Kolka Glacier grows 60 meters annually despite regional retreat trends

The Kolka Glacier in North Ossetia is exhibiting abnormal growth, moving contrary to the general trend of glacial retreat across the Caucasus. While regional glaciers lose an average of 1.8% of their area annually, the Kolka has already recovered 40% of the volume it lost during a catastrophic collapse in 2002. Researchers from the RAS Institute of Geography report that the glacier's tongue advanced by 50 meters in the last year alone. The glacier currently measures nearly 2 kilometers in length. At its current pace of 60 meters per year, it is projected to collide with "dead ice"-stationary frozen remnants from the 2002 event-within five to six years. Monitoring and Subsurface Risks During a September 2026 expedition, glaciologists utilized Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, Bosch laser rangefinders, and VIRL-7 radar to map over two kilometers of the glacier's internal profile. Beyond surface movement, scientists are investigating whether geothermal heat is destabilizing the ice from below.