Near a wooden hut high in the Kyrgyz mountains, scientist Gulbara Omorova walked toward a pile of gray rocks, recalling how this spot was a glacier just a few years ago.
At an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet), the 35-year-old researcher is surrounded by the towering peaks of the Tian Shan range, which stretches into China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The region is home to thousands of glaciers, many of which are melting at an alarming rate due to climate change – a growing concern in Central Asia.
Omorova, a glaciologist, has been documenting the process and is deeply worried about the future. She hiked six hours to reach the small triangular hut that is a science station, almost touching the clouds.
"Eight to 10 years ago, you could still see the glacier with snow," Omorova told Agence-France Presse (AFP). "But it has completely disappeared in the last three or four years. No snow, no glacier."
The effects of climate change have been especially visible in Central Asia, which has experienced a surge in extreme weather disasters. The melting glaciers significantly threaten this landlocked region, which already faces water shortages.
As natural "water towers," glaciers are essential to the region’s food security, but these vital freshwater reserves are dwindling fast.
Equipped with a measuring device, Omorova knelt beside a torrent of melted water, standing on gray ice shimmering under the strong sun. "We’re measuring everything," she said. "The glaciers can’t regenerate because of rising temperatures."
She pointed to the shrinking Adygene Glacier, noting that it has retreated by "around 16 centimeters (six inches) every year." That’s more than 900 meters (3,000 feet) since the 1960s, she added.
The once-majestic glacier is just one of thousands in the region and is slowly disappearing. According to a report by the Eurasian Development Bank, between 14% and 30% of glaciers in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges have melted over the past 60 years.
Omorova said the situation is worsening. "The melting is much more intense than in previous years," she said.
With scientists warning that 2024 could be the hottest year on record, glaciologists like Omorova play a critical role in tracking these changes. However, resources in Kyrgyzstan – a former Soviet republic and one of the poorest countries in Central Asia – are scarce.
"We lack measuring equipment, and there’s not enough funding to transport materials to our observation station, which doesn’t even have electricity," Omorova said. She hopes the Kyrgyz government will draft laws to protect the region’s glaciers.
Dangerous torrents
The shrinking glaciers also create new risks for Kyrgyz towns and cities, as meltwater forms lakes that can cascade down mountains in dangerous torrents – threatening areas, including the capital Bishkek.
Further down the valley, at 2,200 meters (7,200 feet), brothers Sergei and Pavel Yerokhin – both scientists – monitored the fast-flowing water. Sergei, 72, warned about the dangers posed by these torrents.
"This mass of water carries rocks, flows down the valley, and can reach towns," Sergei told AFP. Their mission is to track and predict water flow and create maps to keep people and infrastructure out of harm’s way.
Pavel had installed a sensor about 50 centimeters (20 inches) above the waterline to send radio signals in case of flooding.
For the Kyrgyz government, the melting glaciers pose more than just a risk of infrastructure damage. Water distribution – based on agreements from the Soviet era – remains a source of tension between neighboring countries.
Mountainous Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, each home to around 10,000 glaciers, are the main water suppliers for Central Asia.
"We share water with our neighbors downstream," Omorova said, referring to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which are home to most of the region’s population.
In addition to rising temperatures, the glaciers face another threat: increased demand for the region's natural resources, such as gold. The chemicals used in extraction accelerate the melting of ice.
Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have been working to raise awareness of the looming crisis. Last year, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov warned that forecasts show Central Asia’s glaciers "will halve by 2050 and disappear completely by 2100."