Himalayan Glaciers - opengeology.in

As we know that the Himalayan range which extends over ~2400 km have the largest glacial cover after the Polar regions and also it is highly sensitive. This region is also called as “Water Tower of the world”. The study of these glaciers is also important as it contributes to the major rivers like, Indus, Ganga and the Brahmaputra Basins, that ultimately supports the more than a billion of population.

Rising temperature due to climate change, causing worldwide glaciers to melt including the Himalayan Glaciers. This phenomenon is known as ” Glacial Retreat”.

HiCOM (Himalayan Cryosphere Observations and Modelling) program, NCPOR (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research), NCAOR (National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research) etc. under the Ministry of Earth Sciences are leading R&D institutions in Polar and Cryospheric science.

The Himalayan Range showing major river Basins geographical subdivisions (GTOPO30 Digital Elevation model)

Growth and Sink of Glaciers :

Glaciers grows and sinks as seasons changes during time to time. Glacier mass is lost during the summer when temperature is increases while the Glacial mass is added during the summer when the temperature is decreased. There is another term called steady state, when the overall glacial mass is maintained during the freezing and melting process.

Glacial retreat occurs when there is permanent decrease in glacier mass and volume. The Himalayan region is so varied in terms of climate, timing, amount of precipitation, it becomes challenging to evaluate the exact glacial retreat.

Few important terms :

m.w.e. : meters of water equivalent
ELA : equilibrium line altitude

Image source : Click here

Important Himalayan Glaciers :

Western Himalaya : Sutluj basin, Bagha basin, Pir-Panjal basin, Chandrabhaga basin, GGCL (Gepang Gath Glacier), in Chandra bsin, Parkachik Glacier. 4-Glacial stages in the Upper Chenab Basin : the Chandra, the Batal, Dali and Mayar.

Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh :

Central Himalaya :

Eastern Himalaya :

Hazards in Himalayan Glaciers :

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