Frontal changes in the Manimahesh and Tal Glaciers in the Ravi basin, Himachal Pradesh, northwestern Himalaya (India), between 1971 and 2013

Abstract

The Manimahesh and Tal Glaciers are located in the Budhil fifth-order sub-basin of the Ravi, Himachal Himalaya, Northwestern Himalaya (India). These glaciers were analysed using high- (Corona KH-4A) to medium- (Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI, ASTER) spatial resolution satellite data between 1971 and 2013, along with extensive field measurements (2011–2014) of frontal changes. The results show that the Manimahesh and Tal Glaciers retreated by 157 ± 34 m (4 ± 1 m year^–1) and 45 ± 34 m (1 ± 1 m year^–1), respectively, whereas, the total area lost is estimated at 0.21 ± 0.01 km² (0.005 km² year^–1) and 0.010 ± 0.003 km² (0.0002 km² year^–1), respectively, between 1971 and 2013. The rate of retreat is significantly lower than that previously reported. Our field measurements (2011–2014) also suggest a retreating trend and validate the measured glacier changes using remotely sensed temporal data.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for providing the research facilities. We also thank the USGS for providing Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI and Corona data. The first author is grateful to Mr Bruce Raup, GLIMS (http://www.glims.org/), for providing ASTER satellite data at no cost. The first author also extends his gratitude to Dr Rakesh Bhambri for valuable suggestions. The authors extend their gratitude to Dr Timothy Warner, Editor, IJRS, for his insightful comments and suggestions, which significantly improved the flow and content of this article.

ORCID

Pritam Chand http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7388-0393

Additional information

Funding

We are grateful to the University Grant Commission, New Delhi, for financial support for this work.