Earth’s Cryosphere, 2023, Vol. XXVII, No. 6, p. 23-33.
GEOLOGICAL CRYOGENIC PROCESSES AND FORMATIONS
GIANT AUFEIS IN THE NORTHEAST OF RUSSIA ACCORDING TO THE CADASTER OF 1958 AND SATELLITE IMAGES OF 1973–2021
O.M. Makarieva1,2,*, A.N. Shikhov1,3, A.A. Zemlianskova1,2, V.R. Alexeev4, N.V. Nesterova1,5, A.A. Ostashov1,5
1 St. Petersburg State University, Institute of Earth Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 7-9, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia
2 North-Eastern State University, Portovaya St. 13, Magadan, 685000 Russia
3 Perm State University, Bukireva St. 15, Perm, 614068 Russia
4 Melnikov Permafrost Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Merzlotnaya St. 36, Yakutsk, 677010 Russia
5 State Hydrological Institute, Vtoraya liniya V.O. 23, St. Petersburg, 199053 Russia
*Corresponding author; e-mail: omakarieva@yandex.ru
Data on the actual maximum area of 71 largest (>10 km2) aufeis in the northeast of Russia have been obtained from Landsat images for the period of 2013–2018 (661 km2) and Sentinel-2 images for the period of 2020–2021 (838 km2). The total area of aufeis is at least twice as small as the area of their glades indicated in the Aufeis Cadaster of 1958 (1680 km2). The aufeis area for 1973–1975 (before the beginning of the warm period) has also been estimated for 42 objects according to Landsat/MSS data. It reached 555 km2, which is close to the modern estimate for 2020–2021 (581 km2) and, on average, is 1.9 times smaller than the total area of aufeis according to the Cadaster (1083 km2). Individual giant aufeis demonstrate very high interannual variability: their area can change by up to two times (100%) from year to year; for most aufeis glades, interannual variability is about 20%. Numerous examples point to discrepancy between the boundaries of aufeis glades and the boundaries of ice massifs. The total area of aufeis glades, including those indicated in the Cadaster of 1958 and identified at the modern satellite images, significantly exceeds the actual area of aufeis. Estimating the area of aufeis (even the maximum for the long-term period) on the basis of data on the size of aufeis glades can lead to significant errors in the calculation of dynamic reserves of aufeis-forming groundwater and other characteristics. In the period after 1973–1975, no significant changes in the total aufeis area have been identified in the northeast of Russia. Further field studies of the giant aufeis, including the establishment of long-term monitoring sites, are important for understanding the factors of their temporal variability.
Keywords: giant aufeis, Landsat images, Aufeis Cadaster (1958), aufeis glade, Northeast of Russia.
Recommended citation: Makarieva O.M., Shikhov A.N., Zemlianskova A.A., Alexeev V.R., Nesterova N.V., Ostashov A.A., 2023. Giant aufeis in the Northeast of Russia according to the Сadaster of 1958 and satellite images of 1973–2021. Earth’s Cryosphere XXVII (6), 23–33.