tundra, the Yamal and Gydan Peninsulas, and a decrease in the Polar Urals, northern Siberia and Kolyma lowland. The growth of specific indicators of productivity in the 21st century reached a plateau and, similar to the warming case of the 1920—1940s, is unable to lead to zonal restructuring.


2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 1553-1557 ◽  
Author(s):  
G A Rose

To examine overfishing and climate effects on depleted cod (Gadus morhua) stocks, a surplus production model based on reconstructions of cod catch in Newfoundland was used to describe biomass dynamics from 1505 to 2004. Productivity parameters r (population growth rate) and K (carrying capacity) were assigned by fitting model to survey biomass. Assumptions of fishery-only influences inferring constant, random, or depensatory parameters fared poorly (did not mimic history), as did climate influences indexed by tree ring growth. However, a model using both climate and depensation fared well, mimicking much documented history of Newfoundland cod, including declines during the Little Ice Age (mid- to late 19th century) and the stock collapses of the late 20th century, with a good fit to recent scientific surveys (r2 = 0.80). This model suggests temporal differentiation between fishing and climate effects, including (i) declines during the Little Ice Age (1800–1880) caused by lower productivity, (ii) collapses in the 1960s caused by overfishing, (iii) collapses in the late 1980s caused by both, and (iv) rebuilding now hindered by depensatory effects of low numbers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jukka Lahdensivu ◽  
Elina Lahdensivu ◽  
Arto Köliö

Abstract In the most service life models of reinforced concrete structures the initiation phase is the most crucial, because according to models, service life of the structure will end underestimation on conservative side when carbonation achieves the reinforcement for the first time. The square root model is widely used in predicting carbonation depth of reinforced concrete. The model is based on diffusion laws and thereby arguable for inhomogeneous concrete. The model was evaluated by field measurements from one existing concrete building by conducting condition investigation twice at a time interval of 20 years. Samples were taken from exposed aggregate concrete sandwich panels and balcony side panels. Compared to the data collected from large number of buildings, the measured carbonation rates were very common for Finnish concrete buildings made during the 1960s and 1970s. According to this study, in solid concrete the progress of carbonation of concrete can be predicted reliably with Fick’s second law. This model, however, gives too pessimistic predictions for concrete suffering from freeze-thaw damage. Therefore, a new model has been presented for damaged concrete.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Levan G. Tielidze ◽  
Tobias Bolch ◽  
Roger D. Wheate ◽  
Stanislav S. Kutuzov ◽  
Ivan I. Lavrentiev ◽  
...  

Abstract. Debris cover on glaciers can significantly alter melt, and hence, glacier mass balance and runoff. Debris coverage typically increases with shrinking glaciers. Here, we present data on debris cover and its changes for 559 glaciers located in different regions of the Greater Caucasus mountains based on 1986, 2000 and 2014 Landsat and SPOT images. Over this time period, the total glacier area decreased from 691.5 km2 to 590.0 km2 (0.52 % yr−1). Thereby, the debris covered area increased from ~ 11 to ~ 24 % on the northern, and from ~ 4 to 10 % on the southern macro-slope between 1986 and 2014. Overall, we found 18 % debris cover for the year 2014. With the glacier shrinkage, debris-covered area and the number of debris-covered glaciers increased as a function of elevation, slope, aspect, glacier morphological type, Little Ice Age moraines, and lithology.


2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Lambrecht ◽  
C. Mayer ◽  
W. Hagg ◽  
V. Popovnin ◽  
A. Rezepkin ◽  
...  

Abstract. The glacier coverage in the Caucasus Mountains underwent considerable changes during the last decades. In some regions, the observed reduction in glacier area is comparable to those in the European Alps and the extent of supra-glacial debris increased on many glaciers. Only a few glaciers in the Caucasus are monitored on a regular basis, while for most areas no continuous field measurements are available. In this study, regional differences of the conditions for glacier melt with a special focus on debris covered glacier tongues in the well-studied Adyl-su basin on the northern slope of the Caucasus Mountains (Russia) is compared with the Zopkhito basin which has similar characteristics but is located on the southern slope in Georgia. The paper focuses on the effect of supra-glacial debris cover on glacier summer melt. There are systematic differences in the distribution and increase of the debris cover on the glaciers of the two basins. In the Adyl-su basin an extensive debris cover on the glacier tongues is common, however, only those glacier tongues that are positioned at the lowest elevations in the Zopkhito basin show a considerable extent of supra-glacial debris. The observed increase in debris cover is considerably stronger in the north. Field experiments show that thermal resistance of the debris cover in both basins is somewhat higher than in other glaciated regions of the world, but there is also a significant difference between the two regions. A simple ablation model accounting for the effect of debris cover on ice melt shows that melt rates are considerably higher in the northern basin despite a wider debris distribution. This difference between the two regions can be attributed to different meteorological conditions which are characterised by more frequent cloud cover and precipitation in the south. Furthermore ablation is strongly influenced by the occurrence of supra-glacial debris cover in both basins, reducing the total amount of melt on the studied glaciers by about 25 %. This effect mitigates glacier retreat in the lower sectors of the ablation zones considerably. The sensitivity to moderate changes in the debris cover, however, is rather small which implies only gradual changes of the melt regime due to debris cover dynamics during the near future.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Flanagan

This article traces Ken Russell's explorations of war and wartime experience over the course of his career. In particular, it argues that Russell's scattered attempts at coming to terms with war, the rise of fascism and memorialisation are best understood in terms of a combination of Russell's own tastes and personal style, wider stylistic and thematic trends in Euro-American cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, and discourses of collective national experience. In addition to identifying Russell's recurrent techniques, this article focuses on how the residual impacts of the First and Second World Wars appear in his favoured genres: literary adaptations and composer biopics. Although the article looks for patterns and similarities in Russell's war output, it differentiates between his First and Second World War films by indicating how he engages with, and temporarily inhabits, the stylistic regime of the enemy within the latter group.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Burton

Brainwashing assumed the proportions of a cultural fantasy during the Cold War period. The article examines the various political, scientific and cultural contexts of brainwashing, and proceeds to a consideration of the place of mind control in British spy dramas made for cinema and television in the 1960s and 1970s. Particular attention is given to the films The Mind Benders (1963) and The Ipcress File (1965), and to the television dramas Man in a Suitcase (1967–8), The Prisoner (1967–8) and Callan (1967–81), which gave expression to the anxieties surrounding thought-control. Attention is given to the scientific background to the representations of brainwashing, and the significance of spy scandals, treasons and treacheries as a distinct context to the appearance of brainwashing on British screens.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chik Collins ◽  
Ian Levitt

This article reports findings of research into the far-reaching plan to ‘modernise’ the Scottish economy, which emerged from the mid-late 1950s and was formally adopted by government in the early 1960s. It shows the growing awareness amongst policy-makers from the mid-1960s as to the profoundly deleterious effects the implementation of the plan was having on Glasgow. By 1971 these effects were understood to be substantial with likely severe consequences for the future. Nonetheless, there was no proportionate adjustment to the regional policy which was creating these understood ‘unwanted’ outcomes, even when such was proposed by the Secretary of State for Scotland. After presenting these findings, the paper offers some consideration as to their relevance to the task of accounting for Glasgow's ‘excess mortality’. It is suggested that regional policy can be seen to have contributed to the accumulation of ‘vulnerabilities’, particularly in Glasgow but also more widely in Scotland, during the 1960s and 1970s, and that the impact of the post-1979 UK government policy agenda on these vulnerabilities is likely to have been salient in the increase in ‘excess mortality’ evident in subsequent years.


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