No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016
Although glaciers in High Mountain Asia produce an enormous amount of water used by downstream populations, they remain poorly observed in the field. This study presents a geodetic mass balance of the glaciers in the Astore Basin (with differential GPS (dGPS) measurements on Harcho glacier) between...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000054/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811155828968783872 |
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| author | SHER MUHAMMAD LIDE TIAN MARCUS NÜSSER |
| author_facet | SHER MUHAMMAD LIDE TIAN MARCUS NÜSSER |
| author_sort | SHER MUHAMMAD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although glaciers in High Mountain Asia produce an enormous amount of water used by downstream populations, they remain poorly observed in the field. This study presents a geodetic mass balance of the glaciers in the Astore Basin (with differential GPS (dGPS) measurements on Harcho glacier) between 1999 and 2016. Changes near the terminus of Harcho glacier (below 3800 m a.s.l.) featured heterogeneous surface elevation changes, whereas the middle section shows the most negative changes. The surface elevation changes were positive above 4200 m a.s.l. The average annual mass balance was −0.08 ± 0.07 m w.e. a−1 derived from a dGPS and DEM comparison whereas Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer DEM-based results show a slightly positive, that is 0.03 ± 0.24 m w.e. a−1 in the same period. In contrast, the terminus indicates a substantial retreat of ~368 m (4.5 m a−1) between 1934 and 2016. The average mass balance of 19 glaciers (>2 km2) covering ~60% of the total glaciers in the Basin exhibit no net mass loss in the period of 2000−2016 and follow a pattern similar to adjacent Karakoram glaciers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:41:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dfe2f968edf74738ba3bb5f12bde4d6c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:41:14Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-dfe2f968edf74738ba3bb5f12bde4d6c2023-03-09T12:40:44ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522019-04-016527027810.1017/jog.2019.5No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016SHER MUHAMMAD0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7315-6450LIDE TIAN1MARCUS NÜSSER2Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, 650500 Kunming, China Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco–security, Kunming 650091, China Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Change and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, NepalInstitute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, 650500 Kunming, China Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco–security, Kunming 650091, China Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environmental Change and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China CAS Center of Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, ChinaDepartment of Geography, South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, GermanyAlthough glaciers in High Mountain Asia produce an enormous amount of water used by downstream populations, they remain poorly observed in the field. This study presents a geodetic mass balance of the glaciers in the Astore Basin (with differential GPS (dGPS) measurements on Harcho glacier) between 1999 and 2016. Changes near the terminus of Harcho glacier (below 3800 m a.s.l.) featured heterogeneous surface elevation changes, whereas the middle section shows the most negative changes. The surface elevation changes were positive above 4200 m a.s.l. The average annual mass balance was −0.08 ± 0.07 m w.e. a−1 derived from a dGPS and DEM comparison whereas Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer DEM-based results show a slightly positive, that is 0.03 ± 0.24 m w.e. a−1 in the same period. In contrast, the terminus indicates a substantial retreat of ~368 m (4.5 m a−1) between 1934 and 2016. The average mass balance of 19 glaciers (>2 km2) covering ~60% of the total glaciers in the Basin exhibit no net mass loss in the period of 2000−2016 and follow a pattern similar to adjacent Karakoram glaciers.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000054/type/journal_articleglacier mass balanceglacier mappingdGPSremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | SHER MUHAMMAD LIDE TIAN MARCUS NÜSSER No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 Journal of Glaciology glacier mass balance glacier mapping dGPS remote sensing |
| title | No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 |
| title_full | No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 |
| title_fullStr | No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 |
| title_full_unstemmed | No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 |
| title_short | No significant mass loss in the glaciers of Astore Basin (North-Western Himalaya), between 1999 and 2016 |
| title_sort | no significant mass loss in the glaciers of astore basin north western himalaya between 1999 and 2016 |
| topic | glacier mass balance glacier mapping dGPS remote sensing |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143019000054/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shermuhammad nosignificantmasslossintheglaciersofastorebasinnorthwesternhimalayabetween1999and2016 AT lidetian nosignificantmasslossintheglaciersofastorebasinnorthwesternhimalayabetween1999and2016 AT marcusnusser nosignificantmasslossintheglaciersofastorebasinnorthwesternhimalayabetween1999and2016 |