Ella Wood

Investigating the Hydrological Significance of Rock Glaciers in Central Asia 

This study investigates ice storage within rock glaciers in Central Asia, focusing on the relationships between surface kinematics, internal ice content, and structure. The research is centred on the semi-arid Northern Tien Shan region, located along the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border. The cryosphere here is critical for water resources, as glacier melt supplies water to the city of Almaty and maintains the water supply during months of low precipitation.

The study employs a combination of methods to enhance understanding of ice storage within rock glaciers and improve monitoring through remote sensing. Feature tracking of optical imagery is used to analyse spatial patterns of surface flow, using different sources of satellite data. Geophysical techniques, including ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography, are used to investigate the internal structure of key rock glaciers in the Ulken Almaty valley in Kazakhstan.