Abstract
This paper is an attempt to estimate spatial changes (area and length in the frontal area) in glaciers of Tirungkhad watershed in Upper Sutlej Basin. It also investigates the influence of topography on the changes in glaciers. High-resolution (spatial) Corona KH4A (1965), Landsat TM (1990) and Sentinel 2B (2018) imageries and Aster GDEM elevation data have been used in this study to estimate changes of the glaciers between 1965 and 2018. Total 41 glaciers with an area of 58.73 km2 were mapped from Sentinel 2B imagery (2018). Due to cloud cover, 20 glaciers were selected for change calculation. During the period, 1965–2018, the glaciers have lost 1.95 ± 1.06 km2 or 5.58 ± 3.16% (0.11 ± 0.06%/year) of its total area. Average area loss rate was 0.037 ± 0.020 km2/year during 1965–2018. The glacier area change showed almost uniform rate throughout the period 1965–2018 (– 0.038 ± 0.053 km2/year during 1990–2018, and – 0.035 ± 0.057 km2/year during 1965–1990). Average retreat rate of glaciers was 6.76 ± 1.91 m/year during 1965–2018 (6.95 ± 2.08 m/year during 1965–1990 and 6.60 ± 1.74 m/year during 1990–2018). The topographic analysis showed that smaller glaciers had lost a higher percentage of area as compared to the larger glaciers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bahuguna IM, Rathore BP, Brahmbhatt R et al (2014) Are the Himalayan glaciers retreating? Curr Sci 106:1008–1013
Bajracharya SR, Maharjan SB, Shrestha F (2014a) Understanding dynamics of himalayan glaciers: scope and challenges of remote sensing. ISPRS - Int Arch Photogramm Remote Sens Spat Inf Sci XL–8:1283–1289. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-8-1283-2014
Bajracharya SR, Maharjan SB, Shrestha F et al (2014b) Glacier Status in Nepal and Decadal change from 1980 to 2010 Based on Landsat Data. Kathmandu
Bhambri R, Bolch T (2009) Glacier mapping: a review with special reference to the Indian Himalayas. Prog Phys Geogr 33:672–704. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133309348112
Bhambri R, Bolch T, Chaujar RK (2010) Glacier Mapping in India since the 19th Century. Himal J 66:173–182
Bhambri R, Bolch T, Chaujar RK (2012) Frontal recession of Gangotri Glacier, Garhwal Himalayas, from 1965 to 2006, measured through highresolution remote sensing data. Curr Sci 102:489–494. https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-59630
Bhambri R, Bolch T, Chaujar RK, Kulshreshtha SC (2011) Glacier changes in the Garhwal Himalaya, India, from 1968 to 2006 based on remote sensing. J Glaciol 57:543–556. https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796905604
Bhambri R, Bolch T, Kawishwar P et al (2013) Heterogeneity in glacier response in the upper Shyok valley, northeast Karakoram. Cryosphere 7:1385–1398. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1385-2013
Bhutiyani MR (1999) Mass-balance studies on Siachen Glacier in the Nubra valley, Karakoram Himalaya, India. J Glaciol 45:112–118. https://doi.org/10.2307/1550224
Bolch T, Buchroithner M, Pieczonka T (2008) Planimetric and volumetric glacier changes in the Khumbu Himal, Nepal, since 1962 using Corona, Landsat TM and ASTER data. J Glaciol 54:592–600
Bolch T, Buchroithner MF, Peters J et al (2008) Identification of glacier motion and potentially dangerous glacial lakes in the Mt. Everest region/Nepal using spaceborne imagery. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 8:1329–1340. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-8-1329-2008
Bolch T, Menounos B, Wheate R (2010) Landsat-based inventory of glaciers in western Canada, 1985–2005. Remote Sens Environ 114:127–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2009.08.015
Bolch T, Yao T, Kang S et al (2010) A glacier inventory for the western Nyainqentanglha Range and the Nam Co Basin, Tibet, and glacier changes 1976–2009. Cryosph 4:419–433. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-4-419-2010
Chand P, Sharma MC (2015a) Frontal changes in the Manimahesh and Tal Glaciers in the Ravi basin, Himachal Pradesh, northwestern Himalaya (India), between 1971 and 2013. Int J Remote Sens 36:4095–4113. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2015.1074300
Chand P, Sharma MC (2015b) Glacier changes in the Ravi basin, North-Western Himalaya (India) during the last four decades (1971–2010/13). Glob Planet Chang 135:133–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.10.013
Chand P, Sharma MC, Prasad RN (2016) Heterogeneity in Fluctuations of Glacier with Clean Ice-Covered, Debris-Covered and Proglacial Lake in the Upper Ravi Basin, Himachal Himalaya (India), During the Past Four Decades (1971–2013). Climate change, glacier response, and vegetation dynamics in the Himalaya. Springer, Cham, pp 155–179
Das S, Sharma MC (2018) Glacier changes between 1971 and 2016 in the Jankar Chhu Watershed, Lahaul Himalaya. India J Glaciol. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.77
Goerlich F, Bolch T, Mukherjee K, Pieczonka T (1970s) Glacier mass loss during the 1960s and 1970s in the Ak-Shirak Range (Kyrgyzstan) from multiple stereoscopic corona and hexagon imagery. Remote Sens. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9030275
Govindha Raj KB, Nageswara Rao VV, Kumar KV, Diwakar PG (2017) Alarming recession of glaciers in Bhilangna basin, Garhwal Himalaya, from 1965 to 2014 analysed from Corona and Cartosat data. Geomatics Nat Hazards Risk. https://doi.org/10.1080/19475705.2017.1339736
Granshaw FD, Fountain AG (2006) Glacier change (1958–1998) in the North Cascades National Park Complex, Washington, USA. J Glaciol 52:251–256. https://doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828782
Hall DK, Bayr KJ, Schöner W et al (2003) Consideration of the errors inherent in mapping historical glacier positions in Austria from the ground and space (1893–2001). Remote Sens Environ 86:566–577. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-4257(03)00134-2
Hambrey M, Jurg A (1994) Glaciers. Cambridge University Press, Hong Kong
Kulkarni AV, Rathore BP, Mahajan S, Mathur P (2005) Alarming retreat of Parbati glacier, Beas basin, Himachal Pradesh. Curr Sci 11:1844–1850
Kulkarni AV, Bahuguna IM, Rathore BP et al (2007) Glacial retreat in Himalaya using Indian Remote Sensing satellite data. Curr Sci 92:69–74. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.694004
Kulkarni AV, Karyakarte Y (2014) Observed changes in Himalayan glaciers. Curr Sci 106:237–244
Kumar V, Mehta M, Mishra A, Trivedi A (2017) Temporal fluctuations and frontal area change of Bangni and Dunagiri glaciers from 1962 to 2013, Dhauliganga Basin, central Himalaya, India. Geomorphology 284:88–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.12.012
Mehta M, Dobhal DP, Bisht MPS (2011) Change of Tipra Glacier in the Garhwal Himalaya, India, between 1962 and 2008. Prog Phys Geogr 35:721–738. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133311411760
Mir RA, Jain SK, Saraf AK, Goswami A (2014a) Glacier changes using satellite data and effect of climate in Tirungkhad basin located in western Himalaya. Geocarto Int 29:293–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2012.760655
Mir RA, Jain SK, Saraf AK, Goswami A (2014b) Detection of changes in glacier mass balance using satellite and meteorological data in Tirungkhad basin located in Western Himalaya. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 42:91–105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12524-013-0303-2
Mir RA, Jain SK, Jain SK et al (2017) Assessment of recent glacier changes and its controlling factors from 1976 to 2011 in Baspa Basin, Western Himalaya. Arctic Antarct Alp Res 49:621–647. https://doi.org/10.1657/aaar0015-070
Mir RA, Majeed Z (2016) Frontal recession of Parkachik Glacier between 1971–2015, Zanskar Himalaya using remote sensing and field data. Geocarto Int 6049:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10106049.2016.1232439
Racoviteanu AE, Arnaud Y, Williams MW, Manley WF (2015) Spatial patterns in glacier characteristics and area changes from 1962 to 2006 in the Kanchenjunga-Sikkim area, eastern Himalaya. Cryosphere 9:505–523. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-505-2015
Raina VK, Kaul MK, Singh S (1977) Mass-Balance Studies of Gara Glacier. J Glaciol 18:415–423. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000021092
Raina VK, Srivastava D (2008) Glacier Atlas of India. Geological Society of India
Scherler D, Bookhagen B, Strecker MR (2011) Spatially variable response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change affected by debris cover. Nat Geosci 4:156–159. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1068
U.S. Geological Survey (2015) Landsat—Earth observation satellites
Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India for providing research facilities. Authors are also thankful to United States Geological Survey (USGS) for providing satellite data for free of cost. Authors want to take this opportunity to thank Mr Suresh Kumar and Mr Vishvjeet Negi for their help during fieldwork. Thanks to anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions which helped us to improve the content of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mandal, S.T., Sharma, M.C. Spatial Changes in Glaciers Between 1965 and 2018 in Tirungkhad Watershed, Upper Sutlej Basin, Himachal Pradesh. Earth Syst Environ 4, 427–438 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-020-00159-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41748-020-00159-5