Abstract
Within an interdisciplinary study, an assessment of glacier-related hazards in the Petrov lake region (Ak-Shijrak Range, the Inner Tien-Shan, Kyrgyzstan) was performed. A cooperative effort from experts in the fields of hydrology, glaciology, geomorphology and geophysics has been employed in this study.
For the hazard assessment, evolution of the Petrov glacier and lake was reconstructed using historical reports, aerial photographs and satellite images. Geomorpological mapping and geophysical soundings was applied to the lake territory and the moraine dam.
In the past three decades the Petrov Lake has doubled in size, while in recent years, its area has been increasing by more than 92 thousand square meters per year. Although there is no evidence for an imminent outburst, the dramatic increase in the lakes size emphasises the importance of this study.