Catalogues and maps of glaciers (for 2015) of Shapshal Glacier Center, located in the eastern part of the Russian Altai, have been created based on the first field glaciological observations and space images interpretation. In total 123 glaciers with the total area of 14.07 km2 have been allocated. In comparison with the data from the Glacier Inventory of the USSR (1955–1965), the total area of the glaciers has decreased by more than 2 times. The lower limit of glacier development is 2475 m, to the south-east of the region it rises by 1 km, the height of the firm line rises from 2860 m to 3460 m, respectively. Small glaciers prevail (70% of glaciers have an area less than 0.1 km2, the area of the largest glacier is 0.9 km2). In terms of quantity and area, cirque glaciers predominate, there are no valley glaciers. The largest numbers of glaciers have northern and northeastern exposure, with the largest areas of glaciers concentrated on the north-eastern slopes. The highest glaciation intensity has been detected on the eastern slope of the Skalistiy Ridge and the northeastern slope of the southern part of the Shapshalsky Ridge in the upper reaches of the Chon-Khem River, which are optimal for glaciers by a combination of mountain heights and position relative to moisture-bearing atmospheric flows. To the west of these areas, intensity of glacierization decreases due to lower mountain heights, to the east – due to lower precipitation. In general, with low (0.1 km−1 and less) intensity of glacierization, the Shapshal Centre is an area of dispersed glaciation, most glaciers of which are on the verge of disappearance.

The results of long-term direct observations of the natural, disastrous processes in the high altitude zone of the mountains of North-West Inner Asia are presented. The Tavan-Boghd-Ola mountain massif is the model investigation area, where observations of periglaciation and modern glaciation have been made by geographers of St-Petersburg State University since 1999. The main aim of the work is to study the causes and mechanisms of formation of mud flows in connection with glacial dynamics and climatic factors. Glaciated terrain on the north slope of the massif lost about 11 % of its area between 1962 and 2002. In the period 1999–2002 glacial retreat was accompanied by the development of thermokarst phenomena – rapid uncovering of buried ice from moraine, fluvioglacial and limnoglacial sediments. In 2002–2009 the glaciers lost about 12 % of their area, due to degradation in the ice divide areas and retreat of the glaciers. Four types of mud flow mechanism have been identified in the periglacial zone. Weakening of thermokarst processes due to lower annual temperatures is likely to cause a decrease in the hazard from periglacial mud flows.

Реконструируются оледенение массива Монгун-Тайга в максимум малой ледниковой эпохи и его последующее изменение до 2008 г. по пяти временным срезам. На основании дендрохронологических построений получена кривая индекса баланса массы ледников за последние 300 лет. Анализ кривой позволяет отнести максимум малой ледниковой эпохи к интервалу 1845-1855 гг. Ледники массива Монгун-Тайга испытали быстрое сокращение в конце XIX в.; снижение же темпов деградации лед- ников отмечалось в 1920-х и 1960-х годах. В 1995-2008 гг. темпы сокращения оледенения массива возросли - за этот период исчезло 19 малых ледников, а общая площадь оледенения сократилась на 19 %. Характер дегляциации массива согласуется с изменениями климата и со ступенчатым релье- фом массива. При сохранении нынешних климатических тенденций прогнозируется распад долинных ледников массива Монгун-Тайга в ближайшее десятилетие.