Glacial hazards in Caucasus, Russia
In the high mountains of Russia, the sub-surface structure of hazard initiation zones is still mainly unconstrained. It may lead to mistakes in glacial hazard assessment.
Based on our experience with the Flatbre moraine test side in Norway (see above), we plan to apply and possibly improve geophysical technique for glacial hazard assessment in the Central Russian Caucasus, advance the knowledge of sub-surface structure for terminal, lateral, and ablation moraines in the region and revise early-made glacial hazard assessment for key sites, using the collected information.
Ground Penetrating Radar and Electrical Resistivity Tomography will be applied for the geophysical research during a test field work planned for summer 2009, in cooperation with the Moscow State University. These methods provide the best results for debris-covered glaciers, buried ice, and moraines. Obtained data will be useful for a better understanding of the glacial hazard initiation and so will benefit the international community, especially the populations at glacier risk.