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Changes in Glaciers and Snow Patches on Mutnovsky and Gorely Volcanoes, Southern Kamchatka, 1973–2023
https://doi.org/10.7868/S2412376526020055
Abstract
An assessment of spatio-temporal changes in the area and mass balance of glaciers and snow patches located on the Gorely and Mutnovsky volcanoes (Southern Kamchatka) is presented. The analysis was based on satellite imagery from Landsat-8 (2013–2017), Sentinel-2 (2018–2023), and KH-9 (1973), as well as digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from the ArcticDEM mosaic with 2-meter resolution and a topographic map at a 1 : 50,000 scale dated to 1974. To ensure the comparability of datasets, elevation co-registration of different DEMs was performed. Glacier mass balance was calculated by subtracting raster elevation values of one DEM from another using ArcGIS Pro. The results show a general reduction in the area of glaciers and snowfields from 1973 to 2023. Between 1973 and 2013, glacier area decreased by 7–81%. From 2013 to 2023, area changes ranged from a 66% decrease to a 22% increase, indicating local positive trends. Snow patches showed more pronounced area loss in the 2013–2023 period (14–67%) compared to the previous decades. The average annual mass balance of glaciers from 1974 to 2022 was approximately −0.2 m w.e. per year. The dynamics of crater glaciers are closely related to volcanic activity and mass-wasting processes, while the state of non-crater glaciers and snowfields is primarily influenced by year-to-year meteorological variability. Some of the studied perennial snowfields may be classified as small glaciers, as they exhibit positive mass balance, long-term persistence, ice composition, and visible crevassing.
Keywords
About the Authors
Yu. Yu. StelmakhRussian Federation
Moscow
D. A. Petrakov
Russian Federation
Moscow
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Supplementary files
For citation: Stelmakh Y.Y., Petrakov D.A. Changes in Glaciers and Snow Patches on Mutnovsky and Gorely Volcanoes, Southern Kamchatka, 1973–2023 Ice and Snow. 2026;66(2):282-297. https://doi.org/10.7868/S2412376526020055
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