Cherkasov Piotr Aleksandrovich (11.12.1926-13.08.2002)
Piotr Aleksandrovich Cherkasov - professor, climber, glaciologist, Doctor of glaciological sciences, researcher of the Institute of Geography, participant of the II World War. In 1943 worked at the heavy engineering factory, then – coach in the Mountain Training School in the Gorelnik Valley. Since 1944 took part in the war as a military scout, and at the age 18 he was awarded the Order of Glory. After graduating from the Faculty of Geology and Geography of the Kazakh State University in 1955, he began to work at the Institute of Geography. He was a Head of glacioclimatic research on the glaciers of the Zailiyskiy Alatau and for 40 years - on the glaciers of the Dzhungarskiy Alatau, including from 1958 to 1990 on the Shumsky Glacier. He made phototheodolite surveys; Using aerial photographs, he determined the ice resources in the glaciers, calculated the rate of their reduction, and compiled maps of the dates of the disappearance of glaciers in the mountains of Kazakhstan. He developed the theory and methodology for calculating the components of the balance of external mass transfer, glacial runoff and changes in ice mass for the balance year, taking into account the features of the glacier surface.
Main publications:
«Dzhungarskiy Alatau. Ancient glaciation», 1964.
«Radiation balance of the physical surface of mountain glacier during ablation period». 1980.
«Current state of glaciers in the Ili-Balkhash region», 2002.
«Calculation of the components of water-ice balance of inner-continental glacier system». 2004.
Published 4 issues of the Catalog of glaciers of Dzhungarskiy Alatau (1969-1980), series of maps in the Atlas of Kazakh Soviet Republic (1982), and 8 maps in the World Atlas of Snow and Ice resources (1997), National Atlas of Kazakhstan ( 2006).