Glacier retreat analysis in the context of climate change impact over the Satopanth (SPG) and Bhagirathi-Kharak (BKG) glaciers in the Mana basin of the Central Himalaya, India: A geospatial approach

Abstract

• Glacier retreat footprints over the Mana Basin. • Spatio-temporal changes in the snout/glacier over the period of 50 years. • Estimation of ice velocity using the SAR technique. • Negative trend in snow cover area and increase of temperature. This study explores the dynamics of the Satopanth (SPG) and Bhagirathi-Kharak (BKG) glaciers of the Mana basin in the Central Himalayan region of India under the scenario of climate change. The spatio-temporal changes in the glacier area, volume, and shift in snout positions during the period from 1968 to 2017 were assessed based on the CORONA photograph and satellite data . The study also intended to identify the common drifts in glacier areas for observing temporal and seasonal (during the winter-spring-summer transition) changes in the glacial landscapes and ably evaluate glacier velocity and ice-marginal lake stage. The ice velocity was found to vary from 0.117 md −1 to 0.165 md −1 for January to October months. It was found to have increased during the winter-spring-summer transition periods used to estimate the ice flow intensity and its phase information regular basis. Besides this, the linear trends of the MOD11A2 land surface temperature product were obtained and temperature variability has been analyzed from 2001 to 2020. The results show significant warming over the basin along with a significant negative trend in snow cover area during different seasons. The derived information is quite useful in analyzing the climate change footprints such as snowline movement, snow volume changes, and glacier mass balance-related studies.