Evaluating the sensitivity of glacier to climate by using stable water isotopes and remote sensing

Abstract

Glaciers in the Himalayan Mountain system are undergoing rapid retreat, and the global climate change has a significant impact on it. In the present study, we used stable water isotope and remote sensing data to understand the impact of climate on melting behavior of some high-altitude glaciers in two glacier-fed basins of western Himalaya, India. Glacier samples were collected from four major glaciers of Liddar (Kashmir region) and Suru basins (Ladakh region) during melting season from May 2012 to November 2013 for δ18O and δ2H. It was observed that the glacier samples from Suru basin were more depleted in 18O and 2H (−10.9 to −16.2‰ and −73 to −128‰) than the glaciers of Liddar basin (−8.2 to −14.9‰ and −52 to −102‰). However, the d-excess of the glacier samples in Suru basin was lower (13.5–21.6‰) than the glaciers of Liddar basin (17–28‰). It was observed that the temporal changes in weather pattern strongly influence the isotopic composition of the glaciers with progressive decrease and increase in δ18O (or δ2H) with the increase in ambient temperature and rainfall, respectively. The results suggest that during the sunny days of August and September, the glaciers are melting at higher altitudes (3900–4172 m) in the accumulation zone, reflecting that the glaciers of Liddar basin are not the ideal sites for the ice coring for paleoclimatological studies. The study also revealed that 20% glacier extent (glacierized area) in Liddar basin has been lost in <35 years, which is quite higher than that of Suru basin (2%).