The recent deglaciation of Kolahoi valley in Kashmir Himalaya, India in response to the changing climate

Rashid, Irfan; Romshoo, Shakil Ahmad; Abdullah, Tariq

doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2017.02.002

Cited by 69 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 91 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Kolahoi Glacier spread over 10.5 km 2 is considered to be a single glacier [47,[67][68][69]; however, a recent study [51] suggested that the glacier has two parts draining into two watersheds, Lidder and Sindh, of the larger Jhelum basin. The Randolph Glacier Inventory (https://www.glims.org/RGI/), on the other hand, indicates that the glacier has five parts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A dominant amount of this precipitation falls as snow during winter and spring from westerlies, whereas summer and autumn are relatively drier. The minimum temperature during winter can drop below −18 • C, whereas the maximum temperature can rise up to 30 • C during summer [47]. The topography of the Lidder watershed is hilly, covered by snow and glaciers or rock outcrop in higher reaches (>3600 m asl).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Linking the Recent Glacier Retreat and Depleting Streamflow Patterns with Land System Changes in Kashmir Himalaya, India

Rashid

Majeed

Aneaus

et al. 2020

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study reports the changes in glacier extent and streamflow similar to many Himalayan studies, but takes the unusual step of also linking these to downstream land use changes in Kashmir Valley. This study assessed changes in the area, snout, and equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of four parts of the Kolahoi Glacier using earth observation data from 1962 to 2018. Changes in the discharge of the two streams flowing out from Kolahoi Glacier into the Jhelum basin were also assessed between 1972 and 2018. Additionally, satellite data was used to track the downstream land system changes concerning agriculture, orchards, and built-up areas between 1980 and 2018. This analysis suggested a cumulative deglaciation of 23.6% at a rate of 0.42% per year from 1962 to 2018. The snout of two larger glaciers, G1 and G2, retreated at a rate of 18.3 m a −1 and 16.4 m a −1 , respectively, from 1962 to 2018, although the rate of recession accelerated after 2000. Our analysis also suggested the upward shift of ELA by ≈120 m. The streamflows measured at five sites showed statistically significant depleting trends that have been a factor in forcing extensive land system changes downstream. Although the area under agriculture in Lidder watershed shrunk by 39%, there was a massive expansion of 176% and 476% in orchards and built-up areas, respectively, from 1980 to 2018. The conversion of irrigation-intensive agriculture lands (rice paddy) to less water-intensive orchards is attributed to economic considerations and depleting streamflow.Water 2020, 12, 1168 2 of 18 to decrease in the streamflows in the Himalayan Rivers [7,[27][28][29], which could affect water availability downstream [30]. Studies suggest that the glacier recession in the Kashmir valley has already resulted in the depleted streamflows downstream [31,32]. The land system changes in the region [33][34][35][36] have been linked to depleting streamflows, economic considerations, and unplanned land transformation.The use of remote sensing data for quantifying land system changes over the Kashmir region has been widely documented [37][38][39][40]. At the same time, there is substantial scientific literature detailing the glacier retreat prevalent over the region. A recent study indicated that the glaciers in the Ladakh region are retreating at 0.55% a −1 [41], whereas another study [42] reported few stable and advancing glaciers in the Zanskar region of Jammu and Kashmir. Similar retreat estimates have been put forth for the Zanskar region for the glacier area changes carried between 1989 and 2007 [43]. However, very conservative area changes (0.16% a −1 ) have been reported for the neighboring Suru basin [44] for the glacier area changes assessed for the 1977-2017 period. In another study carried out in the Lidder watershed of the Jhelum basin, the glaciers were reported to be shrinking at 0.51% a −1 [17]. Glacier mass change over the western Himalayas has accelerated from 0.33 to 0.5 m w.e. (water equivalent) per year between 1970-2000 and 2000-2010, respectively [45]. Ther...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking the Recent Glacier Retreat and Depleting Streamflow Patterns with Land System Changes in Kashmir Himalaya, India

Rashid

Majeed

Aneaus

et al. 2020

Water

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Information about glacial landforms and landscapes advances our knowledge of glacial processes and their interactions with ice and climate dynamics [15,17,26,28]. According to Blaszczynski and Bishop and Shroder [3,5], geomorphological mapping is of prime importance for understanding different stages of geochronology and landscape evolution of the earth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mapping of glacial features, when combined with dating techniques, provides the foundation for reconstructing and modeling past glacier dynamics. In other words, it provides spatial and temporal patterns of ice extent used to constrain paleo-climate variations [10,28]. Such investigations in Greater Himalaya have yield local chronologies and a comprehensive picture of last glacial maximum (LGM) [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Applying integrated remote sensing and field-based approach to map glacial landform features of the Machoi Glacier valley, NW Himalaya

2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Glacial landforms are important precursors of landscape's glaciological history. Such evidences are vital to understand the role of climate in shaping the earth's surface. The work presented in this paper is about the detailed geomorphological mapping of the Machoi Glacier valley in NW Himalaya in Drass, Jammu and Kashmir. The geomorphological map of the area at 1:6000 scale was generated by integrating detailed field data, collected using Global Positioning System and electronic total station, and the satellite remote sensing information. Most of the area was mapped on field; however, some inaccessible areas were mapped using high-resolution DigitalGlobe QuickBird imagery. Various landform features mapped in the study area include lateral and terminal moraines, serrate, basin ridge, crevasses, glacier accumulation and ablation, debris cones, drumlins, horn and outwash plain. The spatial information on the glacial landform features in the area is aimed to guide the reconstruction of paleo-glaciological setup using dating techniques and will ultimately improve the knowledge gaps about the glaciation in the NW Himalaya during the Pleistocene.

show abstract

“…Climatic differences between monsoonal and cold-arid regions account for another uncertainty in general trends of glacier change at the Himalayan scale [5][6][7][8][9]. Whereas the majority of glaciers in the monsoonal portions of the central and eastern Himalaya, between Himachal Pradesh in the west and Bhutan in the east, are receding at different rates [10], changes are less pronounced in the western Himalaya [11][12][13][14] and in the adjoining Karakoram [15]. Some Karakoram glaciers have advanced since the 1990s [16][17][18][19] or have been in balance since the 1970s [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes of High Altitude Glaciers in the Trans-Himalaya of Ladakh over the Past Five Decades (1969–2016)

Schmidt

Nüsser

2017

Geosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climatic differences between monsoonal and cold-arid parts of the South Asian mountain arc account for the uncertainty regarding regional variations in glacier retreat. In this context, the upper Indus Basin of Ladakh, sandwiched between the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, is of particular interest. The aims of the present study are threefold: to map the glaciers of central and eastern Ladakh, to describe their regional distribution and characteristics in relation to size and topography, and to analyze glacier changes in the selected ranges over the past five decades. The study is based on multi-temporal remote sensing data (Corona and Landsat), supported and validated by several field campaigns carried out between 2007 and 2016. A glacier inventory was carried out for the complete study area, which was subdivided into nine sub-regions for comparison. In general, the glaciers of Ladakh are characterized by their high altitude, as 91% terminate above 5200 m, and by their relatively small size, as 79% of them are smaller than 0.75 km 2 and only 4% are larger than 2 km 2. The glaciated area of central Ladakh totaled 997 km 2 with more than 1800 glaciers in 2002.

show abstract

The recent deglaciation of Kolahoi valley in Kashmir Himalaya, India in response to the changing climate

Cited by 69 publications

References 91 publications

Linking the Recent Glacier Retreat and Depleting Streamflow Patterns with Land System Changes in Kashmir Himalaya, India

Linking the Recent Glacier Retreat and Depleting Streamflow Patterns with Land System Changes in Kashmir Himalaya, India

Applying integrated remote sensing and field-based approach to map glacial landform features of the Machoi Glacier valley, NW Himalaya

Changes of High Altitude Glaciers in the Trans-Himalaya of Ladakh over the Past Five Decades (1969–2016)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About