Unsteady state of glaciers (Chhota Shigri and Hamtah) and climate in Lahaul and Spiti region, western Himalayas: a review of recent mass loss

Abstract

Available published literatures on glacier mass loss and climate studies like temperature and precipitation are reviewed for Lahaul and Spiti region in northern India, which is a part of the western Himalayas. Chhota Shigri and Hamtah Glaciers are both located in the Lahaul and Spiti region and have the longest record of in situ glaciological mass balance (MB) measurements. We have compiled and compared all the dataset (different methods) related to glacier change with climate in the past few decades. Both the glaciers have experienced a significant mass loss during the study period. Different methods show diverse results for the glaciers studied for the same year; however, all results depicts overall unsteady state of both the glaciers. Data of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) shows a significant increase in average temperature for the entire country and huge variability in precipitation particularly in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Temperature and precipitation are found to be the two main governing factors controlling the glacier health in this region. Thus, it can be said that the glaciers of Lahaul and Spiti region are losing mass due to changing weather conditions, especially the increasing air temperature. However, long-term MB and climate data will give a better insight into understand and predict the future scenario of glacier health in this region.