Institute of Hydrometeorology

The research of the glaciers of Georgia began in 1860, primarily for the purpose of securing the Georgian Military Road. Due to the level of technological development at that time, the research of glaciers was carried out only by ground observation, which required a lot of time, significant resources and experienced mountaineers. Thus, the research work carried out as a whole was expensive and risky.
Over the years, a large amount of work has been carried out by various organizations to study the glaciers of Georgia. These organizations included the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. Later, during the Soviet period, the Hydrometeorological Service of the Georgian Soviet Republic (currently, the Hydrometeorology Department of the National Environmental Agency of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia), the Transcaucasian Hydrometeorological Institute (currently the Institute of Hydrometeorology of the Georgian Technical University), the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences (currently the Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute of Geography of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University) successfully continued these works.

The following scientists made a significant contribution to the study of Georgian glaciers: H. Abikh, I. Khodzko, N. Dinnik, L. Maruashvili, G. Kurdgelaidze, T. Lashkh, Sh. Inashvili, D. Tabidze, T. Davitaia, V. M. Kotlyakov, V. Tsomaia, O. Drobyshev, R. Gobejishvili and many others. From the 1860s to the 1970s, glaciological research reached its peak and the “Catalog of Glaciers of the Former Soviet Union” (hereinafter “the Catalog”) was published [1-4]. This catalog, the cornerstone of modern glacier research, was later digitized and included in the World Glacier Inventory [5].
Technological advances have allowed glaciologists to use remote sensing methods, starting with aerial photography, which later evolved into the use of high-resolution satellite imagery. These tools have allowed researchers to study glaciers over large areas with greater precision and efficiency. However, regular observations from aircraft have been limited by the high cost of such monitoring.

Global warming, which began around the middle of the 20th century, has significantly affected the Earth's cryosphere, in particular, causing widespread retreat of glaciers. The most vulnerable glacial regions on Earth are the Andes, the Alps, the Pyrenees, and the Caucasus. As noted, further innovative developments in glaciological research are based on the use of high-resolution satellites, which provide the necessary temporal and spatial resolution and allow for the determination of the impact of climate change on glaciers with high reliability. This is confirmed by studies conducted by scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and leading experts in the field of cryosphere [6, 7].
Since glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change, their study is of great importance for determining regional climate change trends. In Georgia, glacier degradation has already led to catastrophic events of glacial origin, such as the collapse of the Buba Glacier in 2023, which caused great damage and human casualties [8]. Similar events occurred in Mestia Municipality in 2019 and Kazbegi Municipality in 2014 [9], which emphasizes the need for intensive research on glaciers.

Further innovative development (2010-2025) in glaciological research is associated with studies based on the use of high-resolution satellites, which provide the necessary temporal and spatial resolution. During this period, a group of researchers actively participated in the study of glaciers and the assessment of the impact of climate change on them: Giorgi Kordzakhia, Larisa Shengelia, Genadi Tvauri, Murman Dzadzamia, Giorgi Guliashvili, Sofio Beridze, whose efforts resolved the above-mentioned issues and achieved significant results.
Important information can be obtained for the analysis of climate change and the determination of future trends by detailed studies of glacier degradation, since glaciers, as a characteristic product of weather, climate and subsurface, are not only vulnerable to climate change, but also directly characterize the ongoing climate change.

National glacier research is an important strategic activity for Georgia. For this purpose, ground-based glaciological observations have been renewed in the country in recent years. In the fourth [10] and fifth national communications of Georgia to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, priority was given to the use of high-resolution satellite remote sensing (SR) for glacier research.
The integrated implementation of ground-based observations and remote sensing monitoring makes it possible to obtain reliable spatial resolution data.
The main goal of the project is to study the degradation of Georgian glaciers in recent decades and to create an “Electronic Atlas of Georgian Glaciers”. The main goal is to analyze the degradation of Georgian glaciers using SR and historical data, culminating in the creation of an electronic atlas.

The project objectives include:
- To determine the main characteristics of Georgian glaciers for three main time frames: 2010, 2015 and 2020.
- Quantitative study of the dynamics of glacial basin degradation.
- Conducting quantitative assessments of the retreat of large glaciers.
- Determining the estimated dates of complete melting of glacial basins for two cases: for basins with and without large glaciers.
- Compilation of the “Electronic Atlas of Glaciers of Georgia” and uploading it to the web portal of the Institute of Hydrometeorology of the Georgian Technical University.