Monitoring glacier characteristics and their mass balance using a multidimensional approach over the glaciers of the Chandra basin, western Himalaya

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ABSTRACT Glacier change monitoring provides a significant understanding of glacier health and its influence on freshwater availability. Therefore, we have utilized remotely sensed data to estimate the glacier characteristics, mass balance, and volume change during 2013–2019 over the Sutri Dhaka and Batal glaciers, Chandra basin, western Himalayas. The glacier feature classification and shifting in isoline were mapped on a spatio-temporal scale. Furthermore, the surface velocity was measured using Coregistration of Optically Sensed Images and Correlation (COSI-Corr) and then used for estimating the ice thickness. The estimated velocity was compared with the stake observations and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)- Inter-Mission Time Series of Land Ice Velocity and Elevation (ITS_LIVE) data. Further, the glaciers’ geodetic mass balance and volume change were calculated, indicating an average value of −0.03 ± 0.5, −0.34 ± 0.40 and −0.13 ± 0.14 m water equivalent (w.e.) year−1 during 2000–2009, 2009–2020, and 2000–2020, respectively. This multidimensional analysis of the glaciers is critical, as the meltwater from both glaciers contributes to the Chandra basin and also influences the local ecosystem.