Impact analysis of climate change on Kolahoi Glacier in Liddar Valley, north-western Himalayas
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Impact analysis of climate change on Kolahoi Glacier in Liddar Valley, north-western Himalayas Syed Umer Latief 1,2 & S. M. Rashid 1 & Rupendra Singh 3
Received: 18 June 2015 / Accepted: 18 October 2016 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2016
Abstract Glaciers are among the most conspicuous and dynamic features on the earth’s surface and are also highly sensitive to changes in climatic parameters. Glaciers in the Kashmir Himalayas have been reported to be retreating due to climate forcing. Kolahoi Glacier is one of the largest and important glaciers of the Kashmir Himalayas and is the main source of Liddar River, which is the largest tributary of the Jhelum River system. In the present study, an analysis to assess the response of Kolahoi Glacier to the changing climate was carried out using the Survey of India (SoI) map and multi-temporal Landsat satellite data. The results show a significant change in the spatial extent of Kolahoi Glacier. The total area of this glacier has reduced from 12.21 km2 in 1962 to 11.61 km2 in 2010. An analysis of meteorological data (temperature and precipitation) shows that the average annual temperature increased from 9.1 °C in 1980–1989 to 10.3 °C in 2000–2009, while the precipitation decreased from 1329.44 to 1126.89 mm during the same period. The results suggest that this glacier will be annihilated completely if the same retreating trend continues. Keywords Climate change . Glacier recession Kolahoi Glacier . Liddar River
* Syed Umer Latief [email protected]
1
Department of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 110025, India
2
Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
3
Centre for Political Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
Introduction The twentieth century has been a period of dramatic glacier retreat all over the world. But the accelerated glacier and ice field retreat/melt in last few decades has alarmed the climate scientist more than ever. The research carried out by a group of glaciologists shows worldwide decrease in glaciers in mountainous regions (Haeberli et al. 2001). Likewise, the Himalayan glaciers have also been in a state of general retreat since 1850 (Mayekwski and Jeschke 1979). Changes in the spatial extent of glaciers are seen as indicators of climate change and as a valuable evidence in early detection strategies within the international climate monitoring programs (GCOS 2004; GTOS 2008). The impact of contemporary climate change on glaciers is already prevalent in the Himalayas (Kulkarni et al. 2007; Hasnain 2008; Bhambri et al. 2011). In 1999, a report by the Working Group on Himalayan Glaciology (WHHGS) of the International Commission for Snow and Ice (ICSI) stated that glaciers in the Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world, which was also confirmed in a study by Bolch et al. (2012). The rapid shrinkage of Himalayan glaciers potentially has a huge effect on the a
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