Glacial geomorphology of the Vanch River basin, the western Pamirs, Tajikistan

Geomorphological mapping of glaciers and glacial landforms helps describe the current environment and investigate past glacial changes. Here we present the first detailed 1:80,000 glacial geomorphological map of the Vanch River basin (about 2100 km2), the western Pamirs, Tajikistan [38.6667 degrees N, 72.0000 degrees E]. Mapping was performed using DEM (30 m), Landsat 8 imagery (15 m), and Google Earth images (similar to 1 m). The resultant map provides the spatial distribution of glaciers and associated erosional and depositional landforms such as cirques, glacial valleys, rock glaciers, and moraines. Morphology of the lower section of the main valley outlines the limits of Vanch Glacier in the Middle Pleistocene. Comparison with former glacier inventories indicates that the glaciers have generally been stable, but the proportion of debris-covered areas has increased since 2007. The identified 184 intact rock glaciers represent hidden water storage, providing a new basis for estimating water resources in the basin.