Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33 GMS Road, Dehradun, 248001, India.
Environ Monit Assess. 2023 Aug 7;195(9):1024. doi: 10.1007/s10661-023-11592-0.
This study provides the first comprehensive account of the glaciation of the Yankti Kuti valley of the upper Kali Ganga catchment of the Kumaon Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Employing multi-year satellite images from 1990 to 2021, the study investigated the loss of glacial area, ice volume, snout recession, and the changes in the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) in the Yankti Kuti Valley. The investigation showed an overall reduction of ~ 21 km (~ 21%) of the total glacier area of the basin. The basin witnesses an ice volume loss of ~ 23% and ~ 41 m upward shifting of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) between 1990 and 2021. The retreat rate of the four studied glaciers shows ranges from ~ 18 to 41 m/year. The glaciers in the valley are melting at a significant rate due to global warming, giving rise to the increasing number of pro-glacial lakes in the study area from 04 in 1990 to 10 in 2021 and making them vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in the future. The study, therefore, calls for continued glacier monitoring in the upper Kali Ganga catchment in order to assess the future response of the Himalayan cryosphere and to make robust quantitative assessments about the sustainable mitigation and adaptation strategies in the lower valleys.
本研究首次全面描述了喜马拉雅山脉库马翁地区上卡利甘加流域扬克蒂库提山谷的冰川作用。本研究利用 1990 年至 2021 年多年的卫星图像，调查了扬克蒂库提山谷冰川面积损失、冰量、冰舌后退和平衡线高度（ELA）的变化。研究表明，该流域的总冰川面积整体减少了约 21 公里（21%）。在 1990 年至 2021 年期间，流域见证了约 23%的冰量损失和41 米的 ELA 向上移动。4 条研究冰川的退缩率范围在~18 至 41 米/年之间。由于全球变暖，山谷中的冰川正在以显著的速度融化，导致研究区域内的冰川湖数量从 1990 年的 04 个增加到 2021 年的 10 个，这使得它们未来容易发生冰川湖溃决洪水（GLOFs）。因此，该研究呼吁继续对上卡利甘加流域的冰川进行监测，以评估喜马拉雅冰冻圈的未来反应，并对下游山谷的可持续缓解和适应策略进行稳健的定量评估。
