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

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

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-91348-3

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

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

^*Corresponding author for this work

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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.

Original language	English
Article number	12710
Number of pages	12
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	11
Issue number	1
Early online date	16 Jun 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91348-3
Publication status	Published - 16 Jun 2021

Keywords

hydrology
climate change
Cryospheric science

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

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title = "Surface mass balance analysis at Naradu Glacier, Western Himalaya, India",

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.",

keywords = "hydrology, climate change, Cryospheric science",

author = "Rajesh Kumar and Shruti Singh and Atar Singh and Ramesh Kumar and Shaktiman Singh and Randhawa, {Surjeet Singh}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, for research grants (Ref. No. SR/DGH/HP-1/2009 and SB/DGH-92/2014). We acknowledge the facility of the DST-FIST supported GIS Laboratory of the Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Rajasthan, India, where the maps are prepared on geographical information system (ArcGIS 10.1; version 10.1 and authorization number: EFL691568009-1010). The freely available data on India shapefile (http://www.diva-gis.org/ gdata), Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at NASA Earth Data (https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/search/) and satellite images acquired from USGS (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/) is thankfully acknowledged. The mass balance data of other parts of Himalaya has been compared, and we thankfully acknowledge the contribution of authors who made it available through their publications. The authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers for their comments/suggestions that helped us to improve the earlier version of the manuscript. The valuable input in the manuscript{\textquoteright}s language by Dr. Richard Armstrong, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Colorado, is thankfully acknowledged. The authors acknowledge the local mountain people (Chitkul, District Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh) and porters from Nepal for helping with the glacier fieldwork. We also thank the International Trans Himalayan agency for providing the necessary logistics during the fieldwork. ",

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doi = "10.1038/s41598-021-91348-3",

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AU - Singh, Shruti

AU - Singh, Atar

AU - Kumar, Ramesh

AU - Singh, Shaktiman

AU - Randhawa, Surjeet Singh

N1 - Funding Information: The authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, for research grants (Ref. No. SR/DGH/HP-1/2009 and SB/DGH-92/2014). We acknowledge the facility of the DST-FIST supported GIS Laboratory of the Department of Environmental Science, Central University of Rajasthan, India, where the maps are prepared on geographical information system (ArcGIS 10.1; version 10.1 and authorization number: EFL691568009-1010). The freely available data on India shapefile (http://www.diva-gis.org/ gdata), Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at NASA Earth Data (https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/search/) and satellite images acquired from USGS (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/) is thankfully acknowledged. The mass balance data of other parts of Himalaya has been compared, and we thankfully acknowledge the contribution of authors who made it available through their publications. The authors are grateful to the editors and reviewers for their comments/suggestions that helped us to improve the earlier version of the manuscript. The valuable input in the manuscript’s language by Dr. Richard Armstrong, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Colorado, is thankfully acknowledged. The authors acknowledge the local mountain people (Chitkul, District Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh) and porters from Nepal for helping with the glacier fieldwork. We also thank the International Trans Himalayan agency for providing the necessary logistics during the fieldwork.

PY - 2021/6/16

Y1 - 2021/6/16

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - hydrology

KW - climate change

KW - Cryospheric science

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DO - 10.1038/s41598-021-91348-3

M3 - Article

C2 - 34135366

AN - SCOPUS:85108168629

VL - 11

JO - Scientific Reports

JF - Scientific Reports

SN - 2045-2322

IS - 1

M1 - 12710

ER -

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

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Keywords

UN SDGs

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