Estimation of glacial runoff to the Tarim River, central Tien Shan

Regional-scale statistical relationships linking key meteorological variabl es (i.e. temperature, solar radiation, albedo) and physiographic variables (i.e. elevation, aspect, slope, moraine thickness) to glacier runoff were o btained from long-term data (1936-1990) and three years of expeditionary ob servations on the glaciers of central Tien Shan. The Pobeda-Khan Tengry gla cier massif in the central Tien Shan, the West Kun Lun glaciers, and the Ch ogori (K-2) glacier massif in Karakorum are the major sources of water to t he Tarim River basin, where 36% to 64% of total river runoff has been contr ibuted by these glaciers. Mean annual runoff from the Pobeda-Khan Tengry gl aciers was determined at 1053-1081 mm year(-1).