What is it about?
Himalayan glaciers are important to more than 900 million people of surrounding countries. Here we present an up-to-date status of glacier mass, area, length, surface energy, hydrology and related hazards. We also discuss the future directions to strengthen the cryospheric research in the Himalaya.
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Why is it important?
We screened all the available data about glacier mass, area and length, surface energy, hydrology etc. for the first time and provided the caution flags to each data. Further, using the most reliable data, we calculated the mean rate of area loss and mass changes over the last 5 decades separately for Himalayan and Karakoram ranges. The glacier wastage in the Himalaya generally follows the global glacial wastage except a slight reduction in wastage after 2000 while Karakoram glaciers are close to balanced conditions since 1970s.
Perspectives
Unlike previous reviews, this review article screened all the available glaciological data and brings most reliable information about the Himalayan-Karakoram glaciers. Classical "glaciological method" used to estimate the mass balance is not suitable for heavily debris-covered or avalanche-fed glaciers. This practice brought strong biasness in previously calculated mean mass balances for the Himalayan glaciers and thus the sea level rise rates. We believe this review is of great importance to understand the present status of the Himalayan-Karakroam glaciers and develop the future strategies.
Mohd Farooq Azam
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Review of the status and mass changes of Himalayan-Karakoram glaciers, Journal of Glaciology, January 2018, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/jog.2017.86.
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