THE INFLUENCE OF ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION ON SUMMERTIME PRECIPITATION IN MOUNTAINS IN KAZAKHSTAN
In mountains of south-east and east Kazakhstan more than 2700 glaciers are located, which mostly retreat. The amount and the form of precipitation have significant effects on glacier mass balances, which control the accumulation and the ablation through impact on the surface albedo. This paper analyzed the relationship between the inter-annual variability of the summertime precipitation in the mountains of south- east and east Kazakhstan and on the Tuyuksu Glacier and the large-scale atmospheric circulation (in typization by B.L. Dzerdzeevskiy). The study is grounded on the data on the sums of precipitation which were recorded in June-August, 1966-1986, at 6 meteorological stations, and also on the Tuyuksu Glacier. Results indicated that the most part of atmospheric precipitation in mountains is brought by southern cyclones. The biggest sums of precipitation fall on the glacier. The increase in the meridional northern processes was observed in the last decade. An amount of the days with solid and mixed precipitation have increased in glacial zone. More snowfall during the summer time can reduce the surface ablation whichcould result in retardation of intensive melt of the glacier.