Surface mass balance analysis at Naradu Glacier, Western Himalaya, India

Rajesh Kumar,Shaktiman Singh,Surjeet Singh Randhawa,Atar Singh,Ramesh Kumar,Shruti Singh

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-91348-3

Abstract

In the present study, we analyze a field-based seven-year data series of surface mass-balance measurements collected during 2011/12 to 2017/18 on Naradu Glacier, western Himalaya, India. The average annual specific mass balance for the said period is − 0.85 m w.e. with the maximum ablation of − 1.15 m w.e. The analysis shows that the topographic features, south and southeast aspects and slopes between 7 to 24 degrees are the reasons behind the maximum ablation from a particular zone. The causes of surface mass balance variability have been analyzed through multiple linear regression analyses (MLRA) by taking temperature and precipitation as predictors. The MLRA demonstrates that 71% of the observed surface mass balance variance can be explained by temperature and precipitation. It clearly illustrates the importance of summer temperature, which alone explains 64% variance of surface mass balance. The seasonal analysis shows that most of the surface mass balance variability is described by summer temperature and winter precipitation as two predictor variables. Among monthly combinations, surface mass balance variance is best characterized by June temperature and September precipitation.

Highlights

The importance of glaciers cannot be overlooked as they are key indicators of climate change along with providing fresh water to the downstream populations and maintaining the ecosystem
We found that with two predictor variables, most of the surface mass balance variability is described by summer temperature and winter precipitation (R2 = 82%; p-values F-test = 0.032)
In recent decades interest of the research community has increased to explore the glaciers of Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) yet the present study suggests that more attention should be given to glaciological mass balance studies as they are very few in numbers and the understanding of glaciers’ spatial and temporal variability is weak compared to the other world’s mountain glaciers

Summary

Introduction

The importance of glaciers cannot be overlooked as they are key indicators of climate change along with providing fresh water to the downstream populations and maintaining the ecosystem. Rapid glacier mass loss may further cause changes in the landscape of mountains and Polar Regions that affect the global albedo and positively affect the global warming phenomenon It impacts local hazards, regional water cycles, and global sea-level r ise[2,3,4,5,6]. The critical work focus of WGMS is to collect standardized observations on changes in mass, volume, area, and length of glaciers with time It is deeply involved in providing statistical information about the distribution of perennial surface ice. Glacier mass balance shows the most direct relationship between climate and glacier dynamics and between climate and mountain hydrology[8,9]. The location map of Naradu Glacier with a network of installed stakes during the study period is shown in Fig. 1 (prepared using geographical information system (ArcGIS 10.1; version 10.1 and authorization number: EFL691568009-1010)

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