Although glacier surges in the Pamir have been widely reported on, there is a lack of research into what controls these surges. In this paper, the Karayaylak Glacier in eastern Pamir is focused on. In 2015, this glacier was studied in detail using Landsat and Ziyuan-3 (ZY-3) satellite images. Our study showed that the Karayaylak Glacier surge initiated in the summer of 2014 (May–June), and experienced a peak velocity of 20.1 ± 0.7 m d^-1 in May 2015, terminating in October 2015. A mass volume of 0.46 × 10⁸ m³ was transferred from upstream to downstream in 2014. In contrast, a mass volume of (2.9 ± 0.1) × 10⁸ m³ was transferred from upstream to downstream in 2015. The basal slide during the active period (2014–2015) was controlled by higher water pressure when the surface water entered the ice bed, but the drainage channel was inefficient. Further, the Karayaylak Glacier surge terminated after a large amount of water was discharged from the bed of the glacier when the drainage channel began operating efficiently. In 2017, the reservoir zone was filled with snow, and the receiving zone was severely ablated, with a loss of at least (1.1± 0.1) × 10⁸ m³, indicating that the glacier melted more severely after the surge. In combination with the evidence of a higher peak velocity, shorter active period, and drainage conditions, it is widely believed that the Karayaylak Glacier surge was controlled by hydrology. The behavior of the Karayaylak Glacier is similar to that of the Kyagar Glacier and Shispare Glacier in the Karakoram. However, the types of surging glaciers in the Karakoram appear to be heterogeneous. The Pamir glacier surges may also be similar to those in the Karakoram.
 

帕米尔,冰川跃动,遥感,灾害,资源三号