History of Glacier Research in Tajikistan
The study of Tajikistan’s glaciers began for the first time in 1870–1871. In 1871, geographers of the Russian Geographical Society discovered the Zarafshan Glacier, and the first investigations of the Zarafshan and Rama glaciers commenced in 1872. That same year, research began in the Surkhab (Kizilsu) basin, yielding the earliest data on the Alay and Pasi-Alay mountain ranges and the Lenin Glacier.
Following the Zarafshan discovery, Russian scientists increasingly focused on systematic scientific research of Tajikistan’s glaciers. By 1876, the first scientific records concerning glaciers numbered 414–683 in the Muksu River basin had been published. Two years later, in 1878, researchers of the Turkestan Section of the Moscow Society of Naturalists, Anthropologists, and Ethnographers discovered the Petri I range, the Valiand-Kiik Valley, and the Fedchenko Glacier.
In 1887, glaciers in the upper reaches of the Tanimas (Tanymash) River were described, along with preliminary data on the Grumm-Grzhimailo, Takhmuras (Taphmuras), and Northern Takhmuras (Northern Tanimas) glaciers. In 1894, A. S. Barshevsky discovered the Seversov Glacier, and in 1895 I. L. Yarovsky published a brief account of it. Finally, in 1897, V. I. Lipsky identified the Baralmos Glaciers (nos. 62–63) and Pyotri I Glaciers (nos. 69, 72, 74) in the Obikhinkob basin.
Since 1901, the study of Tajikistan’s glaciers intensified, and new river basins and glaciers were discovered.
- 1901–1904: Scientists of the Russian Geographical Society, together with B. A. Fedchenko, conducted a comprehensive study of the upper Panj and Ghund river basins, mapping over 100 glaciers in the Shāhdara, Ishkoshim, and Rushon ranges.
- 1909: A field team led by N. I. Kasinenko traversed from the Bartang Valley to the Razkou River Valley and for the first time reached the Razkou Glacier in the Yazgulem basin.
- 1923: A Russian research detachment under N. L. Korzhenevskii explored the Murghab River basin, initiating systematic studies there.
- 1928: Soviet Academy of Sciences researchers led by R. Finsterwalder completed a full survey of the Karakul Lake basin.
- 1933: The Tajik-Pamir expedition of the Geographical Society carried out the first investigations of glaciers in the southern Hisor Range within the Surkhandarya basin. This team continued work, and between 1959 and 1961 they studied glaciers in the Kofarnihon basin—particularly Glacier No. 25 (Igizak Glacier), whose tongue was thoroughly examined.
- 1962–1971: Glacier Yakarcha in the Varzob River basin (a right tributary of the Kofarnihon) was the subject of continuous study. From 1962 to 1967, the Yarkhich, Sarbogh, and Sanchikur glaciers in the Surkhab basin were also examined.
- 1968: Following earlier work (1962–1967), the Soviet Institute of Geography, together with the Hydrometeorological Administration of the Tajik SSR, conducted a comprehensive scientific survey of all glaciers in the Surkhab basin.
- 1980s–1990s: After publication of the USSR Glacier Catalogue (1980), glacier research in Tajikistan largely ceased. Only a few major glaciers were studied, and by the 1990s systematic research had virtually halted.
Post‑Independence Revival (since 2018): Thanks to national independence and the direct initiatives of the Founder of Peace and National Unity, the esteemed Leader and President of the Republic of Tajikistan, H.E. Emomali Rahmon, glacier studies were revived. By presidential directive, in 2018 the State Scientific Institution “Center for Glacier Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan” was established. Since its inception, the Center has employed modern methods to study glaciers and has prepared the Glacier Inventory (Atlas) of Tajikistan for publication.