The study of mountain glaciers is one of the developing branches of geographical research in Kazakhstan. This is connected with the steadily increasing intensity of natural resource utilization in high-mountain regions, where glaciers constitute both a dominant natural element and a vast reservoir of fresh water. Mountain glaciers have played, continue to play, and will continue to play a significant economic role, above all as sources of water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. Many rivers of Central Asia and Kazakhstan are fed by glacial meltwater, and the possibilities for irrigation in both mountain and lowland regions, as well as the operation of hydroelectric power stations, depend on the amount of water stored in glaciers and the intensity of their melting. Glaciers can be used for the artificial regulation of streamflow. Destructive natural hazards in mountainous areas, such as mudflows and floods, are often associated with glacial activity. The development of high-mountain regions, including transportation, industrial and civil construction, forestry, agriculture, tourism, and other activities, is impossible without a thorough understanding of glacier dynamics. For this reason, among the many sciences that study the processes shaping the Earth’s surface, glaciology has become exceptionally important. One consequence of the recognition of glaciology’s significance was its inclusion as a major component of the programs of the International Geophysical Year and the International Hydrological Decade. The objective of glaciological research is the comprehensive investigation of processes characteristic of various types of glaciers, the laws governing the development of modern glaciation under the influence of changes in the external environment or internal glacier conditions, and ultimately the management of these processes and the regulation of their effects on the surrounding environment. Consequently, it is essential to investigate as deeply as possible the physical nature underlying the diverse manifestations of glacial processes under different conditions, to develop increasingly accurate theories, and to verify them experimentally. In this regard, the application of precise research methods is of great importance both in the collection and analysis of field observations and in studies of the physics, physicochemistry, petrology, and mechanics of ice, as well as in the physical modeling of glacial processes. Modern glaciation occurs in many parts of Kazakhstan. It occupies mountain slopes and upper river valleys throughout much of the Altai, Saur, Dzungarian Alatau, Trans-Ili Alatau, Terskey Alatau, and other mountain systems. According to inventories compiled by Kazakh glaciologists, there are 2,720 glaciers within the republic, including 1,975 glaciers with an area of at least 0.1 square kilometers. The total area covered by glaciation within the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic amounts to 2,033.3 square kilometers. The total ice volume is estimated at 80 billion cubic meters, nearly equal to the combined annual runoff of all rivers in the republic. The total glacierized area of Kazakhstan consists of “dead ice” (14.7%) and active glaciers separated from it (85.3%). The dead ice occurs beneath terminal moraine cover and was formed during the last glacial advance (the Fernau stage). The existing active glaciers became detached from this dead ice during the phase of retreat and continue to exchange matter naturally through movement. Nearly half of the republic’s glacierized area is concentrated in the Dzungarian Alatau Mountains (1,000.0 km²). The next largest glacierized region is the Trans-Ili and Kungey Alatau (610.7 km²), followed by the Terskey Alatau Range (144.9 km²), the Altai and Saur Mountains within Kazakhstan (106.2 km²), and finally the Kyrgyz and Talas Alatau ranges (101.5 km²). Glaciers and snowfields existing under severe alpine climatic conditions exert a profound influence on surrounding regions. This is reflected first of all in the presence of permafrost zones. The total area of mountain permafrost in Kazakhstan is estimated at 16,760 square kilometers, including: Altai Mountains, 5,670 km²; Saur and Tarbagatai Mountains, 920 km²; Dzungarian Alatau, 4,890 km²; Terskey Alatau and Ketmen Range, 1,990 km²; Trans-Ili and Kungey Alatau, 2,250 km²; and Kyrgyz and Talas Alatau, 1,040 km². Kazakhstan’s glaciers have long attracted the attention of scientists. Before the Revolution, glacier studies were carried out mainly under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society. At that time, research focused primarily on geographical and morphological aspects. This was the era of discovery and the first stages of scientific understanding of glaciation in the mountains of Kazakhstan. Glaciological research during the Soviet period began in 1922. Its founder was N. N. Palgov, the pioneer of glaciological science in Kazakhstan. During the 1920s and 1930s, extensive factual material on Kazakhstan’s glaciers was collected, providing a general understanding of both modern and ancient glaciation, particularly in the Trans-Ili and Dzungarian Alatau ranges, and laying the foundation for theoretical studies and the first important syntheses. Beginning in 1937, the Hydrometeorological Administration of the Kazakh SSR joined investigations of the glaciers of the Trans-Ili Alatau, and in 1939 the Geographical Research Unit of the Kazakh Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR also became involved. By the time of the International Geophysical Year, glaciological research in Kazakhstan had reached a comparatively high level of development. Certain glaciers became the subject of permanent observations. In addition to morphological studies, investigations of glacier dynamics and their role in river nourishment were undertaken. Topographic surveys were conducted in the principal centers of glaciation. Glaciers, as hydrometeorological objects, received particular attention, reflecting the practical orientation of glaciological research in Kazakhstan’s mountain regions. In 1958, N. N. Palgov’s monograph Modern Glaciation of the Trans-Ili Alatau was published. The book provided detailed descriptions of all known glaciers of the range, examined the interactions between modern glaciation and its natural geographical environment, and established empirical relationships linking glacier ablation, meltwater runoff, and glacier-fed river discharge. For the first time, the problem of glacier thickness within the mountain ridge was addressed; the characteristics of glacial development were identified; the scale of glacial changes was determined; and an initial attempt was made to evaluate glacier mass balance. The work received wide recognition among glaciologists both within the Soviet Union and abroad. A landmark event in the history of glaciological research in Kazakhstan was the International Geophysical Year (1957–1959). During this period, modern and ancient glaciation in the Trans-Ili Alatau and Dzungarian Alatau was investigated by the Geographical Research Unit of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR, with the participation of the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the Geophysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow State University, the Hydrometeorological Administration of the Kazakh SSR, and other organizations.