Impacts of projected climate and glacier change on river discharge in five glacierized catchments in the northern Tien Shan, Kazakhstan are investigated using a conceptual hydrological model HBV-ETH. Regional climate model PRECIS driven by four different GCM-scenario combinations (HadGEM2.6, HadGEM8.5, A1B using HadCM3Q0 and ECHAM5) is used to develop climate projections. Future changes in glaciation are assessed using the Blatter–Pattyn type higher-order 3D coupled ice flow and mass balance model. All climate scenarios show statistically significant warming in the 21st Century. Neither projects statistically significant change in annual precipitation although HadGEM and HadCM3Q0-driven scenarios show 20–37% reduction in July–August precipitation in 2076–2095 in comparison with 1980–2005. Glaciers are projected to retreat rapidly until the 2050s and stabilize afterwards except under the HadGEM8.5 scenario where retreat continues. Glaciers are projected to lose 38–50% of their volume and 34–39% of their area. Total river discharge in July–August, is projected to decline in catchments with low (2–4%) glacierization by 20–37%. In catchments with high glacierization (16% and over), no significant changes in summer discharge are expected while spring discharge is projected to increase. In catchments with medium glacierization (10–12%), summer discharge is expected to decline under the less aggressive scenarios while flow is sustained under the most aggressive HadGEM8.5 scenario, which generates stronger melt.

The mountains of Central Asia support many environmental functions and ecosystem services. The mountain environments and their services are affected by climate change and climate change adaptation (CCA) actions are required to increase resilience of regional communities. This paper is a systematic review of the English and Russian‐language literature published between 2013 (IPCC AR5) and May 2021 (IPCC AR6) focusing on CCA in the Central Asian mountains. In all, 52 publications have been reviewed. Criteria defining incremental and transformative adaptation were established and the reviewed studies were assigned to one of these approaches. The relatively low number of publications shows that the extent of CCA knowledge represented in academic literature is limited in comparison to other mountainous regions. There is a disparity between the growing body of publications addressing climate change and limited and decreasing number of academic publications focusing on adaptation in the region. Only 11 publications reported transformative adaptation actions. Most of the reviewed papers (55%) focus on water resources and future water availability; 15% focus on land degradation, 10% on changes in vertical zonation of plant species, 7% on loss of plant species, 3% on impacts of hazardous events, and 10% on multiple impacts of climate change. The awareness of the importance of CCA among the regional actors should be improved through closer collaboration between researchers, international organizations focusing on sustainable development and adaptation which have recently become more active in the region, practitioners, and local communities and co‐production of knowledge on the development and implementation of CCA.This article is categorized under: Trans‐Disciplinary Perspectives > Humanities and the Creative Arts Trans‐Disciplinary Perspectives > Humanities and the Creative Arts Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Institutions for Adaptation Assessing Impacts of Climate Change > Observed Impacts of Climate Change

Over 900 event-based precipitation samples were collected in 2019–2021 in the Tien Shan and its foothills and analysed using cavity ring-down spectroscopy. δD and δ¹⁸O values were highest in summer and lowest in winter, and annual cycles of deuterium excess (d-excess) varied between sites, reflecting local conditions. The δ¹⁸O and δD values increased from north to south in all seasons except autumn, and latitude was a statistically significant predictor of δ¹⁸O and δD in the overall data set, along with elevation in winter and elevation and longitude in autumn. Elevation was a significant predictor of d-excess in all seasons, and local air temperature was a more important control over δ¹⁸O and δD than precipitation depth. Local meteoric water lines were derived using seven regression methods applied to non-weighted and weighted precipitation. Non-weighted ordinary least squares regression and reduced major axis regression methods are recommended overall, except for summer when the precipitation-weighted least squares regression should be used, particularly in the south. Atmospheric back-trajectory and mixing-model analyses were applied in combination to identify air mass source regions and their relative contribution to precipitation. Recycled moisture from irrigated land in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins and from the study catchments accounted for 29 %–71 % of precipitation, depending on the site and season. In the Chon Kyzyl-Suu catchment, local re-evaporation from Issyk-Kul accounted for up to 85 % of precipitation. These findings highlight the importance of moisture from terrestrial sources, especially irrigated land, for the formation of precipitation in the Tien Shan.

River delta soils are the final spatial units of the matter flow within the whole river catchment. Due to their spatial position in the catchment and due to their fine grain size composition, river delta soils are important matter sinks in general, especially for heavy metals. The article presents the results of spectrometric analysis of heavy metals in the soils of the Ili River Delta and State Natural Reserve “Ili-Balkhash” in 2021. This area is included in the list of wetlands of international importance under the Convention on Wetlands. Heavy metals in the samples were determined using the flame atomic absorption spectrometric method using the AA-7000 atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The spatial distribution of the metals was visualized in the ArcGIS 10.5 environment. Copper concentrations were measured in the soils of the dry steppe, semi-desert and desert zones with average values up to 28.5 mg kg⁻¹ and a maximum level of 75.1 mg kg⁻¹. The concentrations of lead are 8.0–15.9 mg kg⁻¹. The cadmium content exceeds the standards from 2.1 to 6.5 mg kg⁻¹ on the whole territory at MPC 2.0 mg kg⁻¹, reaching up to 3.3 MPC (Maximum Permissible Concentration). The cobalt concentration ranges from 6.7 to 20.6 mg kg⁻¹, and nickel ranges from 11.3 to 22.2 mg kg⁻¹. Soil contamination due to cobalt and nickel is observed in the northern and eastern parts of the study area. The received data about pollution of the soil cover by heavy metals makes it possible to assess the degree of anthropogenic load of the unique natural environment in the Ili River Delta and natural reserve.