Multi-Parameter Observation System for Glacial Seismicity at High-Altitude Tien Shan Region

In 2023-2025, a research named “Application of nuclear, seismic and infrasound methods for assessing climate change and mitigating the effects of climate change” was conducted in Kazakhstan under the Targeted Funding Program. The main task of the research was to create an observation network for processes occurring in the glaciers of the high Tien Shan. Seismic and infrasound methods were used for signal recording, and meteorological data was additionally used for the analysis. A network of seismic, infrasound and meteorological stations has been installed near the large glaciers of Tien Shan in Kazakhstan. The paper presents the results of the recorded data in terms of seismic and infrasound noise levels, its daily variations, and the relationship between noise and changes in temperature and wind speed. The threshold of the expected minimal magnitude and energy classes of glacial earthquakes for day and night was assessed. Seismic and infrasound monitoring has proven to be a reliable, all-season and all-weather tool for monitoring the dynamics of glacial processes. Among huge number of recorded glacial events, more than 4,000 have been located, and a seismic bulletin that includes information on location, magnitude and energy class of each even has been compiled.